WVFS Tallahassee 89.7FM

Name

WVFS Tallahassee 89.7FM

Legal name

WVFS Tallahassee

Website

https://wvfs.fsu.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

College Radio Broadcasting

NAICS

Radio Broadcasting Stations (51611), Radio and Television Broadcasting Stations (5161), Sound Recording Studios (51224)

SIC

Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832)

akta.pro primary industry

University/Educational Local Stations (College Radio, Campus TV) (MPABACAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public/Community Local Stations (PBS Member Stations, Community Radio, LPFM) (MPABACAG), Radio Streaming & Catch-Up Audio Platforms (MPAIADAJ)

Keywords

• College radio broadcasting
• Alternative music programming
• Non-commercial radio
• Audio streaming service
• Recording studio services

Headquarters

HQ city

Tallahassee

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Underwriting: Non-commercial station funded primarily through donations during pledge drives and from underwriting sponsors. The station hosts quadrennial pledge drives and accepts ongoing donations to support equipment upgrades and operating costs.
2. University Funding (SGA): Receives funding support from Florida State University's Student Government Association

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

WVFS Tallahassee 89.7FM is a non-commercial, volunteer-run college radio station that broadcasts a 24/7 album-oriented alternative and indie music format on 89.7 FM from Florida State University, with parallel online streaming. It also operates a multitrack recording studio for in-studio performances and runs a music catalog and submission system for independent artists. The station is staffed by approximately 200 volunteers and serves as a training ground for students interested in broadcasting.

Product overview

WVFS Tallahassee 89.7FM (V89) is a volunteer-run college alternative radio station operating at Florida State University. The station delivers a single unified broadcast product featuring 24/7 FM radio programming and live audio streaming, with a diverse music-first format spanning indie rock, punk, hip hop, electronic, metal, jazz, experimental, blues, reggae, folk, and world music genres. Core offerings include: live radio broadcasting on 89.7 FM and online streaming via voice.wvfs.fsu.edu; a rotating music catalog and submission system accepting physical and digital formats; and specialty shows such as Club Convergence, Hootenanny, Sonic Safari, Undaground Railroad, and Sunday Evening Jazz. Supporting services include professional recording studio facilities for in-station performances, public service announcements, non-commercial underwriting, and volunteer DJ training programs. The station contributes to industry chart reporting through CMJ and maintains year-end chart archives documenting musical taste from 2003-present.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• WVFS Radio Broadcasting (89.7 FM) College alternative radio station broadcasting at 89.7 FM with 7,000 watts of transmitter power, featuring album-oriented programming across indie rock, punk, hip hop, electronic, metal, jazz, experimental, blues, reggae, folk, and world music, serving the Tallahassee community and FSU students 24/7.
• Live Audio Streaming Round-the-clock online streaming of WVFS radio broadcasts via voice.wvfs.fsu.edu:8000, enabling global audience access to station programming.
• Recording Studio Services In-station multitrack recording studio facility available to bands and artists to record in-studio performances, accessible via a submission request page on the station's website.
• Music Submission & Review Accepts music submissions from independent and unsigned artists in CD, vinyl, and digital formats for potential airplay and inclusion in the station's rotation, with weekly charts published to track rotation activity.
• Public Service Announcements Free on-air airtime for public service announcements from non-profit organizations, community groups, and student organizations.
• Underwriting Sponsorships Non-commercial underwriting opportunities for businesses and organizations seeking to support the station while reaching the FSU and Tallahassee community audience.
• Volunteer DJ Training & Broadcasting Education Training program for prospective DJs and station volunteers through semesterly Cattle Call informational sessions, with departments covering News, Sports, Production, Announcing, Continuity, Development, and PR. Students can earn class credit or ServScript hours through involvement.
• Music Catalog System Album-oriented music catalog system accepting CD, vinyl, and digital submissions and prioritizing physical formats for rotation in broadcast programming; includes a Vinyl Frontier program emphasizing vinyl collection.

Quantifiable outcome

• CMJ Core Reporting station helping determine national radio charts
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 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 major, core and minor.

• KEXPmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 February 2026WVFS partners with KEXP Seattle for International Clash Day celebrations, observed annually on February 6th. KEXP Morning Show host John Richards started the tradition in 2013. The partnership involves shared programming themes and celebrations around The Clash's music legacy.
• College Music Journal (CMJ)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCMJ Core Reporting station that submits charts including Top 200, Top Adds, Hip Hop, Heavy, Electronic, and World to NACC. Helps determine CMJ Radio 200 national radio charts. Music Director David Wolfson participated in CMJ Music Directors' Summit.
• Florida State University / SGAcoreOthersStation is part of FSU's campus life, funded through Student Government Association. Located in Diffenbaugh building on campus. Students can receive class credit or ServScript through involvement.
• Cow Haus PresentsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-presented V89 Summer Showcases featuring bands like Dikembe, Buffalo Buffalo, Echo Base, and Naps at Pug's Live venue.
• Union ProductionsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-presented V89's 28th Birthday Bash at Club Downunder featuring bands from Exploding In Sound label.
• NACC (North American College and Community Stations)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWVFS submits weekly charts to NACC including Top 200, Top Adds, Hip Hop, Hip Hop Adds, Heavy, Heavy Adds, Electronic, Electronic Adds, and World charts.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• WHRB 95.3 FM (Harvard Radio Broadcasting): Harvard's student-run radio station with classical, jazz, and rock programming blocks and a similar undergraduate volunteer model. Comparable as a college-radio peer with analogous CMJ participation.
• WTJU 91.1 FM (University of Virginia): University of Virginia community radio station operating a free-form alternative format with volunteer DJs and similar chart-reporting activity. Directly comparable college-radio peer in scope and operations.
• WRVU 91.1 FM (Vanderbilt University): Vanderbilt's student-run college radio station featuring diverse music programming and CMJ chart participation. Comparable size, university affiliation, and operational model.
• WPRB 103.3 FM (Princeton University): Princeton's college radio station running a free-form, album-oriented alternative format with community programming and CMJ chart reporting. Comparable in mission, scale, and operations to WVFS.
• WMBR 88.1 FM (MIT): MIT's student-run radio station featuring eclectic, album-oriented programming run by MIT community volunteers. Comparable college-radio operating model with chart-reporting activity.
• WXYC 89.3 FM (University of North Carolina): University of North Carolina's college radio station operating a similarly diverse, album-oriented format with comparable volunteer/student-staffed operations and chart-reporting activity. Closest structural peer to WVFS.

Broad incumbents

• KEXP 90.3 FM Seattle: Internationally recognized listener-supported non-commercial radio station with deep focus on independent music discovery. WVFS already partners with KEXP for International Clash Day — KEXP is a scaled-up functional peer in the same space.
• WFMU 91.1 FM: Long-established freeform, listener-supported non-commercial radio station with a much larger audience and operational scale. Comparable mission (independent music, volunteer-driven) but significantly larger and more established than WVFS.
• KCRW 89.9 FM (Santa Monica College): Santa Monica College-licensed public radio station with broad music programming and a large national digital audience. Comparable non-commercial college-licensed radio operation with substantially greater scale and resources.
• WAMU 88.5 FM (American University): American University-licensed NPR member station with regional reach and significantly larger operational budget. Comparable university-affiliated non-commercial broadcasting model at much greater scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/wvfs
• Facebookfacebook.com/WVFSTallahassee
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wvfs-tallahassee---89.7fm

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 WVFS Tallahassee 89.7FM