Indiana Public Radio

What Indiana Public Radio does

Indiana Public Radio (IPR) is a listener-supported public radio network and a service of Ball State University, operating five FM stations across east-central Indiana (92.1 FM Muncie, 90.9 FM Marion, 91.1 FM Hagerstown/New Castle, 89.5 FM Anderson, plus 89.5 The Note, a 24/7 classical music station). The station originated in 1923 as a student-built radiophone, began commercial broadcasting as WBST in 1960, joined NPR in 1980, expanded to its current five-station footprint in 1997, and rebranded as Indiana Public Radio in 1998. It is governed by the Ball State University Board of Trustees and shares facilities with Ball State PBS in the David Letterman Communications and Media Building on the BSU campus in Muncie.

IPR distributes NPR national programming (Morning Edition, All Things Considered) alongside original local content including BlueNotes (jazz/blues), Pop of Culture (arts and culture), The Facing Project (community storytelling), Cardinal Compass, and The Owsley Moment. Distribution channels include FM broadcast, the Ball State Public Media mobile app ("IPR To Go"), and online streaming. The organization also runs the Public Media Accelerator (PMX), a student workforce-development program integrated with Ball State.

The revenue model is a listener-supported public-media structure with four streams: recurring listener donations and membership pledges, corporate underwriting from local businesses, federal funding through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), and institutional support from Ball State University. Content is provided free over-the-air; underwriting rates are quote-based and not publicly disclosed. IPR maintains FCC public inspection files, EEO compliance reporting, and CPB grantee status. The organization employs approximately 20 staff across hosting, producing, reporting, operations, sales, and digital content roles.

Name

Indiana Public Radio

Legal name

Indiana Public Radio

Website

https://indianapublicradio.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1960

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Indiana Public Radio is a listener-supported public radio network and Ball State University service operating five FM stations across east-central Indiana, distributing NPR programming, local news, and original content to community listeners and funded by donations, underwriting, and CPB grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Radio Broadcasting

NAICS

Radio Broadcasting Stations (51611), Radio and Television Broadcasting Stations (5161)

SIC

Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832)

akta.pro primary industry

National Public Radio Networks & Member Stations (NPR-style) (MPABADAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Network-Affiliated Local Radio Stations (News/Talk/Sports Syndication Affiliates) (MPABACAF)

Keywords

• Public radio broadcasting
• NPR affiliate news
• Classical music radio
• Community storytelling
• Listener-supported media

Headquarters

HQ city

Muncie

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel

Revenue model

1. Listener Support/Donations: Annual membership campaigns and one-time donations from listeners support station operations.
2. Corporate Underwriting: Business sponsorships and underwriting acknowledgments provide revenue from local businesses and organizations.
3. Ball State University Support: Institutional support from Ball State University as a service of the university.
4. Corporation for Public Broadcasting: Federal funding through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting supports public radio stations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Indiana Public Radio operates a listener-supported public radio network broadcasting across five FM stations (92.1 FM Muncie, 90.9 FM Marion, 91.1 FM Hagerstown/New Castle, 89.5 FM Anderson, plus 89.5 The Note classical) in east-central Indiana. As an NPR affiliate and a service of Ball State University, it distributes local and national news, music, arts and culture programming, and community storytelling via FM broadcast, a mobile app, and online streaming.

Product overview

Indiana Public Radio operates as a five-station public radio network (92.1 FM Muncie, 90.9 FM Marion, 91.1 FM Hagerstown/New Castle, 89.5 FM Anderson, plus classical station 89.5 The Note) affiliated with National Public Radio and Ball State University. The network distributes local news programming including Morning Edition and All Things Considered, alongside original local programs such as BlueNotes (jazz/blues), Pop of Culture (arts and culture), The Facing Project (storytelling), Cardinal Compass, and The Owsley Moment. IPR also operates a mobile app for on-the-go listening and runs the Public Media Accelerator (PMX) student workforce development program. The station generates revenue through listener donations, business underwriting, and support from Ball State University and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BlueNotes: Music program/podcast on Indiana Public Radio
• Cardinal Compass
• The Facing Project
• Owsley Moment
• Pop of Culture
• 89.5 The Note
• Public Media Accelerator (PMX)

Products and services

• Indiana Public Radio Broadcast Network

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

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Ball State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndiana Public Radio is a service of Ball State University. The university provides institutional support, facilities (David Letterman Communications and Media Building), and operates under the Ball State University Board of Trustees governance.
• NPR (National Public Radio)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIPR is a member station of NPR, carrying national programming including Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and other NPR shows.
• Corporation for Public BroadcastingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal funding through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) supports public radio stations like IPR.
• Destination MuncieminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity event partnership promoting local events in the Muncie area through IPR's events section.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• WVXU 91.7: Cincinnati-area NPR member station operated by Xavier University. Comparable university-operated public radio network covering a mid-sized Midwestern market.
• KUNC: Northern Colorado NPR member station with multiple transmitters. Comparable community-supported public radio operation with regional coverage and NPR news programming.
• WVPE: NPR member station serving the Elkhart/South Bend region of northern Indiana. Comparable as a regional Indiana public radio licensee with multi-station coverage and news focus.
• WFYI Public Media: Indianapolis-based NPR/PBS member station serving central Indiana. Directly comparable as a public radio licensee running a metropolitan-area broadcast network with shared community news coverage territory.
• WBAA: Purdue University's NPR member station serving West Lafayette and Tippecanoe County, Indiana. Closely analogous as a university-affiliated public radio network carrying NPR programming alongside local news.
• Michigan Public: University of Michigan's NPR member network serving southeastern Michigan with multiple transmitters. Comparable as a state-university-affiliated NPR network with similar news and classical programming.
• WNIN Public Media: Tri-State Public Media NPR station based in Evansville, Indiana. Comparable regional Indiana public radio broadcaster with a mix of NPR programming and local journalism.
• WGLT: Illinois State University-affiliated NPR station serving Bloomington-Normal, Illinois. Highly comparable as a state-university-run public radio operation with NPR news/talk mix.

Broad incumbents

• KCRW: Santa Monica College-licensed public radio station with strong original programming. Comparable as a listener-supported public station, though with significantly more programming and digital distribution scale.
• WAMU 88.5: American University-operated NPR station serving the Washington, D.C. metro. Comparable university-affiliated NPR station, though operating at much larger scale and budget.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/INPublicRadio
• FacebookFacebook.com/IndianaPublicRadio
• Instagraminstagram.com/IndianaPublicRadio

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Indiana Public Radio