WBRS

What WBRS does

WBRS 100.1 FM is a non-commercial college radio station operated by students at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts, broadcasting continuously on FM frequency 100.1 since 1964. The station offers programming across music (independent and commercial, spanning genres from shoegaze to hip-hop to electronic and soul), talkshows, news, sports coverage, and podcasts, all produced by an entirely student-run staff including DJs, an elected e-board, and department heads for music, news, and sports. Distribution is dual-channel: a regional FM signal reaching the Brandeis campus and surrounding Waltham community, paired with a global webstream accessible via wbrs.org and third-party platforms (Spinitron, Last.fm), supplemented by a studio webcam for live visual broadcasting. Related service offerings include equipment rental, DJ services, live music booking, and station tours.

The station's business model is donation- and sponsorship-based rather than commercial. Revenue derives from listener donations through the "Help Keep WBRS Alive" initiative, named local business sponsorships (Lizzy's IceCream, Sound and Image Media Studios), and institutional support from Brandeis University as the host institution. WBRS operates as a free community service with no subscription or paywall model. Outreach and audience engagement are conducted through organic social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram), the station's website content, and co-sponsored campus events including the Leonard Bernstein Festival of the Creative Arts and SCRAM Jam at the Rose Art Museum. The station's governance is student-led with university oversight, and it has no venture funding, external investors, or disclosed parent revenue dependency outside Brandeis.

Name

WBRS

Legal name

WBRS 100.1 FM

Website

https://wbrs.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1964

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

WBRS 100.1 FM is a non-commercial, student-run college radio station at Brandeis University, broadcasting music, news, sports, and talk programming since 1964 to the campus, Waltham community, and global webstream listeners, funded by donations and local sponsorships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

College Radio Broadcasting

NAICS

Radio Broadcasting Stations (51611)

SIC

Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPABACAG

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

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Broadcasting (TV & Radio)/Local Broadcast Stations & Affiliates (TV & Radio)

SECONDARYMPAIAEAE

Internet Radio & Streaming Broadcast Stations (Simulcast/Online-only)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Music & Audio (Recording, Publishing, Streaming)/Radio & Audio Broadcasting (Terrestrial, Satellite, Digital Radio)

SECONDARYMPAIAEAL

Radio Content Production & Studios (On-air Production, Imaging, Jingles)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Music & Audio (Recording, Publishing, Streaming)/Radio & Audio Broadcasting (Terrestrial, Satellite, Digital Radio)

Keywords

• College radio station
• FM radio broadcasting
• Music programming
• Webstream audio
• Student media

Headquarters

HQ city

Waltham

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations: Listener donations through the 'Help Keep WBRS Alive' initiative, supporting station operations and programming.
2. Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorships from local businesses including Lizzy's IceCream and Sound and Image Media Studios; institutional sponsorship from Brandeis University.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

WBRS 100.1 FM is an independent, student-run college radio station operated by Brandeis University students in Waltham, Massachusetts. It broadcasts continuous music, news, sports, and talk programming via FM at 100.1 FM and through a global webstream, supplemented by ancillary services including equipment rental, DJ services, live music booking, and station tours.

Product overview

WBRS 100.1 FM is a single college radio station operated by Brandeis University students. The station offers traditional FM radio broadcasting at 100.1 FM frequency along with webstreaming services. Programming includes music across genres, news and talk shows, sports coverage, and original content. The station also provides related services including equipment rental, live music booking, and DJ services. The product is a unified radio broadcasting service rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• WBRS 100.1 FM Radio Broadcasting Continuous radio programming at 100.1 FM reaching the Brandeis University campus and surrounding Waltham, MA community, featuring music, talkshows, news, sports coverage, and podcasts produced by an all-student staff.
• Online Webstream

Quantifiable outcome

• Broadcasting all day every year since 1964

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• SCRAM (Student Committee for the Rose Art Museum)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 April 2022Co-sponsored the SCRAM Jam event at The Rose art museum as part of the Leonard Bernstein Festival of the Creative Arts, featuring food trucks and live music.
• Brandeis UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrandeis University provides institutional sponsorship and support for WBRS as the station's host institution. Students of Brandeis University are the primary audience and volunteer workforce.
• Lizzy's IceCreamminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal ice cream shop sponsoring WBRS events. Lizzy's provides free ice cream for station events in exchange for on-air mentions and promotional consideration.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• WVBR (Cornell Radio): Cornell University's student-run radio station at 93.5 FM serving Ithaca and Cornell campus. Comparable as a student-operated college broadcaster with FM + webstream distribution and community focus.
• WMBR (MIT Radio): Student-run college radio station at MIT broadcasting on 88.1 FM and online. Directly comparable as a Boston-area student station with similar all-volunteer staff model and indie/eclectic programming.
• WHRB (Harvard Radio Broadcasting): Student-run college radio station at Harvard University, also operating FM and webstream with eclectic music programming. Directly comparable to WBRS as a peer-institution student broadcaster with similar non-commercial model and student volunteer staff.
• WERS (Emerson College Radio): Emerson College's student-run radio station at 88.9 FM serving the Boston area. Closely comparable to WBRS as a college-station peer with similar broadcasting scope, format diversity, and student volunteer structure.
• WHRB-FM 95.3: Note: WHRB-FM and WHRB are the same entity; an additional close peer is WZBC (Boston College Radio), another student-run FM station in the Boston metro area, comparable to WBRS in scale, geographic context, and operational model.
• WXYC (UNC Chapel Hill): Student-run college radio station at UNC Chapel Hill broadcasting freeform music on 89.3 FM and online. Comparable as a peer-institution student volunteer station with eclectic programming and dual FM/web distribution.
• WPRB (Princeton Radio): Princeton University's student-run radio station broadcasting at 103.3 FM with eclectic music programming. Directly comparable as an Ivy-league college station with similar community/non-commercial model and decades-long operating history.

Broad incumbents

• KCRW (Santa Monica College): Public radio station operated by Santa Monica College, broadcasting eclectic music and news at much greater scale than WBRS. Comparable as a college-affiliated non-commercial broadcaster but materially larger, professionally staffed, and commercially significant via sponsorships and syndication.
• KEXP (Seattle): Non-commercial indie music station based in Seattle with FM and major webstream presence, originally founded as a college station. Comparable as a non-commercial eclectic music broadcaster, but operates at vastly greater scale with professional staff and global streaming audience.

Regional players

• WFMU: Independent freeform community radio station in New Jersey broadcasting eclectic programming online and on 91.1 FM. Comparable as a listener-supported, non-commercial, volunteer-driven station with similar independent music curation philosophy, though not student-run.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/wbrsfm
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@WBRSFM
• Facebookfacebook.com/WBRSFM
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wbrs-100.1fm/posts/?feedView=all
• Instagraminstagram.com/brandeiswbrs

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 WBRS