What WKNO does

WKNO is a non-profit public broadcasting television station licensed to operate digital Channel 10 from the WKNO Digital Media Center in Cordova, Tennessee, serving the Memphis and Mid-South region. It is a member station of PBS and a participant in the Tennessee Public Television Council (TPTC), a regional consortium of the six Tennessee public broadcast stations. The station distributes national PBS programming (MASTERPIECE, NOVA, Nature, FRONTLINE) alongside locally produced content such as Memphis Memoirs, Behind the Headlines, and A Conversation With, plus a 24/7 children's educational block under the WKNO PBS KIDS sub-brand.

The station's product surface combines over-the-air broadcast with multi-channel digital distribution through the PBS App, PBS.org, a YouTube main channel, and a dedicated WKNO PBS KIDS YouTube channel. Adjacent community-facing assets include Gallery 1091 (an in-house art exhibition space) and the Teacher Teacher outreach mascot, which delivers STEM content to schools and community events. PBS Passport is offered as a paid membership benefit providing extended on-demand streaming access.

Revenue is generated through three streams: recurring viewer membership and one-time donations (including the PBS Passport tier at $8 per month or $96 per year), corporate underwriting and program sponsorship, and vehicle/asset donations. The 11–50 employee organization is governed by a board and community advisory board, with FCC public file compliance obligations as a regulated broadcast licensee. No venture capital, private equity, or public market ownership is indicated.

Name

WKNO

Legal name

WKNO-TV

Website

https://wkno.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1956

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

WKNO is a non-profit PBS member television station serving the Memphis/Mid-South region on Channel 10 from Cordova, Tennessee, distributing national PBS programming, local documentaries, and children's educational content funded by viewer memberships, corporate underwriting, and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Broadcasting Television

NAICS

Television Broadcasting Stations (516120), Radio and Television Broadcasting Stations (5161)

SIC

Television Broadcasting Stations (4833)

akta.pro primary industry

National Public Television Networks & Member Stations (PBS-style) (MPABADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public/Community Local Stations (PBS Member Stations, Community Radio, LPFM) (MPABACAG), Local News & Weather Stations (MPABACAJ)

Keywords

• Public television broadcasting
• PBS member station
• Educational programming
• Community broadcasting
• Local news programming

Headquarters

HQ city

Cordova

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Membership and Donations: Public support through membership contributions, one-time donations, and planned giving programs that provide vital funding for educational and news programming.
2. Corporate Sponsorship and Underwriting: Corporate support sponsorships and program underwriting that allow businesses to align with PBS programming while supporting public media.
3. Vehicle and Asset Donations: Vehicle donation program and other asset-based fundraising initiatives.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

WKNO operates as a PBS member public broadcasting television station serving the Memphis, Tennessee and Mid-South region on digital Channel 10. The station broadcasts national PBS programming (MASTERPIECE, NOVA, Nature, FRONTLINE) alongside locally-produced regional content covering news, culture, education, and community topics. Supplemental offerings include the PBS Passport membership streaming benefit, the WKNO PBS KIDS 24/7 children's programming brand with classroom outreach, and the Gallery 1091 community art gallery.

Product overview

WKNO is a PBS member public broadcasting television station serving the Memphis, Tennessee region. The station operates as a unified broadcast and digital platform offering national PBS programming alongside locally-produced regional content. The core product is broadcast television (WKNO-TV on Channel 10) supplemented by the PBS Passport membership streaming service, the WKNO PBS KIDS 24/7 children's programming brand, and Gallery 1091 community art gallery at the WKNO Digital Media Center. Local programming includes news, public affairs, cultural documentaries, and educational content specific to the Mid-South region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Gallery 1091: WKNO's art gallery featuring rotating exhibitions including 'Sisters of the Brush and a Brother' displayed June 2-25, 2026 at WKNO Digital Media Center.
• Teacher Teacher

Products and services

• WKNO-TV Broadcast (Channel 10) WKNO-TV is the station's over-the-air broadcast television service available free on digital Channel 10 to viewers in the Memphis, Tennessee and surrounding Mid-South region, delivering national PBS programming and locally-produced regional content including news, public affairs, cultural documentaries, and educational programming.
• PBS Passport Membership

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Public Broadcasting Service (PBS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWKNO is a PBS member station, broadcasting PBS programming including MASTERPIECE dramas, NOVA science documentaries, Nature, and news programs. The station distributes national PBS content alongside locally-produced programming.
• Tennessee Public Television Council (TPTC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional consortium of six Tennessee public broadcast stations: WKNO Memphis, WLJT Martin/Lexington/Jackson, WNPT Nashville, WCTE Cookeville, East TN PBS Knoxville/Sneedville, and WTCI Chattanooga. Conducts quarterly meetings for coordination and advocacy.
• MASTERPIECE (PBS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMASTERPIECE is a flagship PBS drama franchise featuring productions like All Creatures Great and Small, Grantchester, and Victoria. Funding provided by Viking and Raymond James.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• WCTE (Upper Cumberland PBS): Cookeville, Tennessee PBS member station and fellow TPTC consortium member; operates a similar public broadcasting TV model (membership, underwriting, Passport, local originals) for a different Tennessee region, making it the closest structural comparable to WKNO.
• WNPT Nashville (PBS): Nashville-area PBS member station and TPTC partner; runs the same PBS member-station playbook (Passport, underwriting, local production) in a larger Tennessee market, providing a directly comparable operating model.
• WLJT (West TN PBS): Martin/Lexington/Jackson, Tennessee PBS member station within the same TPTC consortium; very small-market public TV peer with the same funding mix and broadcast mission as WKNO.
• East Tennessee PBS (ETPBS): Knoxville/Sneedville PBS member station and TPTC partner; comparable public TV operator with similar programming, education, and membership-driven model in eastern Tennessee.
• WTCI Chattanooga: Chattanooga PBS member station and TPTC partner; runs the same Chattanooga-region public broadcasting operations, underwriting, and Passport offering as WKNO's Mid-South footprint.

Broad incumbents

• WGBH (Boston): One of PBS's largest producing stations and a major content supplier to the network (FRONTLINE, NOVA, Masterpiece); a much larger incumbent in the same public television space whose scale and national production role contrast with WKNO's local station model.
• KQED (San Francisco): Major-market PBS member station combining broadcast, digital, and local journalism; broader in scale and digital sophistication than WKNO but operates the same public media membership + corporate underwriting model.
• WETA (Washington, DC): PBS member station that is a national content producer (PBS NewsHour) as well as a regional broadcaster; comparable public media business model with materially larger scale than WKNO.

Regional players

• Mississippi Public Broadcasting (MPB): Statewide public broadcasting network operating both radio and TV from Mississippi; uses the same member-supported, education-focused, PBS-affiliated model as WKNO but serves an adjacent state geography.

Others

• WMC-TV (Memphis): Commercial broadcast competitor in the same Memphis DMA; not a public station, but the most directly comparable local broadcast TV operator competing for the same Memphis audience, advertisers, and content attention.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/WKNO_TV
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCwQLEpxLnA-gq0LLcE-v1Fg
• Facebookfacebook.com/WKNOTV
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mid-south-public-communications-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/wknotv

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about WKNO