KVMR FM

What KVMR FM does

KVMR FM is an independent, non-commercial community radio station headquartered at 120 Bridge Street in Nevada City, California, operating continuously since July 14, 1978, under the governance of the Nevada City Community Broadcast Group, a 501(c)(3) non-profit. The station broadcasts 24/7 from Banner Mountain at 3,861 feet above sea level on 89.5 FM in Nevada City, with translator frequencies at 93.9 FM Woodland, 88.3 FM Camino/Placerville, and 105.7 FM Grass Valley (KVMRx), reaching approximately 40,000 unduplicated listeners across the Northern California Sierra foothills and Sacramento Valley. KVMR is designated as the official Emergency Broadcast station of Nevada County and serves as a civic media platform for the region.

The station's programming consists of 134 locally produced shows spanning 15+ genres (Americana, Blues, Classical, Electronic, Folk, Funk, Gospel, Global, Hip Hop, Jazz, News/Talk, Oldies, and others), created by 147 active volunteer broadcasters out of a total volunteer base of over 700, supported by a small paid staff of approximately 10. Core technology consists of conventional FM broadcast infrastructure supplemented by 24/7 web streaming at low (32k AAC) and high fidelity (96k AAC), a dedicated mobile app on iOS and Android, distribution on TuneIn, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and RSS podcast feeds. Additional products include the KVMRx sub-brand for experimental/underground music, the Youth News Corps training program, a digital archive system, broadcaster training classes, and community room rentals.

KVMR's revenue model is diversified across annual memberships ($60/year), one-time and recurring donations (including EFT and vehicle donations), business sponsorship/underwriting packages, and federal funding through Corporation for Public Broadcasting grants. Business sponsorship is sold on a quote-based monthly schedule with three brief messaging breaks per hour. The station operates on an annual budget of approximately $900,000 and is funded entirely without parent-company ownership or external investment. Customer segments include local Northern California community listeners (primary), local businesses seeking access to an engaged 50+ demographic with high home-ownership rates, and music enthusiasts seeking diverse programming not available on commercial radio. Go-to-market is community-led: listener acquisition through FM signal, streaming, mobile apps, social media, the annual KVMR Celtic Festival, the Golden Road Gathering, email newsletters, and grassroots community events.

Name

KVMR FM

Legal name

Nevada City Community Broadcast Group

Website

https://kvmr.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Radio Broadcasting

NAICS

Radio Broadcasting Stations (51611)

SIC

Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832)

akta.pro primary industry

Public/Community Local Stations (PBS Member Stations, Community Radio, LPFM) (MPABACAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community/Low-Power Nonprofit Radio (LPFM/Community Radio) (MPABADAE), Internet Radio & Streaming Broadcast Stations (Simulcast/Online-only) (MPAIAEAE)

Keywords

• Community radio broadcasting
• Non-commercial radio station
• Music programming broadcast
• Public radio service
• Emergency broadcast services

Headquarters

HQ city

Nevada City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership at $60 per year, providing supporter benefits and programming access
2. Business Sponsorship/Underwriting: Marketing messages read by broadcasters during programming breaks. Three brief messaging breaks per hour lasting about 45 seconds each. Listeners spend hours listening unlike commercial radio.
3. Donations: One-time and recurring donations from listeners, with options for EFT payments and vehicle donations
4. Corporation for Public Broadcasting Grants: Federal funding through CPB grants for public radio stations

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

KVMR FM is a non-commercial community radio station delivering live music, news, and public affairs programming across four FM frequencies in Northern California (89.5 FM Nevada City, 93.9 FM Woodland, 88.3 FM Camino, 105.7 FM Grass Valley/KVMRx), with 24/7 web streaming, mobile apps, and podcast distribution. The station produces 134 programs across 15+ genres staffed by 147 volunteer broadcasters and over 700 volunteers, serving as the official Emergency Broadcast station of Nevada County while reaching 40,000 unduplicated listeners.

Product overview

KVMR FM is a non-commercial community radio station offering a unified broadcast and digital media platform. The core product is live radio broadcasting on multiple FM frequencies (89.5 FM main station, 105.7 FM for KVMRx sub-brand, plus regional translators), supplemented by 24/7 web streaming with mobile apps and multiple audio archive systems. The KVMRx sub-brand extends the platform for digital/experimental music content. Additional products include podcast distribution via major platforms, youth journalism training through the Youth News Corps program, community events calendars, broadcaster training services, and business sponsorship/underwriting packages. The station serves as Nevada County's official Emergency Broadcast station.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• KVMR 89.5 FM Main Broadcast Non-commercial community radio broadcast service operating on 89.5 FM from Banner Mountain in Nevada City, CA, with a signal equivalent to 6,000 watts output at sea level, serving Northern California Sierra foothills and Sacramento Valley.
• KVMRx 105.7 FM A sub-brand of KVMR focused on digital music and alternative programming, featuring experimental, underground, and contemporary genres for younger audiences.
• Live Web Streaming Live 24/7 web streaming available at www.kvmr.org, including low bandwidth (32k AAC) and high fidelity (96k AAC) stream options for worldwide listening.
• KVMR Mobile App Native mobile application available on Google Play and iOS App Store for convenient listening on smartphones and tablets, with schedule and embedded playlists.
• Higher Quality Audio Archives New digital archive system at kvmr.studio.creek.org/archives/ for accessing past broadcasts in higher audio quality.
• Classic Audio Archives Legacy archive system at archive.kvmr.org for accessing historical broadcast recordings.
• KVMR News Podcasts Podcast distribution of KVMR's locally produced news content, including weekday news at 8:06am and 12:01pm, and weekly Friday news magazine at 6pm-6:30pm.
• KVMR Public Affairs Podcasts Podcast series covering public affairs programming including Between Gears (bicycle community), The Climate Report, Critter Chat (wildlife), Curtain Call (arts), Disability Rap, Embracing the Journey, Garden Forum, The Good Herb Report, and People/Planet/Progress.
• Youth News Corps Youth journalism training initiative under KVMRx's Future of Radio Project, teaching radio journalism, free speech, civic engagement, public speaking, writing, research, ethics, and digital production to young reporters.
• Community Events Calendar Arts calendar and community events calendar featuring local events submission and promotion for the Nevada County and surrounding region.
• Broadcaster Training Program Annual broadcaster training courses covering KVMR music DJ training, KVMRx DJ training, and public affairs training, with a $50 class fee and $60/year membership requirement.
• Business Sponsorship/Underwriting Business sponsorship and underwriting opportunities for local businesses to reach KVMR's audience of 40,000 listeners, featuring brief messaging breaks without commercials.
• KVMR Community Room Community room rental service at 120 Bridge Street available for not-for-profit meetings, classes, and community events.

Quantifiable outcome

• 40,000 unduplicated audience reach with two-thirds outside local geography
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 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

Integration4 records

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Corporation for Public Broadcasting: The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is the federal funding entity that distributes grants to public radio and television stations. KVMR is a direct CPB grantee, making CPB a critical funding counterparty rather than a direct competitor.

Broad incumbents

• KQED: KQED is the dominant public media organization in Northern California, operating both public television and radio. While much larger and broader in scope, it serves an overlapping Northern California audience and represents the broader public-media landscape KVMR operates within.
• KCRW: KCRW is a major Santa Monica-based public radio station known for eclectic music programming and strong digital distribution. It is a much larger, more established version of the same eclectic-music public radio niche KVMR occupies.
• NPR (National Public Radio): NPR is the dominant national public radio organization in the United States, producing news and cultural programming distributed to member stations. KVMR carries NPR programming (e.g., The California Report) and participates in the broader public radio ecosystem NPR anchors.
• Pacifica Foundation: Pacifica Foundation is the parent organization of the Pacifica Network — a nationwide federation of community radio stations including KPFA and KPFK. It is the national umbrella for the listener-supported community radio movement KVMR belongs to.

Direct peers

• KPFA: KPFA is a flagship listener-supported community radio station in Berkeley, California, and a Pacifica Network affiliate. It shares KVMR's nonprofit, volunteer-broadcaster model and progressive community-radio positioning, though at significantly larger scale.
• WFMU: WFMU is a renowned independent freeform community radio station in New Jersey with a strongly volunteer-driven, multi-genre programming model and a deep archive. It is a structurally similar nonprofit community radio station with an unusually deep content library.
• KZFR: KZFR is a community radio station in Chico, California — operating on a near-identical non-commercial, volunteer-driven model serving Northern California. It is the closest geographic and operational analog to KVMR.
• KXLU: KXLU is a non-commercial college/community radio station in Los Angeles run by Loyola Marymount University. It shares KVMR's volunteer-driven, eclectic programming model across multiple music genres, though as a campus licensee rather than an independent nonprofit.
• WYSO: WYSO is a community-licensed public radio station in Yellow Springs, Ohio, with a volunteer-driven, eclectic music and news format. It mirrors KVMR's nonprofit community radio model and audience-development approach in a different region.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/kvmrnews
• Xx.com/radiokvmr
• Facebookfacebook.com/KVMRFM

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles24 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 KVMR FM