What WTUL does

WTUL is a non-commercial, freeform college radio station broadcasting on 91.5 FM in New Orleans and operated as an arm of Tulane University. Founded circa 1959–1960, the station is staffed by Tulane students, faculty, alumni, and community volunteers, and airs a freeform music format spanning surf rock, hip-hop, reggae, world music, and local independent releases — without preset playlists. Core technical infrastructure includes FM transmission at 91.5 MHz, live web streaming via stream.wtulneworleans.com, the TULbot automated programming system (created as a COVID-19 continuity measure to fill unstaffed hours from digitized vinyl archives), the Weather Warlock sensor-driven automated weather reporting system built by local musician Quintron, Spinitron-powered playlist logging with automatic song recognition, and a two-week on-demand show archive system.

The station's revenue mechanics are donation-driven, with no subscription or paid services. Its primary fundraising event is the annual Rock On Survival Marathon — a 24-hour broadcast plus multi-week live event series whose 2025 (55th) edition offered tiered donor incentives from $25 to $250, including merchandise, compilations, and CDs of Songs From the Basement Volume 22. Secondary revenue comes from local business sponsorships (Euclid Records, Alterman Audio, Gasa Gasa, Juan's Flying Burrito, Liberty Barbers). Distribution extends beyond the New Orleans metro via TuneIn aggregation and global web streaming, while the apprentice DJ training program (open to Tulane affiliates and Loyola University students) widens the volunteer pipeline.

Recent operational investments include antenna relocation from Monroe Hall to the Tidewater Building (expanding coverage to Chalmette and beyond), Studio B renovation, Spinitron migration (March 2022), the Spring 2023 expansion of the Apprentice Program to Loyola students, and the launch of a Discord community server for listener and musician engagement. The station holds an FCC non-commercial educational license and operates in compliance with FCC public file requirements.

Name

WTUL

Legal name

WTUL New Orleans 91.5FM

Website

https://wtulneworleans.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1960

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

WTUL is a non-commercial, freeform college radio station broadcasting on 91.5 FM in New Orleans from Tulane University, serving students, alumni, and the local community through volunteer-DJ programming, listener donations, and the annual Rock On Survival Marathon fundraiser.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

New Orleans

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: Primary revenue source through annual Rock On Survival Marathon pledge drive. Listeners donate to support station operations, equipment purchases, and maintenance. Marathon features premium incentives at various donation levels.
2. Sponsorships: Station accepts corporate sponsorships from local businesses and organizations. Mentioned sponsors include Euclid Records, Alterman Audio, Gasa Gasa, Juan's Flying Burrito, Liberty Barbers, and others.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

WTUL is a non-commercial, freeform college radio station broadcasting at 91.5 FM in New Orleans and live on the web. It is operated by Tulane University students, faculty, alumni, and community members and offers diverse music programming without preset playlists, including specialty shows, news commentary, and local music coverage. The station is supported by listener donations through the annual Rock On Survival Marathon and by local business sponsorships.

Product overview

WTUL is a non-commercial, freeform college radio station (91.5 FM) operated by Tulane University students, faculty, alumni, and community members. The station's core offering is diverse music broadcasting with no preset playlists. Key products include live FM and web streaming, a Spinitron-powered playlist tracking system, an on-demand archive system (2-week rolling), and the annual Rock On Survival Marathon fundraiser. Supporting offerings include the Songs From the Basement compilation album series, the Apprentice DJ training program, The Vox zine, specialty shows like Storm Surge of Reverb, and a Discord community server.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• WTUL Radio Broadcasting Non-commercial, freeform 24/7 FM radio broadcast at 91.5 MHz for the New Orleans metropolitan area, featuring diverse music programming with no preset playlists run by students, faculty, alumni, and community DJs.
• WTUL Web Streaming Live internet streaming of the WTUL broadcast at stream.wtulneworleans.com and via the Listen Live player on the website, with real-time song and album artwork updates.
• WTUL Playlists (Spinitron) Public playlist tracking and recent-spins display powered by Spinitron, with real-time song recognition for the web stream.
• WTUL Archives On-demand archive that streams shows from the past two weeks in 2-hour chunks, available shortly after broadcast under DMCA retention limits.
• Rock On Survival Marathon WTUL's annual 24-hour continuous DJ broadcast fundraiser featuring three sets of DJs and two weeks of supporting live events, serving as the station's primary donation drive.
• WTUL Apprentice Program Multi-class training program for aspiring radio DJs covering station operations, FCC regulations, and hands-on experience, open to Tulane affiliates and Loyola students.
• Songs From the Basement Compilation Annual compilation album of music from local and regional artists curated by WTUL DJs, distributed as a donor premium during the marathon (CD or digital download).
• The Vox WTUL's print and digital zine featuring music reviews, interviews, and cultural commentary, with periodic special editions such as the Halloween Vox.
• Storm Surge of Reverb Long-running surf and instrumental rock music program airing Mondays 4–6pm, hosted by Hunter.
• WTUL Discord Community Official Discord server enabling musicians to share music, listeners to interact with DJs, and the community to discuss music.

Quantifiable outcome

• Signal coverage expanded to Chalmette and beyond after antenna upgrade

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

AI capability2 records

Feature3 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• WFMU: Listener-supported freeform, non-commercial radio station with a global web stream; nearly identical freeform, donation-driven model to WTUL.
• WXYC (UNC Chapel Hill): University-operated freeform college radio station streaming online; comparable student-run, non-commercial, eclectic programming format.
• KEXP: Non-commercial, listener-funded station focused on independent music discovery and live sessions, mirroring WTUL's tastemaker and community-supported model at larger scale.
• KALX (UC Berkeley): University-licensed college radio station with volunteer DJs and freeform music programming, directly analogous to WTUL's structure and mission.
• WUOG (University of Georgia): Student-run college radio station championing independent and local music with a donation-supported model like WTUL.
• WNYU (New York University): Student-run university FM and streaming station featuring independent and specialty music, closely matching WTUL's college-radio model.
• WREK (Georgia Tech): Student-operated, non-commercial university radio station with diverse specialty programming and streaming, comparable to WTUL.
• KCSB (UC Santa Barbara): Community and student-run non-commercial radio station emphasizing freeform and local programming, similar to WTUL's dual campus/community base.

Broad incumbents

• KCRW: Larger public, listener-supported station known for music discovery and cultural programming; overlaps with WTUL's mission but at professional scale.

Regional players

• WWOZ (New Orleans): New Orleans non-commercial, listener-supported station focused on local music and culture; shares WTUL's geography and community-funded model but with a jazz/heritage focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/wtul
• Xx.com/wtul
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wtul-new-orleans-91.5-fm

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 WTUL