Live Wire Radio
Live Wire Radio is a nonprofit public radio show and podcast produced in Portland, OR, featuring weekly live-recorded episodes with authors, musicians, comedians, and cultural critics, distributed nationally through PRX and supported by listener memberships, sponsorships, and foundation grants.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersPortland, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Live Wire Radio does
Live Wire Radio is a nonprofit public radio show and podcast produced in Portland, Oregon, founded in 2008 by Robyn Tenenbaum and Kate Sokoloff. The program records weekly live theater episodes at Portland venues including Alberta Rose Theatre, Patricia Reser Center for the Arts, and Tomorrow Theater, featuring interviews and live performances with authors, comedians, musicians, and cultural critics (e.g., Cheryl Strayed, Chuck Klosterman, Rick Steves), anchored by a live house band and structured segments such as Best News We Heard All Week. The show distributes nationally through PRX (Public Radio Exchange) to public radio stations including WNYC-FM 93.9 in New York City, and is available as a podcast globally.
The company's product portfolio spans live in-person events (Live Shows, Speakeasy Series at Domaine Drouhin Oregon), broadcast/podcast distribution via PRX (Episode 724 aired July 3, 2026), seasonal ticketing (Fall 2026 Season Passes from September 17 to December 10, 2026), thematic programming (Open Book, Damp January), membership programs (League of Extraordinary Listeners, Fully Charged), and a weekly email newsletter. There is no proprietary software platform, API, or AI/ML capability disclosed in the source material; production relies on standard podcast/radio equipment and PRX infrastructure.
The business model is a multi-stream nonprofit funding structure: recurring listener memberships and one-time donations via the League of Extraordinary Listeners program, individual and bundled ticket sales for live events, corporate sponsorships (Powell's Books, others listed on the sponsor grid), and foundation/grants funding from The Marie Lamfrom Charitable Foundation, Oregon Arts Commission, and National Endowment for the Arts. The core team is small (1-10 employees, including Executive Producer Laura Hadden, Executive Director Heather de Michele, and supporting producers/editors/marketing/operations staff). The company operates as a Pacific Northwest-rooted nonprofit with national broadcast reach via PRX distribution partnerships.
Live Wire Radio firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Live Wire Radio
- Legal name
- Live Wire Radio
- Website
- https://livewireradio.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Live Wire Radio is a nonprofit public radio show and podcast produced in Portland, OR, featuring weekly live-recorded episodes with authors, musicians, comedians, and cultural critics, distributed nationally through PRX and supported by listener memberships, sponsorships, and foundation grants.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Live Wire Radio industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Public Radio Broadcasting
- NAICS
- Radio Broadcasting Stations (516110)
- SIC
- Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Live Podcast Recordings (MPAGACAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Podcast Live & Interactive Podcast Platforms (Live Shows, Call-ins) (MPACADAJ), Radio Streaming & Catch-Up Audio Platforms (MPAIADAJ)
Keywords
Where Live Wire Radio is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Portland
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Live Wire Radio business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Listener Membership & Donations: Recurring support from listeners through the 'League of Extraordinary Listeners' membership program and one-time donations supporting independent radio.
- Season Passes: Pre-paid tickets to Fall 2026 season of live shows at various Portland venues.
- Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors who support the show, with sponsor grid displayed on website.
- Foundation Funding: Support from The Marie Lamfrom Charitable Foundation, Oregon Arts Commission (state agency funded by Oregon and NEA), and National Endowment for the Arts.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Season Passes for Fall 2026 live shows |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Live Wire Radio product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Live Wire Radio is a weekly public radio show that records live interviews with authors, musicians, comedians, and other cultural figures in front of a studio audience in Portland, Oregon. Episodes are distributed to public radio stations nationwide through the Public Radio Exchange (PRX) and released simultaneously as a podcast.
Product overview
Live Wire Radio is a weekly public radio show and podcast produced in Portland, OR, and distributed nationally through PRX (Public Radio Exchange). The core offering consists of curated live episode recordings and a broadcast/podcast program featuring interviews with writers, poets, comedians, musicians, and cultural critics, anchored by a live house band and recurring segments. The product portfolio spans live in-person events (Live Shows, Speakeasy Series), broadcast distribution (Episodes/Podcast, Station List), seasonal ticketing (Season Passes), thematic programming (Open Book, Damp January), audience membership (League of Extraordinary Listeners, Fully Charged), and a weekly email newsletter. The company does not operate a software platform with API access, integrations, or AI/ML capabilities.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Speakeasy Series: An intimate live performance series featuring musicians and artists at venues like Domaine Drouhin Oregon
- League of Extraordinary Listeners
- Fully Charged
Products and services
- Live Wire Radio Show Weekly live-recorded interview program with authors, musicians, comedians, and cultural figures, recorded before a studio audience in Portland, Oregon, and broadcast on public radio stations via PRX for listeners nationwide.
- Live Wire Podcast On-demand audio podcast distribution of the same episodes produced for public radio, available to individual listeners via podcast apps and the Live Wire website.
- Live Event Recordings Live theatrical events held in Portland where interviews and performances are recorded in front of an audience, serving as the source content for the radio show and podcast. Open to in-person attendees in the Portland market.
Companies that use Live Wire Radio
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Live Wire Radio technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Live Wire Radio partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- PRX (Public Radio Exchange)corePRX serves as the primary distribution partner for Live Wire Radio, handling national broadcast distribution to public radio stations and podcast hosting through their tracking infrastructure.
- Tomorrow TheaterminorPortland venue partnership for special event recordings including Poetry Month special and Artists in Recovery benefit events.
- Alano Club of PortlandminorNonprofit partner for Artists in Recovery program, hosting benefit events where Live Wire records special episodes featuring recovery-themed content.
- Oregon SymphonyminorCollaboration on The Lullaby Project bringing professional singer-songwriters together with parents experiencing homelessness to create lullabies performed by symphony musicians.
- Powell's BooksminorPortland bookstore institution sponsoring Live Wire and mentioned during episodes. Live Wire was created by Robyn Tenenbaum and Kate Sokoloff.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Live Wire Radio competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Maximum Fun: Maximum Fun is a public-radio-style podcast network hosting multiple cultural interview and comedy shows with member-supported funding — a broader incumbent operating in the same listener-supported cultural podcast space as Live Wire.
- WNYC / New York Public Radio: WNYC is a flagship public radio station that broadcasts Live Wire and produces its own cultural interview programming (e.g., All Of It) — a much larger incumbent in the same listener-supported cultural public radio space.
- PRX (Public Radio Exchange): PRX is Live Wire's national distribution partner and a broad incumbent that aggregates and distributes many independent public radio shows, podcasts, and programming infrastructure — overlapping operationally with Live Wire's core distribution model.
Direct peers
- Wait Wait Don't Tell Me: Wait Wait is NPR's flagship live-recorded comedy/news panel show, touring nationally with paid live audiences — comparable to Live Wire's live-recording format, cultural-news editorial mix, and public radio distribution, though at much larger scale.
- Pop Culture Happy Hour: NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour is a weekly cultural discussion show covering books, music, comedy, and TV — directly overlapping with Live Wire's editorial remit and target public-radio audience.
- Sound Opinions: Sound Opinions is a weekly public radio music and culture talk show produced at WBEZ/Chicago Public Media, with live show recordings and a similar mix of interviews and cultural commentary that overlaps with Live Wire's guest format.
- Ask Me Another: Ask Me Another is NPR's live-recorded comedy/quiz show performed before audiences with authors and comedians — matching Live Wire's combination of live tapings, cultural guests, and public radio distribution.
- The Moth Radio Hour: The Moth Radio Hour is a live-recorded storytelling public radio show distributed via PRX — the closest analog to Live Wire in format (live performances recorded before audiences), distribution (PRX), and editorial mix (cultural/spoken-word). Both serve overlapping public radio and podcast audiences.
- Bullseye with Jesse Thorn: Bullseye is a long-running public radio cultural interview show (formerly distributed by PRI/PRX, now via Maximum Fun) that similarly profiles authors, musicians, and comedians in long-form interviews — directly comparable in audience and content category to Live Wire.
- Studio 360: Studio 360 was a long-running PRI/PRX-distributed public radio show about arts and culture, historically featuring authors, musicians, and performers in interview format directly comparable to Live Wire's editorial mix.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Live Wire Radio social profiles
Digital presenceLive Wire Radio financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Live Wire Radio leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Live Wire Radio funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Live Wire Radio M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Live Wire Radio
What does Live Wire Radio do?
Live Wire Radio is a weekly public radio show that records live interviews with authors, musicians, comedians, and other cultural figures in front of a studio audience in Portland, Oregon. Episodes are distributed to public radio stations nationwide through the Public Radio Exchange (PRX) and released simultaneously as a podcast.
Is Live Wire Radio a public or private company?
Live Wire Radio is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Live Wire Radio founded?
Live Wire Radio was founded in 2008. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Live Wire Radio based?
Live Wire Radio is headquartered in Portland, United States, in the North America region.
How does Live Wire Radio make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Listener Membership & Donations are the primary driver. The others are season Passes, sponsorships and foundation Funding.
Who are Live Wire Radio's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Maximum Fun, WNYC / New York Public Radio and PRX (Public Radio Exchange). Direct peers are Wait Wait Don't Tell Me, Pop Culture Happy Hour, Sound Opinions, Ask Me Another, The Moth Radio Hour, Bullseye with Jesse Thorn and Studio 360.
Does Live Wire Radio have an API?
No public API is recorded for Live Wire Radio.
What industry is Live Wire Radio in?
Live Wire Radio's product category is Public Radio Broadcasting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAGACAJ, Live Podcast Recordings, with a secondary code of MPACADAJ, Podcast Live & Interactive Podcast Platforms (Live Shows, Call-ins). Its NAICS code is 516110 and its SIC code is 4832.