KCET

Public Broadcastingkcet.org

KCET (operating as PBS SoCal) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public broadcasting station headquartered in Los Angeles that distributes PBS programming and locally produced Southern California content via six broadcast channels, the PBS App, and the PBS Passport donation-authenticated streaming benefit, funded by individual donations, corporate underwriting, institutional grants, and planned giving.

Company typePrivate
Founded1964
HeadquartersLos Angeles, United States
Headcount251–500
GTM typeB2C
OfferingServices

What KCET does

KCET, now operating under the brand PBS SoCal, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public broadcasting station headquartered in Los Angeles that serves as Southern California's local member of the national PBS network. The station was founded in 1964 and rebranded to PBS SoCal in 2010 when it entered into a partnership with PBS; it operates under California jurisdiction and holds IRS Tax ID 95-2211661. It distributes PBS national programming and locally produced Southern California content (notably Artbound, Earth Focus, Lost LA, and Local Heroes) across six broadcast channels — PBS SoCal, PBS SoCal Plus, PBS SoCal Encore, PBS SoCal Kids, PBS SoCal WORLD, and PBS SoCal Create — complemented by free streaming on the PBS App and live streams on the PBS SoCal website.

PBS SoCal also distributes the NHK WORLD-JAPAN feed and operates a portfolio of community initiatives including the Family Math early-childhood education program (with a dedicated mobile application, workshops, and bilingual English/Spanish toolkits), a Cinema Series, studio tours, and a Community Advisory Board. Subscription-style membership is delivered via PBS Passport, a donation-authenticated streaming benefit unlocking extended on-demand content; the wider revenue architecture rests on four streams: individual donations and memberships, corporate underwriting and sponsorship, institutional giving (foundations and government grants), and estate planning / planned giving. The organization employs between 251 and 500 people and serves general Southern California audiences, families with young children, arts and culture viewers, and news and public affairs audiences.

KCET firmographics

Firmographics

Name: KCET
Legal name: PBS SoCal
Website: https://kcet.org
Company type: Private
Founded year: 1964
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 251–500 employees
Short description: KCET (operating as PBS SoCal) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public broadcasting station headquartered in Los Angeles that distributes PBS programming and locally produced Southern California content via six broadcast channels, the PBS App, and the PBS Passport donation-authenticated streaming benefit, funded by individual donations, corporate underwriting, institutional grants, and planned giving.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

KCET industry classification

Industry

Product category: Public Broadcasting
NAICS: Television Broadcasting Stations (516120)
SIC: Television Broadcasting Stations (4833)
akta.pro primary industry: Public/Community Local Stations (PBS Member Stations, Community Radio, LPFM) (MPABACAG)
akta.pro secondary industries: Educational/Instructional Public Media Services (Schools, Distance Learning) (MPABADAH), Public/Nonprofit Children’s Educational Broadcasters (MPABAKAF)

Keywords

Public broadcasting services
Educational television programming
Children's educational content
Local journalism broadcasting
Arts and culture documentaries

Where KCET is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Los Angeles
HQ country: United States
HQ region: North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

KCET business model

Business model

GTM type: B2C
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

Individual Donations and Membership: PBS SoCal operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization relying on viewer donations. The station solicits contributions through the Donate Now portal, with PBS Passport offered as a member benefit in exchange for donations. Tax ID: 95-2211661
Corporate Support: Corporate sponsorship and partnership opportunities for businesses seeking to support public media and reach Southern California audiences
Institutional Giving: Grants and institutional funding from foundations and government entities supporting public media programming and community initiatives
Estate Planning: Planned giving and estate planning donations as part of long-term sustainability efforts

Pricing tiers

Model	Billing	Price
Subscription	Annual	PBS Passport Membership - Donor benefit for streaming access

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

KCET product offering

Product offering

Core offering

KCET, operating as PBS SoCal, is the PBS member station for Southern California, broadcasting free educational, cultural, and local-interest programming via six over-the-air channels and streaming through the PBS App and website. It also runs locally produced documentary series (Artbound, Earth Focus, Lost LA, SoCal Matters, Local Heroes), the PBS KIDS educational block, the Family Math early-childhood initiative with a companion mobile app, and the PBS Passport donor streaming benefit.

Product overview

PBS SoCal operates as a unified public broadcasting platform offering streaming video content, live TV streams, and educational programs. The core offering includes the PBS SoCal station with multiple channel feeds (PBS SoCal, PBS SoCal Plus, PBS SoCal Encore, PBS SoCal Kids, PBS SoCal WORLD, PBS SoCal Create), supported by the PBS App for streaming delivery, PBS Passport as a member subscription benefit for extended content access, PBS KIDS for children's programming, and Family Math as an early childhood education initiative with an associated mobile app.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

PBS SoCal Plus: Additional broadcast channel offering expanded programming
PBS SoCal Encore
PBS SoCal Kids
PBS SoCal WORLD
PBS SoCal Create
Family Math
Artbound
Earth Focus
Lost LA

Products and services

PBS SoCal Primary public broadcasting station for Southern California; serves as the local home for PBS programming, offering streaming content, live TV streams, and locally produced community programming across six broadcast subchannels (PBS SoCal, PBS SoCal Plus, PBS SoCal Encore, PBS SoCal Kids, PBS SoCal WORLD, PBS SoCal Create).
PBS App Free streaming application that allows users to watch PBS SoCal and PBS programs on TVs and devices; available for download on multiple platforms.
PBS Passport Donor-funded streaming member benefit that unlocks extended on-demand access to full seasons of PBS programming for contributors to PBS SoCal.
PBS KIDS Educational programming and games for children featuring shows like Curious George and Wild Kratts, available via PBS KIDS apps and streaming channels.
Family Math Early childhood mathematics education initiative for Southern California families, including workshops, printable activities, and video content.
Family Math App Mobile application designed for early childhood math learning, extending the Family Math initiative to phones and tablets.

Companies that use KCET

Customer profile

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

KCET technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

KCET partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

PBS (National Public Media)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPBS SoCal is a local member station of the PBS network, receiving national programming content and operating under the PBS brand. The station maintains independent operations while benefiting from access to the national PBS content library and shared broadcasting infrastructure.
PBS KIDScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPBS SoCal distributes PBS KIDS educational programming for children, including full episodes and educational games from shows like Curious George and Wild Kratts. The partnership provides early childhood educational content to Southern California families.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

KCET competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Direct peers

KQED: San Francisco-based PBS member station serving Northern California with broadcast channels, local original programming (e.g., Check, Please!, Bay Area Bountiful), streaming via the PBS App, and donor-supported revenue model — the closest geographic and operational comparable to PBS SoCal.
WTTW: Chicago PBS member station operating multiple channels (WTTW, WTTW Prime, WFMT, etc.) with local programming, educational outreach, and donor/underwriting revenue model — directly comparable multi-channel public broadcaster in another major U.S. metro.
WNET: New York PBS member station (parent of THIRTEEN, WLIW21) operating multiple channels across the New York metro; directly comparable as a multi-channel PBS member station producing national and local original programming under a nonprofit donor model.
WGBH: Boston-based flagship PBS member station operating multiple broadcast channels and producing national content for the PBS system (e.g., Frontline, American Experience); comparable in scale, multi-channel footprint, and donor-supported nonprofit model.
WETA: Washington, D.C. PBS member station producing PBS NewsHour and other national programming; comparable as a major-market, multi-channel, donor-supported public broadcaster with national content production ambitions.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

KCET financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

KCET leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

KCET funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

KCET M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about KCET

What does KCET do?

Is KCET a public or private company?

KCET is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.

When was KCET founded?

KCET was founded in 1964. It employs 251 to 500 people.

Where is KCET based?

KCET is headquartered in Los Angeles, United States, in the North America region.

How does KCET make money?

Four revenue lines are on record. Individual Donations and Membership is the primary driver. The others are corporate Support, institutional Giving and estate Planning.

Who are KCET's main competitors?

Direct peers on record are KQED, WTTW, WNET, WGBH and WETA.

Does KCET have an API?

No public API is recorded for KCET.

What industry is KCET in?

KCET's product category is Public Broadcasting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPABACAG, Public/Community Local Stations (PBS Member Stations, Community Radio, LPFM), with a secondary code of MPABADAH, Educational/Instructional Public Media Services (Schools, Distance Learning). Its NAICS code is 516120 and its SIC code is 4833.