Tri States Public Radio

What Tri States Public Radio does

Tri States Public Radio (TSPR), operating as WIUM, is a nonprofit public radio station licensed to Western Illinois University in Macomb, Illinois, and broadcasting across the Tri States region of western Illinois, southeastern Iowa, and northeastern Missouri. Founded in 1956 and operated within WIU's College of Fine Arts & Communication, the station is a member of NPR and American Public Media, distributing national and international news alongside locally produced programming including TSPR Local News, Illinois Public Radio, Harvest Public Media (agricultural coverage), and original podcasts such as Welcome to Forgottonia, The Recap, and Echoes of the Prairie. Music programming includes Ovation (classical/cultural), Folk Weekend, and After Hours, each available on-air and on-demand.

The station's underlying technology stack centers on conventional public radio infrastructure: over-the-air FM/HD broadcast on WIUM (HD1, HD2) and WIUW, live website streaming via tspr.org, on-demand podcast distribution through the NPR app and third-party platforms, and FCC public-file compliance channels. There is no proprietary software product, no API surface, and no mobile app; engagement occurs through the website, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and email newsletter (eepurl.com).

TSPR's business model is the standard nonprofit public media funding model: a long tail of individual listener donations (one-time, sustaining, planned giving, vehicle donation, real estate donation), corporate program sponsorships, employer matching, and grant funding, supplemented by institutional support from Western Illinois University. There are no product-based pricing tiers, no enterprise customers, and no disclosed revenue figures. The station's commercial expansion levers are limited to community-engagement initiatives (candidate questionnaires, civic screening events, the 2027 Community Wall Calendar) and incremental channel diversification.

Name

Tri States Public Radio

Legal name

Tri States Public Radio

Website

https://tspr.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1956

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Tri States Public Radio (WIUM) is a nonprofit NPR member station licensed to Western Illinois University, broadcasting local news, NPR national content, and music programming across western Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri. Funded primarily by listener donations, corporate sponsors, and university support.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Radio Broadcasting

NAICS

Radio Broadcasting Stations (516110)

SIC

Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832)

akta.pro primary industry

Public/Noncommercial Radio Broadcasting (NPR, Community, Campus) (MPAIAEAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Talk/News/Sports Radio Networks & Syndication (MPAIAEAG)

Keywords

• Public radio broadcasting
• Local news coverage
• NPR member station
• Music programming
• Community podcasting

Headquarters

HQ city

Macomb

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Tri States Public Radio (TSPR) operates WIUM, a public radio station licensed to Western Illinois University, broadcasting local Tri States region news, national NPR news, Illinois public affairs, agricultural reporting, and music programming across Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri. The station produces original podcasts and music shows available on-air and on-demand, and supports community engagement through civic events and an events calendar. Funding is generated through listener donations, corporate sponsorships, and grants rather than commercial product sales.

Product overview

Tri States Public Radio (TSPR) operates as a public radio station (WIUM) offering a unified platform of news, music, and community content. The core offerings include local news coverage, national NPR news, Illinois state news, and agricultural reporting through Harvest Public Media. The station provides diverse music programming through shows like Ovation, Folk Weekend, and After Hours, all available both on-air and on-demand. Podcast offerings include Welcome to Forgottonia, The Recap, and Echoes of the Prairie. Community engagement features include an events calendar, candidate questionnaires, and commentaries. Content is distributed across broadcast radio, online streaming, podcast platforms, and the NPR app.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• TSPR Local News: Local news coverage for the Tri States region including Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri
• Illinois Public Radio

Products and services

• TSPR Local News

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• WILL Illinois Public Media: University of Illinois-affiliated NPR member station serving east-central Illinois with news, music, and agricultural programming; comparable as a state-university-licensed public radio peer in Illinois.
• Iowa Public Radio: Statewide NPR member network serving Iowa with news, music, and regional programming; directly comparable to TSPR as a rural-state public radio broadcaster with multi-signal operations and similar donor-funded model.
• KBIA: University of Missouri-affiliated NPR member station in Columbia, MO, serving mid-Missouri with news, classical music, and community programming; directly comparable as a public university NPR member in an adjacent state within TSPR's broadcast region.
• WGLT: Illinois State University-licensed NPR member station serving central Illinois with news, talk, and music; comparable as another Illinois-based university public radio station with similar scale and format.
• WVIK: Augustana College-affiliated NPR member station serving the Quad Cities region of Illinois and Iowa; comparable as a small public university NPR member station operating in the same Tri States geography.
• Wisconsin Public Radio: Statewide NPR member network operated by the University of Wisconsin–Extension; comparable as a larger but analogous public university-affiliated public radio network with similar content verticals and funding model.
• KUNC: Community-licensed NPR member station serving northern Colorado with news, talk, and music; comparable to TSPR as a similarly sized public radio station serving a defined rural/small-metro region with a donor-funded model.

Broad incumbents

• Harvest Public Media: Multi-station collaborative producing agricultural and rural affairs reporting for public radio stations across the Midwest, including TSPR; comparable because it supplies one of TSPR's core content verticals (Harvest Public Media).
• NPR: National network of which TSPR is a member station; comparable as the umbrella programming and distribution entity whose national content TSPR distributes and whose app TSPR's podcasts are available on.
• WBEZ Chicago: Major Chicago-based public radio station (Chicago Public Media) producing national-caliber news and talk programming; comparable as a larger Illinois-based public radio peer that sets standards for the state's public radio ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@tristatespublicradio593/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/TriStatesPR
• Instagraminstagram.com/tristatespublicradio
• Xx.com/TriStatesPR
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tri-states-public-radio

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Tri States Public Radio