NPR Illinois 91.9 UIS

What NPR Illinois 91.9 UIS does

NPR Illinois 91.9 UIS is a non-profit public radio station operated by the University of Illinois Springfield, broadcasting from the UIS campus in Springfield, Illinois. The station operates three FM/HD streams—the main 91.9 UIS NPR affiliate, 91.9 HD2 (NPR Illinois Classic, classical music), and 91.9 HD3 (The X, alternative/pop culture)—and extends its reach through digital streaming, a daily email newsletter, and a portfolio of original podcasts including Community Voices, First Listen, State Week, Statewide, The 21st Show, Front Row Network, This I Believe Illinois, and J-Corps. Programming emphasizes local news, Illinois state government and political coverage, arts and culture, education, and community affairs, with content syndication partnerships including Capitol News Illinois for state government reporting.

The station operates under a public media funding model combining listener donations, corporate underwriting/sponsorship, and day sponsorships, with donations processed through the University of Illinois Springfield giving portal. It is part of Illinois Public Media, which also operates WIPA in Peoria, and serves Central Illinois markets including Springfield, Champaign-Urbana, Peoria, Bloomington-Normal, Decatur, and the Quad Cities. Community engagement is structural: the J-Corps citizen journalism program trains contributors to cover under-covered communities, and a Community Advisory Board supports programming alignment. Distribution spans FM broadcast, HD radio, web streaming, major podcast platforms, the NPR mobile app, and social channels (Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest). The station celebrated 50 years of broadcasting in 2016 and is marking the milestone through a Dana Thomas House exhibit running through May 2026.

Name

NPR Illinois 91.9 UIS

Legal name

WUIS (University of Illinois Springfield)

Website

https://nprillinois.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1963

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

NPR Illinois 91.9 UIS is a non-profit public radio station operated by the University of Illinois Springfield, broadcasting news, talk, and music programming across three HD streams, podcasts, and digital channels to Central Illinois listeners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Radio Broadcasting

NAICS

Radio Broadcasting Stations (51611)

SIC

Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832)

akta.pro primary industry

National Public Radio Networks & Member Stations (NPR-style) (MPABADAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

News Talk Radio & Current Affairs Stations (MPABAIAI), Network-Affiliated Local Radio Stations (News/Talk/Sports Syndication Affiliates) (MPABACAF), Internet Radio & Streaming Broadcast Stations (Simulcast/Online-only) (MPAIAEAE)

Keywords

• Public radio broadcasting
• News and talk programming
• Podcast production
• Classical music streaming
• Community journalism training

Headquarters

HQ city

Springfield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Listener Donations and Membership: Public broadcasting model reliant on listener contributions, membership drives, and planned giving programs. The station's donation page is hosted through the University of Illinois Springfield giving portal.
2. Business Sponsorship: Corporate sponsorship of programming and Underwriting announcements. The station offers business sponsorship opportunities for underwriters seeking to support public media.
3. Day Sponsors: Daily program sponsorship opportunities allowing businesses to support specific shows or time slots

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

NPR Illinois operates a public radio broadcasting service from the University of Illinois Springfield, delivering news, talk, and music programming across three FM/HD streams: the main 91.9 UIS station (NPR news/talk), 91.9 HD2 (classical music), and 91.9 HD3 (alternative/pop culture). The station extends its offering through original podcasts (Community Voices, First Listen, State Week, Statewide, The 21st Show, Front Row Network), a daily email newsletter, and state government reporting via the Capitol News Illinois partnership, serving Central Illinois listeners.

Product overview

NPR Illinois 91.9 UIS is a public radio station operated by the University of Illinois Springfield, operating as a multi-platform news and entertainment media organization. The core offering is broadcast radio across three HD streams: the main 91.9 UIS station (NPR Illinois), 91.9 HD2 (NPR Illinois Classic with classical music), and 91.9 HD3 (The X with pop culture content). The station extends its reach through a portfolio of podcasts including Community Voices, First Listen, State Week, Statewide, The 21st Show, and the Front Row Network, along with music programming and news coverage across categories such as Government & Politics, Education, Health+Harvest, Arts & Life, and Economy & Business. The organization also operates J-Corps, a citizen journalism training program, and distributes content via the NPR Illinois Daily newsletter.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NPR Illinois Classic: HD2 channel featuring classic music programming
• The X from NPR Illinois

Products and services

• NPR Illinois | 91.9 UIS (Main Station) Primary NPR-affiliated public radio station broadcasting at 91.9 FM from the University of Illinois Springfield, delivering news, talk shows, and cultural programming to Central Illinois listeners.
• NPR Illinois Classic | 91.9 HD2 HD2 secondary radio stream featuring classical music programming, broadcast alongside the main NPR Illinois station.
• The X from NPR Illinois | 91.9 HD3 HD3 tertiary radio stream offering alternative, pop culture, and entertainment programming as part of the NPR Illinois broadcast portfolio.
• Community Voices Daily conversation podcast featuring neighbors, artists, and area business people from Central Illinois, airing weekdays at noon and 10 PM with CV-X on Saturdays at 5 PM.
• First Listen Morning news briefing podcast covering the latest stories from the state capital and Central Illinois for NPR Illinois listeners.
• State Week Weekly analysis and commentary podcast on Illinois state government and politics, airing Fridays at 12:30 PM and 7:30 PM.
• Statewide Reporting podcast from in and around Illinois, airing Saturdays 9 AM and Sundays 3 PM.
• The 21st Show Weekday program/podcast providing 21st century conversation for the 21st state, airing weekdays at 11 AM with an encore at 11 PM.
• Front Row Network Entertainment podcast covering pop culture and arts topics, hosted by Brandon Davis, including Front Row Classics episodes.
• NPR Illinois Daily Newsletter Daily email newsletter delivering news updates and story highlights to subscribers.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• City Water, Light and Power (CWLP)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 July 2026UIS partnered with CWLP to install four electric vehicle charging ports at the University of Illinois Springfield campus. CWLP owns and maintains the stations, with no cost to the university. This reflects UIS' commitment to sustainable options and smart city infrastructure goals.
• University of Illinois SpringfieldcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNPR Illinois (WUIS) is operated by the University of Illinois Springfield as its public media arm. The station broadcasts from the UIS campus and serves as a training ground for students in the Public Affairs Reporting program.
• Capitol News IllinoiscoreTechnology or IntegrationCapitol News Illinois provides state government coverage that is shared/republished by NPR Illinois. This non-profit news service covers Illinois state government and is funded by the Illinois Press Foundation and Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
• Visit SpringfieldminorGTM or Marketing PartnerVisit Springfield is the city's destination marketing organization. NPR Illinois covers tourism-related news and events in Springfield, including anticipated record tourism numbers exceeding $650 million for 2026.
• Alliance of Rural Public MediaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as partner in footer - Alliance of Rural Public Media supports rural public radio stations
• noncomMUSIC AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as partner in footer - noncomMUSIC Alliance supports public radio music programming

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• WBEZ Chicago: Chicago Public Media's flagship NPR affiliate serving the Chicago metropolitan area. Comparable as a large Illinois NPR member station with a similar mix of news, talk, and podcast production under the same public media umbrella serving overlapping Illinois audiences.
• WILL Illinois Public Media: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign-affiliated NPR member station operating WILL-AM/FM and WILL-TV. Closely comparable as another Illinois NPR affiliate operated by a University of Illinois campus with similar public media mission, listener-supported funding model, and multi-platform distribution.
• WGLT - Illinois State University: NPR affiliate operated by Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois, covering Bloomington-Normal and parts of Central Illinois. Directly comparable as another university-operated, listener-supported public radio station in overlapping Central Illinois geography with similar news, talk, and music programming.
• WVIK Quad Cities NPR: Augustana College-affiliated NPR member station serving the Quad Cities region of Illinois and Iowa. Comparable as a small-market, university-affiliated, listener-supported NPR affiliate with similar news, classical music (HD2), and community programming format.
• CapRadio (Capital Public Radio): Sacramento-based NPR member station serving California's state capital region with extensive state government coverage. Comparable as a state capital-focused public radio station with a similar mix of NPR news/talk programming, HD multicast channels, and original podcasts covering state politics.
• Tri States Public Radio (WNIN/WNIU): Northern Illinois University-affiliated NPR stations (WNIN/WNIU/WNIW) covering northern and western Illinois. Comparable as another Illinois university-operated NPR affiliate with listener-supported funding and overlapping coverage areas.

Broad incumbents

• WNYC Studios: New York Public Radio's flagship NPR affiliate and major podcast producer (Radiolab, On the Media, The Daily). Comparable as an NPR member station organization with extensive podcast production, listener-supported funding, and multi-platform news/talk programming at much greater scale.

Regional players

• Iowa Public Radio: Statewide network of NPR affiliates serving Iowa with similar listener-supported and university-partnered governance model. Comparable as a multi-station regional public radio network in an adjacent Midwest state with similar agricultural and state government coverage priorities.
• Wisconsin Public Radio: University of Wisconsin-operated statewide public radio network serving Wisconsin with NPR content, listener-supported funding, and statewide news coverage. Comparable as another state university-operated NPR network in an adjacent Midwest state with similar news, talk, and classical music programming mix.
• St. Louis Public Radio | KWMU: University of Missouri-St. Louis-operated NPR affiliate serving the St. Louis metropolitan area across the Mississippi River from much of NPR Illinois's coverage. Comparable as a university-affiliated NPR station with shared state-capital-adjacent regional journalism reach and similar funding model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCRopF2BLbagbMZ_yt8Ff0QQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/nprillinois
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/18697474
• Instagraminstagram.com/nprillinois
• Pinterestpinterest.com/nprillinois
• Xx.com/nprillinois

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about NPR Illinois 91.9 UIS