KAJO

What KAJO does

KAJO, legally Grants Pass Broadcasting Corporation, is a privately held, family-owned local radio broadcasting company headquartered at 888 Rogue River Highway in Grants Pass, Oregon. Founded on August 15, 1957 by Jim Wilson, the company has continuously served Southern Oregon's Josephine County for over 65 years, broadcasting on 99.7 FM and 1270 AM under the KAJO brand. It also operates two wholly-owned subsidiary stations — KLDR-FM 98.3 (acquired 1992) and KRRM-FM 94.7 — extending its multi-format presence in the same regional market. Following founder Jim Wilson's death in 2005, his son Carl Wilson and Patricia Wilson took over as managing partners, with Brian Diatte serving as Owner/General Manager.

The company's core product is traditional AM/FM radio programming delivering hyper-local content, including local news, weather, emergency notifications, high school sports broadcasts (Grants Pass Cavemen/Cavers basketball and baseball), and community programming such as Eyewitness Reports and weekly Talk Shows featuring Josephine County Commissioners and City of Grants Pass officials. Distribution is delivered via FCC-licensed broadcast frequencies, AirKast/TuneKast-powered iOS and Android mobile apps, an Amazon Alexa voice skill, and online streaming through the station website at kajo.com, with Google Analytics for web measurement and Tomorrow.io for weather data. The technology stack is otherwise conventional broadcast infrastructure with no disclosed AI/ML capabilities.

KAJO's revenue model is advertising-based: the station sells on-air airtime, sponsorships, and event promotions to small and medium-sized local businesses, community organizations, and event promoters in the Grants Pass and Southern Oregon region. Advertising rates are quote-based with no publicly disclosed pricing, and the company generates no subscription or licensing revenue. Notable commercial partnerships include Main Street Grants Pass (presenting the Cruise the Rogue automotive festival) and Evergreen Federal Bank (sponsoring the Hometown Heroes program). The business has 11-50 employees, no outside investors, and is not pursuing an IPO.

Name

KAJO

Legal name

Grants Pass Broadcasting Corporation

Website

https://kajo.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1957

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

KAJO is a privately held, family-owned local AM/FM radio broadcaster in Grants Pass, Oregon, operating KAJO 99.7 FM and 1270 AM plus subsidiary stations KLDR-FM and KRRM-FM to deliver hyper-local news, weather, sports, and community programming to Southern Oregon listeners, monetized entirely through local advertising sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Radio Broadcasting

NAICS

Radio Broadcasting Stations (51611), Radio Broadcasting Stations (516110), Broadcasting and Content Providers (516)

SIC

Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832)

akta.pro primary industry

Local Radio Station Groups (Owned & Operated/Station Chains) (MPABACAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Independent Local Radio Stations (MPABACAD), Local News & Weather Stations (MPABACAJ), News/Talk Radio Networks (MPABABAD), Radio Streaming & Catch-Up Audio Platforms (MPAIADAJ)

Keywords

• Local radio broadcasting
• Community news programming
• Radio advertising sales
• AM/FM radio station
• Local sports coverage

Headquarters

HQ city

Grants Pass

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Advertising Sales: KAJO generates revenue primarily through selling advertising airtime to local businesses, community organizations, and event promoters in the Southern Oregon region. The station operates a traditional broadcast model with both FM and AM frequencies.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

KAJO operates a local radio broadcasting service on 99.7 FM and AM 1270 frequencies from Grants Pass, Oregon, delivering local news, weather, high school sports coverage, community events programming, and talk shows to Southern Oregon listeners. Revenue is generated primarily by selling advertising airtime to local businesses, community organizations, and event sponsors in the Josephine County area.

Product overview

KAJO is a traditional radio broadcasting company operating as a single primary product: local AM/FM radio programming on 99.7 FM and AM 1270 frequencies. The station provides a unified broadcast service featuring local news, weather, sports coverage (including Caveman Replays for Grants Pass High School basketball), community programming (Eyewitness Reports and Talk Shows), and various contest promotions. The radio service is extended through companion digital products including mobile apps for iOS and Android (powered by AirKast/TuneKast), an Amazon Alexa voice skill, and a comprehensive website delivering local news, sports scores, community calendars, and public service information.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• KAJO 99.7 FM & AM 1270 Radio Broadcasting Traditional radio broadcasting service operating on 99.7 FM and AM 1270 frequencies, delivering local news, weather, sports coverage, community programming, and entertainment content to Southern Oregon listeners.
• KAJO Mobile App Native mobile applications for iOS and Android that allow users to stream KAJO radio broadcasts on mobile devices, powered by AirKast/TuneKast platform.
• KAJO Alexa Skill Amazon Alexa voice skill enabling users to listen to KAJO radio through Alexa-enabled smart devices via voice commands.
• Caveman Replays Archived sports broadcast recordings featuring Grants Pass High School Cavemen basketball games, available on the station's sports replay page.
• Eyewitness Reports Monday and Thursday morning interview segments featuring interesting people discussing events taking place in Southern Oregon, available as downloadable audio files.
• Tuesday Talk Shows Hour-long weekly talk show (Tuesdays at 9:30AM) discussing community issues with guests including Josephine County Commissioners, City of Grants Pass officials, and local organizations.
• Local News & Sports Coverage Comprehensive local news and sports reporting covering Josephine County, Grants Pass, and surrounding Southern Oregon communities, including crime reports, local government, high school sports, and community events.
• Broadcast Advertising Airtime Sale of advertising airtime on FM 99.7 and AM 1270 to local businesses, community organizations, and event sponsors in the Southern Oregon region. Pricing is quote-based through direct sales consultation.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Main Street Grants PasscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMain Street Grants Pass partnered with KAJO to present the Cruise the Rogue automotive festival, Southern Oregon's first all-genre automotive festival featuring over 300 registered vehicles and celebrity guests from Gas Monkey Garage.
• Barrett-JacksonminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBarrett-Jackson collector car auction company partnered with Cruise the Rogue festival, with consignment specialists and marketing representatives on site at Riverside Park during the event.
• Evergreen Federal BankcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerEvergreen Federal Bank sponsors the Hometown Heroes program on KAJO, recognizing community members who make a positive impact in the Grants Pass and Josephine County area.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Alpha Media: Multi-station radio operator with clusters in mid-sized U.S. markets, selling local ad airtime alongside digital streaming and events. Comparable to KAJO as a multi-station owner serving similar community-oriented advertisers and listeners.
• Salem Communications: Owns and operates radio stations focused on news/talk and community-oriented formats, generating revenue through local advertising. Comparable to KAJO in news/talk local content orientation and station-cluster model.
• Townsquare Media: Operates a large portfolio of local radio stations across small and mid-sized U.S. markets with local content, sports, and advertising-driven revenue. Comparable operating model to KAJO's multi-station Southern Oregon cluster.
• Mapleton Communications: Small-market, family-influenced radio broadcaster operating multiple stations in regional U.S. markets with local content focus. Closely comparable in size, family-ownership ethos, and community-station positioning.
• Bicoastal Media: Oregon-based family-owned radio group operating multiple FM/AM stations in the Pacific Northwest with local news, sports, and community programming. Highly comparable given proximity and similar family-owned, community-focused positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Cumulus Media: Major U.S. radio broadcaster operating hundreds of stations across local markets with news, talk, sports, and music formats plus digital. Comparable industry vertical but materially larger and more diversified than KAJO.
• iHeartMedia: Largest U.S. radio broadcaster with extensive local AM/FM stations, digital streaming via iHeartRadio, and live events. Comparable core broadcast+advertising model but at national scale, dwarfing KAJO's footprint.
• Audacy (formerly Entercom/CBS Radio): Large multi-platform audio company with AM/FM stations, digital streaming (Audacy app), and podcast distribution. Comparable broadcasting + digital model at scale, representing both a competitor and a strategic exit path for independent operators.

Regional players

• Riviera Broadcast Group: Regional operator of community radio stations along the Western U.S. coast with a focus on local advertising and hometown programming. Comparable to KAJO in station format and audience, though serving different geographies.
• Pacific Cascade Broadcasting: Pacific Northwest-focused radio operator serving rural and small-town Oregon/Washington markets with local news, sports, and community programming. Comparable to KAJO in market profile and content mix.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/JOCOnews
• Facebookfacebook.com/KAJO997
• Instagraminstagram.com/kajoradio
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kajo

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries2 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 KAJO