bonnFM
bonnFM is a non-profit campus radio station in Bonn, Germany, broadcasting on 96.8 MHz FM and online to students of Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn and Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg via volunteer-produced music, culture, and community programming.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersBonn, Germany
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What bonnFM does
bonnFM is a volunteer-driven, non-profit campus radio station founded in 2013 and based in Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It operates as the recognized Campusradio for the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn and the Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg, serving students and the broader Bonn community with culturally diverse programming. Its core product is a live radio stream delivered simultaneously over traditional FM broadcast at 96.8 MHz and via online streaming at hoeren.bonn.fm, supplemented by on-demand podcast distribution on Spotify and listings on Online Radiobox.
The station's content portfolio comprises more than a dozen specialized shows (Spezialsendungen) spanning music genres (Hip Hop Tuesday, New Music Monday, Ruhestörung covering Alternative Rock/Metal/Punk, Popschutz, bissfest), cultural programming (Vorhang auf! for theater, bonnFM Kinosendung for film, bonnFM Liest for literature, Deep Dive for pop culture), and community-focused series (queer um vier for LGBTQ+ topics, Powered by Women from a feminist perspective, Sport Spezial). The station reaches audiences through Instagram, TikTok, and a WhatsApp channel, and produces written editorial under content verticals including Campus & Stadt, Politik, Sport & Ernährung, Interviews, and Kommentar.
bonnFM is structured as a non-commercial, listener-free service with no disclosed revenue, pricing, or monetization model. The organization is led by Chairwoman Lioba Einhoff (also heading training), operates with roughly 30 staff members who are primarily student volunteers, and is governed under university affiliation rather than venture or external ownership. Its revenue model is best characterized as institutional support — likely a combination of university subsidies, student activity fees, and small public-broadcasting or grant funding — with no commercial customers, sponsors, or paying accounts documented in the source data.
bonnFM firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- bonnFM
- Legal name
- bonnFM
- Website
- https://bonn.fm
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- bonnFM is a non-profit campus radio station in Bonn, Germany, broadcasting on 96.8 MHz FM and online to students of Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn and Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg via volunteer-produced music, culture, and community programming.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
bonnFM industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Campus Radio Broadcasting
- NAICS
- Radio Broadcasting Stations (51611)
- SIC
- Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Public/Community Local Stations (PBS Member Stations, Community Radio, LPFM) (MPABACAG)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Internet Radio & Streaming Broadcast Stations (Simulcast/Online-only) (MPAIAEAE)
Keywords
Where bonnFM is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bonn
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
bonnFM business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Campus Radio Operations: As a campus radio station affiliated with the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn and Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg, bonnFM likely operates with university institutional support and potentially public broadcasting funding or student activity fees.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
bonnFM product offering
Product offeringCore offering
bonnFM is a volunteer-driven campus radio station that produces and broadcasts free music, cultural, political, and community-oriented programming for students of the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn and Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg, as well as the wider Bonn-area audience. Its core offering is the live 24/7 radio stream delivered simultaneously via traditional 96.8 MHz FM broadcast and web streaming at hoeren.bonn.fm, with selected shows additionally released as on-demand podcasts on Spotify. The station's content portfolio comprises recurring themed programs covering hip hop, rock, new music, LGBTQ+ topics, literature, cinema, theater, sports, food, feminism, and pop-culture analysis, all produced by student volunteers and editorial contributors.
Product overview
bonnFM is a campus radio station serving the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn and Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg, offering live broadcast via UKW FM (96.8 MHz) and online streaming at hoeren.bonn.fm. The station's core product is its radio programming, delivered through multiple distribution channels including Spotify and Online Radiobox. The programming portfolio comprises special shows (Spezialsendungen) including music shows like Hip Hop Tuesday, New Music Monday, bonnFM Ruhestörung, and bonnFM bissfest; cultural programming such as Vorhang auf! and bonnFM Kinosendung; community-focused shows like queer um vier and Powered by Women; educational content through bonnFM Liest; and deep-dive formats like bonnFM Deep Dive. The station operates as a unified radio platform with program modules that can be consumed both live and on-demand.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- bonnFM Livestream
Quantifiable outcome
- 50th episode milestone reached by queer um vier show
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use bonnFM
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
bonnFM technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
bonnFM partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
bonnFM competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- 1LIVE (WDR): WDR's youth-oriented public radio network covering NRW (including Bonn). As a major public broadcaster with substantially larger reach and budget, it competes for the same young-adult listener demographic but is not university-affiliated or community-driven.
- Deutschlandfunk: Germany's national public radio network with nationwide FM and digital distribution. Operates at much larger scale and with different editorial mandate (news/information focus), but competes for general Bonn listener attention.
Direct peers
- egoFM: Independent music and culture radio station broadcasting in Munich on FM and online, with a focus on emerging artists and youth culture. Closely parallels bonnFM's music-first, alternative-format positioning.
- ByteFM: Hamburg-based community and music radio station operating on FM and streaming. Strong emphasis on alternative, indie, and cultural programming — directly comparable content profile to bonnFM's music and culture shows.
- Koelncampus: Campus radio station serving the University of Cologne and related Cologne institutions. Operates as a non-profit, volunteer-driven broadcaster with FM license, livestream, and podcast distribution — directly comparable in mission, audience, and operating model to bonnFM.
- Radio Q (Uni Münster): Campus radio station affiliated with the University of Münster. Non-profit, student-run broadcaster with comparable scope of music, talk, and local programming distributed via FM and online.
- M94.5 (Munich): Community-oriented radio station in Munich broadcasting on FM with online streaming and podcast distribution. Comparable mix of music, culture, and youth-focused programming makes it a structurally similar peer.
- elDORADO (Hochschule Mainz): Campus radio for Hochschule Mainz and Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz. Volunteer-driven, non-profit, university-affiliated broadcaster with similar programming depth and digital distribution model.
- UniRadio (TU Dortmund): University-affiliated campus radio in Dortmund. Operates as a non-profit, student-run broadcaster with FM/streaming distribution — closely analogous in structure, audience, and content mix to bonnFM.
Regional players
- Radio Bonn/Rhein-Sieg: Local radio station operating in the same Bonn/Rhein-Sieg broadcast region as bonnFM. While it is a commercial/established local broadcaster rather than a campus station, it competes for the same Bonn-area listener base and advertising attention, making it a relevant regional benchmark.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
bonnFM social profiles
Digital presencebonnFM financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
bonnFM leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
bonnFM funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
bonnFM 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 bonnFM
What does bonnFM do?
bonnFM is a volunteer-driven campus radio station that produces and broadcasts free music, cultural, political, and community-oriented programming for students of the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn and Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg, as well as the wider Bonn-area audience. Its core offering is the live 24/7 radio stream delivered simultaneously via traditional 96.8 MHz FM broadcast and web streaming at hoeren.bonn.fm, with selected shows additionally released as on-demand podcasts on Spotify. The station's content portfolio comprises recurring themed programs covering hip hop, rock, new music, LGBTQ+ topics, literature, cinema, theater, sports, food, feminism, and pop-culture analysis, all produced by student volunteers and editorial contributors.
Is bonnFM a public or private company?
bonnFM is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was bonnFM founded?
bonnFM was founded in -1. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is bonnFM based?
bonnFM is headquartered in Bonn, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does bonnFM make money?
One revenue line is on record: campus Radio Operations.
Who are bonnFM's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are 1LIVE (WDR) and Deutschlandfunk. Direct peers are egoFM, ByteFM, Koelncampus, Radio Q (Uni Münster), M94.5 (Munich), elDORADO (Hochschule Mainz) and UniRadio (TU Dortmund). Radio Bonn/Rhein-Sieg is listed as a regional player.
Does bonnFM have an API?
No public API is recorded for bonnFM.
What industry is bonnFM in?
bonnFM's product category is Campus Radio Broadcasting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPABACAG, Public/Community Local Stations (PBS Member Stations, Community Radio, LPFM), with a secondary code of MPAIAEAE, Internet Radio & Streaming Broadcast Stations (Simulcast/Online-only). Its NAICS code is 51611 and its SIC code is 4832.