KMVT 15 Silicon Valley Community Media

What KMVT 15 Silicon Valley Community Media does

KMVT 15 Silicon Valley Community Media is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit and PEG (Public, Education, and Government) access television station founded in 1982, headquartered at 2500 Old Middlefield Way in Mountain View, California. The organization provides public access television programming on cable Channel 15/26 and a 35,000+ subscriber YouTube channel, while delivering hands-on media education and video production training to Bay Area residents. Its core mission is narrowing the digital divide by providing community access to professional broadcast equipment, studio facilities, and structured training programs. KMVT serves five Silicon Valley cities (Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Cupertino, and Sunnyvale) with a small core team of 5-10 staff including Executive Director Alex Doherty, Production Manager Sydney Bucek, Community Manager Luke Makinson, and Broadcast Engineer William Gardner, supported by a board of civic leaders and Silicon Valley executives.

The organization's product portfolio spans youth summer camps (1-Week Live Broadcasting Camp at $950, 2-Week Sci-Fi Filmmaking Camp at $1,700), adult classes and workshops, equipment and studio reservations, and professional production services for businesses including advertisements, organizational storytelling, and live event broadcasting. Underlying technology is industry-standard broadcast production infrastructure including cameras, multicamera switching systems, live streaming equipment, and professional editing suites, integrated with Stripe for payments, YouTube for content distribution, and Wufoo/Google Forms for submissions. No proprietary technology platform, API, or software product is disclosed; the offering is service-based rather than productized.

KMVT's business model is a hybrid nonprofit revenue structure with no single dominant stream. Annual memberships at $40/year, one-time camp and class fees, professional production services, tax-deductible donations and corporate sponsorships ($2,500 level), and PEG-mandated cable provider funding collectively support operations. The scholarship program tiers donations to extend access to underserved community members. Distribution operates through four channels: local cable Channel 15/26 across the five-city service area, YouTube for global on-demand and live streaming, on-site studio at the Mountain View headquarters, and the kmvt15.org e-commerce website. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors and is not backed by venture capital or private equity.

Name

KMVT 15 Silicon Valley Community Media

Legal name

KMVT 15

Website

https://kmvt15.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

KMVT 15 is a 501(c)(3) PEG access TV station founded in 1982 that provides public access television on Channel 15/26, media education, youth summer camps, and professional video production services to residents of five Silicon Valley cities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Access Television and Media Education

NAICS

Television Broadcasting Stations (516120)

SIC

Television Broadcasting Stations (4833)

akta.pro primary industry

State/Regional Public Broadcasting Networks & Consortia (MPABADAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Educational/Instructional Public Media Services (Schools, Distance Learning) (MPABADAH)

Keywords

• Community media access
• Public access television
• Media education training
• Video production services
• Youth broadcasting camps

Headquarters

HQ city

Mountain View

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual memberships starting at $40 per year, providing community access to facilities and programming.
2. Educational Programs and Camps: Revenue from summer camps ($950-$1,700 per student) and classes including youth filmmaking and broadcasting workshops.
3. Professional Production Services: Video production services for businesses including advertisements, organizational storytelling, and live event broadcasting. Content posted on YouTube (35k+ subscribers) and local cable Channel 15/26.
4. Donations and Sponsorships: Tax-deductible donations (501(c)(3) organization, Tax ID 77-0206286), corporate sponsorships at $2,500 level, and scholarship program support.
5. PEG Station Funding: Core budget allocated to infrastructure (cameras, lights) mandated by PEG TV station requirements, funded through cable provider requirements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

KMVT 15 operates a public access television station (Channel 15/26 and YouTube) delivering community-produced programming across five Silicon Valley cities. The organization sells structured media education programs (live broadcasting camps, sci-fi filmmaking camps, adult classes), provides hands-on training and equipment/studio access for community producers, and offers professional video production services to businesses and organizations (advertisements, storytelling videos, live event broadcasting). Founded in 1982 as a PEG station under federal mandate, KMVT operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit funded by donations, memberships, camp/class fees, and PEG cable allocations.

Product overview

KMVT 15 Silicon Valley Community Media is a nonprofit public access television station (Channel 15/26) that provides media education, training, and equipment access to Bay Area residents. The organization operates a two-part service model: (1) community media services including local television broadcasting, youth camps (1-Week Live Broadcasting Camp, 2-Week Sci-Fi Filmmaking Camp), adult training workshops, and equipment/studio reservations; and (2) professional services including video production for businesses, organizational storytelling, and live event broadcasting. The organization serves Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Cupertino, and Sunnyvale, focusing on narrowing the digital divide and enabling civic engagement through media.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 1-Week Live Broadcasting Camp One-week introductory camp for students ages 10–15 teaching live streaming and TV production skills across 5 days of instruction (9am–4pm), priced at $950 per student.
• 2-Week Sci-Fi Filmmaking Camp Two-week intensive camp priced at $1,700 per student, teaching filmmaking techniques through development and production of a science fiction short film in small groups over 10 days (9am–4pm).
• Professional Video Production Services Professional video production services for businesses and organizations including advertisements, donor base outreach videos, and organizational storytelling, delivered for use on websites, social media, YouTube, and local cable Channel 15/26.
• Live Event Video Production Live broadcasting and streaming services for events including roller derby, tech conferences, ballet, and graduation ceremonies, with capability to broadcast to clients' YouTube channels and local cable.
• KMVT 15 Local Access Television Community television station providing public access programming, media education, and civic engagement on cable Channel 15/26 and YouTube, enabling residents to produce and broadcast their own shows.
• Media Education and Training Hands-on training programs in video production, broadcast journalism, and digital media literacy for community members of all ages, including youth camps, adult classes, and workshop sessions.
• Equipment and Studio Reservation Community members can reserve KMVT's production equipment and studio facilities to create their own video content after completing the Beginner's Production Workshop.
• Youth Scholarship Program Scholarship program providing financial assistance for youth to attend camps and classes, enabling access to media education for students in Silicon Valley and supporting the creation of storytellers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 40 years of continuous community media operation since 1982
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• City of Los AltoscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner city receiving public access TV services. KMVT hosts a dedicated page for Los Altos on its website linking to the city's official site.
• City of Los Altos HillscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner city receiving public access TV services. KMVT hosts a dedicated page for Los Altos Hills on its website linking to the city's official site.
• City of CupertinocoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner city receiving public access TV services. KMVT hosts a dedicated page for Cupertino on its website linking to the city's official site.
• City of SunnyvalecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner city receiving public access TV services. KMVT hosts a dedicated page for Sunnyvale on its website linking to the city's official site.
• City of Mountain ViewcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPrimary service city since 1982. Board member Jim Connor has served on the Mountain View Community Television Board since 2015.
• Alliance of Community MediaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational alliance of community media organizations. Listed as a partner on KMVT's website with link to allcommunitymedia.org.
• Youth Community Service (YCS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouth-focused community organization partnership. Listed as a partner on KMVT's website.
• Mountain View Los Altos Union High School District (MVLA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partner organization. Listed as a partner on KMVT's website.
• Mountain View Chamber of CommerceminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBusiness community partner organization. Listed as a partner on KMVT's website linking to chamber website.
• Los Altos Chamber of CommerceminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBusiness community partner organization. Listed as a partner on KMVT's website linking to chamber website.
• League of Women Voters (LWV)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCivic engagement organization. Listed as a partner on KMVT's website linking to national LWV website.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• KQED: San Francisco Bay Area's primary PBS member station — broader public broadcasting incumbent with overlapping mission of public-service media and education, though at much larger scale and different funding model.

Direct peers

• Reel Works Teen Filmmaking: Brooklyn-based nonprofit providing media production training and filmmaking programs for youth — directly comparable to KMVT's summer camp and youth education programs in a different market.
• Bay Area Video Coalition (BAVC): San Francisco-based nonprofit providing media production training, youth programs, and equipment access to Bay Area residents — the most direct regional peer, sharing both geography and mission.
• Manhattan Neighborhood Network (MNN): NYC's largest PEG community media center operating public access channels and providing media training, studio access, and youth programs. Direct functional analog to KMVT at significantly larger scale in a different metro.
• Access Sacramento: PEG community media center serving Sacramento, CA — same regulatory PEG structure as KMVT, providing cable channel access, equipment, and training to Sacramento-area residents.
• Cambridge Community Television (CCTV): PEG access station serving Cambridge, MA offering media production classes, equipment access, and local cable broadcasting — same PEG TV operating model as KMVT serving a defined municipality.

Others

• Alliance for Community Media: National nonprofit association representing PEG and community media centers — already a listed KMVT partner — and is the industry body governing the PEG ecosystem KMVT operates within.

Emerging players

• SFFILM: San Francisco film nonprofit offering youth education and filmmaking programs in the Bay Area — overlaps with KMVT's youth filmmaking camp mission at a different scale and focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@KMVT
• Xx.com/KMVT15_MV
• Facebookfacebook.com/KMVT15
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kmvt15---silicon-valley-media

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

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 KMVT 15 Silicon Valley Community Media