Weiu

What Weiu does

WEIU is a non-commercial public broadcasting station licensed to the Board of Trustees of Eastern Illinois University, operating both a television channel (WEIU-TV on Channel 51.1, 174 kW digital signal from a 502-foot tower southeast of Humboldt, IL) and a radio station (Hit-Mix 88.9 FM, 4,000 watts from a 213-foot tower adjacent to Buzzard Hall on the EIU campus in Charleston, IL). Founded in 1982, the station produces local news (News Watch, weeknights at 5:30 p.m.), weather (Sky Watch Weather, 24/7), sports coverage (Sports Watch, including EIU Panther Athletics), and original radio and television programming (Morning Mix, Issues & Attitudes, Jazz Programming, Rameen's Road Trips). Content is distributed over-the-air, via 24/7 streaming at weiu.net, and through the weiutv YouTube channel, all free to viewers and listeners.

The station operates a dual mandate as both a community broadcaster and a hands-on training facility for EIU School of Communication and Journalism students, who gain practical broadcast journalism and production experience on professional equipment. General Manager Jeff Owens leads full-time operations; the broader workforce is student-driven across announcing, production, and sports broadcasting functions. The station maintains a headquarters at 1521 Buzzard Hall on the EIU campus.

WEIU's revenue is sourced from three streams: Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) Community Service Grants (federal funding reportedly impacted by federal defunding decisions affecting CPB), individual donations processed through commerce.cashnet.com/weiu2, and underwriting/sponsorship from local and regional businesses including First Mid Bank & Trust, Sarah Bush Lincoln, Carle Health, Fellowship Center, TCI Realty, Harrelsons Plumbing, and Culligan Water. Financial figures are not publicly disclosed. There are no disclosed AI/ML capabilities, no APIs or SDKs, and no proprietary technology stack beyond standard broadcast and streaming infrastructure.

Name

Weiu

Legal name

WEIU-TV

Website

https://weiu.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

WEIU is a non-commercial public broadcasting station licensed to Eastern Illinois University, operating WEIU-TV (Channel 51.1) and Hit-Mix 88.9 FM to serve Charleston and Coles County, Illinois, with local news, weather, sports, and EIU student training.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Broadcasting

NAICS

Radio and Television Broadcasting Stations (5161), Television Broadcasting Stations (51612), Radio Broadcasting Stations (516110), Radio Broadcasting Stations (51611), Television Broadcasting Stations (516120)

SIC

Television Broadcasting Stations (4833), Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832)

akta.pro primary industry

University/College-licensed Public Broadcasting (TV & Radio) (MPABADAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

University/Educational Local Stations (College Radio, Campus TV) (MPABACAH), Student Media & Publications (Newspaper, Radio, TV) (EDALAHAE), College & University Sports Networks (Conference/School-Owned) (MPABAJAD)

Keywords

• Public broadcasting services
• Local television news
• Community radio
• Broadcast journalism training
• Educational media production

Headquarters

HQ city

Charleston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Public Broadcasting Grant Funding: Receives Community Service Grants from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), a federal agency. Funding was reportedly impacted by federal government defunding decisions affecting CPB.
2. Donor Contributions: Relies on viewer and listener donations to fund operations and maintain commercial-free programming. Donation page available at commerce.cashnet.com/weiu2.
3. Underwriter/Sponsor Support: Local businesses provide financial support in exchange for acknowledgment on programming. Underwriters include First Mid Bank, Fellowship Center, Sarah Bush Lincoln, Harrelsons Plumbing, Culligan Water, TCI Realty, and other regional businesses.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

WEIU is a public broadcasting station that operates WEIU-TV (Channel 51.1) and Hit-Mix 88.9 FM radio, delivering local news, weather, sports, and original programming to the Charleston and Eastern Illinois community. It simultaneously functions as a hands-on training facility for Eastern Illinois University students in broadcast journalism, radio, and television production. The station operates 24/7 across over-the-air broadcast, online streaming, and YouTube channels.

Product overview

WEIU is a public broadcasting station operated by Eastern Illinois University, offering a dual-platform media portfolio consisting of WEIU Digital TV (Channel 51.1) and Hit-Mix 88.9 FM Radio. The television division delivers local news through News Watch, original programming like Rameen's Road Trips, and 24/7 weather coverage via Sky Watch Weather. The radio division provides music programming including Morning Mix, Issues & Attitudes, and Jazz Programming, along with EIU sports broadcasts. Both platforms stream digitally through the WEIU Live Stream service. The station also operates the EIU Student Media Experience, an educational program providing students hands-on training in broadcast journalism and production.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• WEIU Digital TV WEIU's television broadcast service featuring local news, original programming, and live events. Operates on Channel 51.1 with a 174-kilowatt digital signal broadcast from a 502-foot tower southeast of Humboldt, IL, serving the Eastern Illinois region and streaming 24/7 on weiu.net and YouTube.
• Hit-Mix 88.9 FM WEIU's FM radio station broadcasting at 88.9 MHz with 4000 watts of power from a 213-foot tower next to Buzzard Hall on the EIU campus. Plays a variety of music formats including jazz, provides sports broadcasting for Eastern Illinois University athletics, and offers local programming like Morning Mix and Issues & Attitudes, covering Coles County and surrounding areas.
• News Watch WEIU's weekday television news program airing at 5:30 p.m. during Fall and Spring class terms, covering local news, sports, and community events for the Charleston and Eastern Illinois region. The program has received multiple industry awards for broadcast journalism excellence.
• WEIU Live Stream Digital streaming service for WEIU-TV programming, offering select live events and online viewing of television content 24/7 worldwide via weiu.net/watch_online.
• EIU Student Media Experience Hands-on training program for Eastern Illinois University students providing real-world experience in broadcast journalism, radio, and television production on state-of-the-art equipment. Student employees gain hands-on experience in broadcasting, production, and journalism while supporting station operations.
• Rameen's Road Trips WEIU original program featuring local travel and exploration of attractions in the Eastern Illinois region, including county fairs, museums, and cultural sites, airing as part of WEIU's original programming lineup on YouTube and WEIU-TV.

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Eastern Illinois University (EIU) Board of TrusteescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWEIU-TV is licensed to the Board of Trustees of Eastern Illinois University. The station operates in partnership with EIU's School of Communication and Journalism, providing real-world training for students and serving as a model for broadcast education.
• Sarah Bush LincolnminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal healthcare provider and underwriter supporting WEIU programming. Listed as a supporter of WEIU Digital TV and News Watch.
• First Mid Bank & TrustminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal financial institution and underwriter for WEIU News Watch programming.
• Fellowship CenterminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity organization and underwriter for WEIU News Watch and Hit-Mix 88.9.
• TCI RealtyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal realty company and underwriter for WEIU News Watch and streaming.
• Carle HealthminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional healthcare provider and underwriter for WEIU Digital TV.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• WTIU (Indiana University): Indiana University-licensed public television and radio station. Comparable to WEIU as a Big Ten-adjacent state university public broadcaster offering TV, radio, student media training, and original local programming with CPB support.
• WSIU (Southern Illinois University): Public broadcasting station licensed to Southern Illinois University, operating TV and radio. Directly comparable to WEIU as a state university-licensed public broadcaster in Illinois with student media training programs and CPB grant funding.
• WILL-TV / WILL-FM (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign): University-licensed public broadcasting station operated by the University of Illinois. Direct peer to WEIU as a fellow Illinois public university licensee operating TV and radio stations serving a regional audience with student involvement and CPB funding.
• WGLT (Illinois State University): Public radio station operated by Illinois State University in Normal, IL. Comparable to WEIU as a public university-licensed community radio station with student involvement, NPR programming, and local news focus in central Illinois.
• WUIS (University of Illinois Springfield): Public radio station licensed to the University of Illinois Springfield. Closely comparable to WEIU as another U of I System university-affiliated public radio station with student training, NPR content, and CPB funding.
• WBAA (Purdue University): Purdue University-licensed public radio station serving the Lafayette-West Lafayette area. Directly comparable to WEIU as a university-licensed NPR affiliate with student involvement, local news, and public broadcasting mission in a college town market.

Others

• NPR (National Public Radio): National content distributor and network for WEIU's Hit-Mix 88.9 radio programming. Not a direct competitor but a key content/programming supplier and ecosystem anchor for public radio stations like WEIU.
• PBS (Public Broadcasting Service): National programming network that supplies content to WEIU's television broadcasts. Functions as an upstream content ecosystem and brand association for university-licensed public TV stations like WEIU rather than a direct competitor.
• Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB): Federal entity that distributes Community Service Grants funding to WEIU and similar public broadcasting stations. Not a peer in the operational sense but a critical funding ecosystem participant for WEIU's business model.

Broad incumbents

• WTTW (Chicago Public Media): Major PBS affiliate serving the Chicago metropolitan area and broader Illinois audience. A larger public broadcasting incumbent in the same state, with overlapping mission but significantly greater scale, audience reach, and programming resources than WEIU.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/WEIU1
• YouTubeyoutube.com/weiutv
• Facebookfacebook.com/weiupbs

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries4 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 Weiu