Catholic Radio Network

What Catholic Radio Network does

Catholic Radio Network is a privately held, for-profit radio broadcasting company founded in 2004 by Jim O'Laughlin, who serves as president. The company was launched with an initial footprint of 17 radio stations across three US states — Kansas, Missouri, and Colorado — establishing a regional broadcast network from inception rather than a single-market operation. The company is headquartered in Excelsior Springs, Missouri.

The company's product offering is faith-based audio programming delivered over terrestrial radio, targeting the Catholic listening audience across the Midwest and Mountain West regions of the United States. Its distribution is built on FCC-licensed broadcast spectrum positions in multiple markets, which form the operational backbone of the business. No content production capabilities, digital streaming products, mobile applications, or technology platform details are disclosed in the available data.

The business model is for-profit and likely combines listener donations, underwriting, and local advertising revenue streams typical of small-market religious broadcasters, though no pricing, revenue, or monetization mechanics are documented. The company operates with a lean team of 1-10 employees, suggesting a hub-and-spoke or franchise-like station management structure rather than a centralized large workforce. There is no disclosed information on funding rounds, ownership structure, partnerships, or strategic alliances, and primary source data (onfiremedia.com) was a verification/loading page that yielded no substantive company information.

Name

Catholic Radio Network

Website

https://thecatholicradionetwork.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Catholic Radio Network is a privately held, for-profit terrestrial radio broadcaster founded in 2004 by Jim O'Laughlin, operating 17 Catholic-format stations across Kansas, Missouri, and Colorado to serve faith-based listeners in the US Midwest and Mountain West.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Radio Broadcasting

NAICS

Radio Broadcasting Stations (51611)

SIC

Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832)

akta.pro primary industry

Catholic Broadcasting (MPABALAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Religious Radio Broadcasting (MPAIAEAF), Religious/Faith-Based Radio Networks (MPABABAC)

Keywords

• Catholic radio broadcasting
• Religious radio network
• Faith-based programming
• Christian radio stations
• Religious audio content

Headquarters

HQ city

Excelsior Springs

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Core offering

Catholic Radio Network operates a regional network of 17 Catholic-formatted radio stations across Kansas, Missouri, and Colorado, broadcasting faith-based programming, religious talk, Catholic teaching, and liturgical content. Founded in 2004, the company serves Catholic listeners across the central U.S. through owned-and-operated terrestrial radio stations headquartered in Excelsior Springs, Missouri.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Catholic Radio Network broadcast service A multi-state Catholic-formatted radio broadcasting service delivering faith-based programming, Catholic teaching, religious talk, and liturgical content to listeners across Kansas, Missouri, and Colorado via 17 owned-and-operated stations. Targeted at practicing Catholic listeners in the central U.S.

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights1 record

Direct peers

• Relevant Radio: Relevant Radio is a Catholic talk and catechetical radio network with multiple owned and affiliated stations across the U.S. It is the closest direct competitor to Catholic Radio Network in terms of format, audience, and funding model (donor/underwriting driven).
• Bott Radio Network: Bott Radio Network operates a large fleet of Christian radio stations across the Midwest and U.S. It is comparable in scale, geography (overlapping Kansas/Missouri footprint), and faith-based radio model to Catholic Radio Network.
• Ave Maria Radio: Ave Maria Radio is a Catholic radio network broadcasting Catholic programming across several U.S. stations. It is a direct format peer targeting the same listener base as Catholic Radio Network.
• Immaculate Heart Radio: Immaculate Heart Radio operates Catholic radio stations in multiple U.S. markets with a similar faith-based, locally-broadcast model. Directly comparable in format and revenue model to Catholic Radio Network.
• Catholic Television Network / Diocese of Phoenix Catholic Radio: Catholic Radio stations operated by individual dioceses (e.g., Diocese of Phoenix) run the same Catholic format over licensed FM frequencies. Comparable in programming and funding model to Catholic Radio Network, though typically single-market rather than multi-state.

Broad incumbents

• EWTN Global Catholic Network: EWTN is the largest Catholic media network in the U.S., operating a global TV, radio, and digital platform. It is a broader incumbent in Catholic broadcasting and a natural upstream programming/distribution partner or acquirer for Catholic Radio Network's terrestrial stations.
• Salem Communications (now Salem Media Group): Salem Media Group is a publicly traded U.S. radio broadcaster with a large portfolio of Christian and conservative-format stations. It is a broad incumbent in faith-based radio and a potential consolidator of smaller Catholic/Christian station networks like Catholic Radio Network.

Regional players

• University of Notre Dame-owned WSND-FM: WSND is a non-commercial Catholic-affiliated FM station operated by Notre Dame. It shares the Catholic radio format but operates as a single-station, non-commercial entity rather than a multi-state network like Catholic Radio Network.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Catholic Radio Network