KCUR 89.3

Public Radio Broadcastingkcur.org

KCUR 89.3 is Kansas City's charter NPR member public radio station, founded in 1957 and operated as a department of the University of Missouri-Kansas City. It serves the Kansas City metro with FM news/talk broadcast, a second classical station, podcasts, newsletters, and community-supported membership and sponsorship revenue.

Company typePrivate
Founded1957
HeadquartersKansas City, United States
Headcount11–50
GTM typeB2C
OfferingDigital Commerce or Content

What KCUR 89.3 does

KCUR 89.3, legally operating as Kansas City Public Media, is a charter NPR member public radio station founded in 1957 and operated as a department of the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Its FCC FM broadcast license is held by the Curators of the University of Missouri, making it a state-university-owned nonprofit entity. The station broadcasts at 89.3 FM with news, talk, and NPR programming for the Kansas City metropolitan area spanning Missouri and Kansas, and operates a parallel classical music station at 91.9 (Classical KC).

The core technology is traditional FM broadcast infrastructure supplemented by digital audio production and distribution, including live streaming, a portfolio of eight original podcasts (Kansas City Today, Up To Date, A People's History of Kansas City, Up From Dust, SportsBeat KC, Overlooked, Fish Fry, Night Tides), email newsletters, SMS alerts, and presence on eight social platforms. KCUR anchors or manages five collaborative journalism networks — NPR, Midwest Newsroom, Kansas News Service, Harvest Public Media, and KC Media Collective — and maintains specialty programs including Audio-Reader Network for accessibility, Generation Listen for youth engagement, and En Español content. The 60+ named staff include award-winning journalists (notably Sam Zeff, holder of a National News and Information Emmy, four National Headliner Awards, four Edward R. Murrow Awards, and multiple local Emmys) and a full leadership bench across news, operations, development, membership, and institutional giving.

Revenue is generated through four streams: recurring individual listener memberships starting at $8 per month (which unlock NPR+ podcast bundle access), corporate sponsorship through a dedicated portal, institutional grants from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and a major-gift/planned-giving program for high-net-worth donors. KCUR does not disclose financial figures publicly, but the combination of small-dollar distributed memberships, corporate underwriting, and federal and university institutional support defines a community-supported, donation-driven GTM motion characteristic of public media.

KCUR 89.3 firmographics

Firmographics

Name: KCUR 89.3
Legal name: Kansas City Public Media
Website: https://www.kcur.org/
Company type: Private
Founded year: 1957
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 11–50 employees
Short description: KCUR 89.3 is Kansas City's charter NPR member public radio station, founded in 1957 and operated as a department of the University of Missouri-Kansas City. It serves the Kansas City metro with FM news/talk broadcast, a second classical station, podcasts, newsletters, and community-supported membership and sponsorship revenue.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

KCUR 89.3 industry classification

Industry

Product category: Public Radio Broadcasting
NAICS: Radio Broadcasting Stations (51611)
SIC: Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832)
akta.pro primary industry: National Public Radio Networks & Member Stations (NPR-style) (MPABADAB)
akta.pro secondary industries: Public/Nonprofit Radio Networks (NPR-style) (MPABABAB), News Talk Radio & Current Affairs Stations (MPABAIAI)

Keywords

Public radio broadcasting
NPR news programming
Podcast production services
Community journalism
Classical music radio

Where KCUR 89.3 is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Kansas City
HQ country: United States
HQ region: North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

KCUR 89.3 business model

Business model

GTM type: B2C
Offering type: Digital Commerce or Content
Cost components: Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

Listener Donations and Memberships: Monthly donations from community members starting at $8 per month, with special access to NPR+ for supporters
Corporate Sponsorship: Corporate sponsorship opportunities available through a dedicated sponsorship portal
Institutional Funding: Funding from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and Corporation for Public Broadcasting grants
Planned Giving and Major Gifts: Major gift program and planned giving options for major donors

Pricing tiers

Model	Billing	Price
Subscription	Monthly	Monthly membership starting at $8
Subscription	Monthly	One-time and recurring donation options

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

KCUR 89.3 product offering

Product offering

Core offering

KCUR 89.3 is Kansas City's charter NPR member public radio station, broadcasting news, talk, and music programming at 89.3 FM and through digital channels since 1957. Operated as a department of the University of Missouri-Kansas City, the station produces local journalism on government accountability, politics, education, health, arts, and culture, complemented by national NPR programming. KCUR also operates 91.9 Classical KC, produces original podcasts, and runs collaborative newsrooms serving the Kansas City metropolitan area and broader Midwest region.

Product overview

KCUR 89.3 is a public radio station operated as a department of the University of Missouri–Kansas City, offering a unified portfolio of broadcast radio and digital media products. The core offerings consist of two FM radio stations: KCUR 89.3 (NPR news/talk format) and 91.9 Classical KC (classical music), supplemented by an extensive portfolio of podcasts including Kansas City Today, Up To Date, A People's History of Kansas City, SportsBeat KC, Up From Dust, Overlooked, Fish Fry, and Night Tides. Digital engagement products include the Early Bird newsletter, Text with KCUR SMS service, and NPR+ podcast bundle for donors. The station also operates community programs including Audio-Reader Network for accessibility and Generation Listen for youth engagement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

Kansas City Today: Daily news podcast bringing Kansas City news in 15 minutes or less
Up To Date
A People's History of Kansas City
Up From Dust
SportsBeat KC
Overlooked
The Fish Fry
Night Tides

Products and services

KCUR 89.3 FM Radio
91.9 Classical KC
Kansas City Today Podcast
Up To Date Talk Show
A People's History of Kansas City Podcast
SportsBeat KC Podcast
Up From Dust Podcast
Overlooked Podcast
The Fish Fry Podcast
Night Tides Show
NPR+ Podcast Bundle
Early Bird Newsletter
Audio-Reader Network

Quantifiable outcome

Coverage of World Cup 2026 with 6+ matches hosted in Kansas City including Argentina, Algeria, Ecuador, Curaçao, Tunisia, Netherlands teams
+1 more outcomes

Companies that use KCUR 89.3

Customer profile

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

KCUR 89.3 technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

KCUR 89.3 partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

National Public Radio (NPR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKCUR is a charter member of NPR, distributing and receiving national news content. The partnership provides access to NPR's national reporting while KCUR contributes local Kansas City content to the network.
Midwest NewsroomcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-state collaborative newsroom covering Midwest regional news with KCUR as a founding/partner station.
Kansas News ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState-focused Kansas news collaboration with KCUR staff managing the service and contributing regional coverage.
Harvest Public MediacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative reporting on food, agriculture, and environmental issues across the Great Plains with KCUR staff serving as managing editor.
KC Media CollectiveminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal Kansas City media collaboration bringing together regional outlets for shared coverage.
University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKCUR operates as a department of UMKC. The university provides institutional support and houses the station's FCC license through the Curators of the University of Missouri.
Classical KCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKCUR also operates 91.9 Classical KC, a classical music station serving the Kansas City area.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

KCUR 89.3 competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Direct peers

WBEZ Chicago: Chicago's NPR member station operated by Chicago Public Media. Directly comparable as a mid-major-market NPR-affiliated public radio station producing original local journalism, podcasts, and multi-station collaborative newsrooms in the Midwest.
St. Louis Public Radio (KWMU): UMSL-licensed NPR member station serving St. Louis, also in Missouri. Closely comparable as a same-network, same-state public radio station of similar scale producing local journalism and operating within a university structure.
WAMU 88.5: American University-licensed NPR member station serving Washington, DC. Comparable as a university-affiliated NPR station producing national-distributed local journalism, podcasts, and flagship talk programming.
KQED: San Francisco Bay Area's NPR and PBS member station. Comparable as a large-market public radio/TV operator producing award-winning local journalism, podcasts, and collaborative regional reporting.
Minnesota Public Radio (MPR / APM): Major Midwest NPR network (APM) operating multiple stations across Minnesota. Comparable as a large multi-station public radio network producing original podcasts, classical programming, and regional collaborative journalism.
WNYC (New York Public Radio): New York City's flagship NPR station, the largest in the network. Comparable as a premier NPR member station producing nationally distributed podcasts (Radiolab, On the Media) and local investigative journalism at scale.
WHYY: Philadelphia's NPR and PBS member station. Comparable as a university-affiliated public broadcaster producing local journalism, podcasts, and serving a similar-sized metropolitan market.
Nashville Public Radio (WPLN): Nashville's NPR member station. Comparable as a mid-market public radio station producing original local journalism and music/culture programming with a similar headcount and budget scale to KCUR.
Colorado Public Radio (CPR): Denver-based multi-station public radio network. Comparable as a multi-format (news, classical, indie music) public radio operator producing investigative journalism and podcasts in a mid-major market.

Others

Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB): Federal funding body that distributes grants to KCUR and hundreds of other public radio/TV stations. Included as a key ecosystem enabler rather than a direct competitor; understanding CPB is essential context for KCUR's funding risk profile.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

KCUR 89.3 compliance and trust

Trust signal

Compliance1 record

KCUR 89.3 financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

KCUR 89.3 leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

KCUR 89.3 subsidiaries and ownership

Company hierarchy

Subsidiaries5 records

KCUR 89.3 funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

KCUR 89.3 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 KCUR 89.3

What does KCUR 89.3 do?

Is KCUR 89.3 a public or private company?

KCUR 89.3 is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.

When was KCUR 89.3 founded?

KCUR 89.3 was founded in 1957. It employs 11 to 50 people.

Where is KCUR 89.3 based?

KCUR 89.3 is headquartered in Kansas City, United States, in the North America region.

How does KCUR 89.3 make money?

Four revenue lines are on record. Listener Donations and Memberships are the primary driver. The others are corporate Sponsorship, institutional Funding and planned Giving and Major Gifts.

Who are KCUR 89.3's main competitors?

Direct peers on record are WBEZ Chicago, St. Louis Public Radio (KWMU), WAMU 88.5, KQED, Minnesota Public Radio (MPR / APM), WNYC (New York Public Radio), WHYY, Nashville Public Radio (WPLN) and Colorado Public Radio (CPR). Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) is listed as an others.

Does KCUR 89.3 have an API?

No public API is recorded for KCUR 89.3.

What industry is KCUR 89.3 in?

KCUR 89.3's product category is Public Radio Broadcasting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPABADAB, National Public Radio Networks & Member Stations (NPR-style), with a secondary code of MPABABAB, Public/Nonprofit Radio Networks (NPR-style). Its NAICS code is 51611 and its SIC code is 4832.