Korean American Radio

What Korean American Radio does

Korean American Radio, operating as Hanmi Radio AM 1120 (한미 라디오), is an independently owned Korean-language radio station headquartered in Santa Clara, California, founded in 1990. It is the first and only Korean-language radio broadcaster serving Northern California, reaching an estimated 300,000 Korean-Americans across San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, Santa Cruz, and Monterey. Programming spans 24-hour Korean-language news, entertainment, music, expert columns (economics, finance, politics, law, religion), DJ segments, community announcements, and religious sermons.

The station operates a multi-platform distribution architecture: a primary AM broadcast at 1120 kHz, an FM simulcast on K269GX at 101.7 MHz covering the San Jose area since May 2024, internet streaming via www.hanmiradio.com, and free smartphone applications on Android and iOS powered by AudioNow's digital radio streaming platform. A 24-hour landline phone line (832-225-5324) provides additional audio access. The technology footprint is conventional broadcast infrastructure augmented by an outsourced streaming platform.

The business model is advertising-only. The station sells radio airtime and digital inventory to two customer segments: large national advertisers in telecommunications, airlines, automotive, entertainment, and internet categories, and a long tail of local Korean-American small businesses (auto repair shops, markets, restaurants). All advertising is produced in-house, enabling rapid creative iteration. The company operates with approximately 5 employees, no disclosed external funding, no parent company, and no institutional backing — consistent with a founder-operated community media business. Annual concerts and cultural events supplement broadcast operations as community engagement and brand-building activities.

Name

Korean American Radio

Legal name

Korean-American Radio

Website

https://hanmiradio.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Hanmi Radio (Korean American Radio) is a Santa Clara, CA-based Korean-language AM/FM radio station founded in 1990, broadcasting to approximately 300,000 Korean-Americans across Northern and Central California via AM 1120, FM 101.7, web streaming, and mobile apps, generating revenue from advertising sales to national and local Korean-American-targeted businesses.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Ethnic Radio Broadcasting

NAICS

Radio Broadcasting Stations (51611)

SIC

Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832)

akta.pro primary industry

Local Multicultural/Language Broadcasters (Spanish/Asian/Other Local Markets) (MPABACAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Commercial Terrestrial Radio Broadcasting (AM/FM) (MPAIAEAA), Internet Radio & Streaming Broadcast Stations (Simulcast/Online-only) (MPAIAEAE)

Keywords

• Ethnic radio broadcasting
• Korean-language media
• Community radio station
• Radio advertising sales
• Digital audio streaming

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Clara

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Advertising (Radio Airtime & Digital): The primary revenue model is advertising, including radio airtime sold to large companies (telecommunications, airlines, automotive, entertainment, internet) and small local businesses (auto repair shops, markets, restaurants). All ads are produced in-house, allowing real-time optimization. Digital advertising on the website and smartphone app supplements the broadcast ad inventory.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Korean American Radio (Hanmi Radio) operates a Korean-language radio station broadcasting on AM 1120 kHz with a simultaneous FM 101.7 (K269GX) simulcast in San Jose, providing 24-hour Korean-language news, entertainment, music, expert columns, and cultural programming to the Korean-American community in Northern and Central California. Reach is extended through live internet streaming on its website and free Android/iOS mobile applications, and the station monetizes its audience by selling radio airtime and digital advertising produced in-house.

Product overview

Korean American Radio (Hanmi Radio) operates a unified radio broadcasting platform centered on its AM 1120 station, supplemented by FM 101.7 simulcast (K269GX) for San Jose area coverage. The station provides 24/7 accessibility through its smartphone mobile app (available on Android and iOS) and internet streaming via its website www.hanmiradio.com. The service focuses on Korean-language programming including news, columns, music requests, DJ segments, and cultural content for the approximately 300,000 Korean Americans in Northern California.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hanmi Radio AM 1120 Primary Korean-language AM radio broadcast at 1120 kHz serving Korean-American listeners across Northern and Central California with 24-hour news, entertainment, music, expert columns, and cultural programming.
• Hanmi Radio FM 101.7 (K269GX) FM simulcast of AM 1120 on K269GX FM 101.7, providing San Jose-area listeners with FM-quality access to Hanmi Radio's Korean-language programming.
• Hanmi Radio Mobile App Free smartphone application available on Android (Google Play) and iOS (Apple App Store), built on the AudioNow digital radio streaming platform, enabling 24-hour live streaming of Hanmi Radio to Korean-American listeners on mobile devices.
• Hanmi Radio Internet Streaming Live internet streaming of Hanmi Radio broadcasts accessible via the official website www.hanmiradio.com, allowing online listeners to access Korean-language programming 24 hours a day from any internet-connected device.
• Radio Airtime and Digital Advertising Advertising inventory sold to large corporations (telecommunications, airlines, automotive, entertainment, internet) and small local Korean-American businesses (auto repair shops, markets, restaurants), produced in-house for real-time creative optimization, across radio airtime and digital (website and mobile app) channels.

Quantifiable outcome

• Serves 300,000 Korean-Americans across Northern and Central California
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• iHeartMedia: Largest US radio operator with thousands of stations across multiple markets. Comparable in core business of AM/FM broadcasting and advertising sales, but operates broad general-market programming rather than a niche ethnic-language focus.
• Cumulus Media: Major US radio broadcasting company with station clusters across multiple markets. Comparable in radio broadcasting infrastructure and ad-driven revenue model, though not focused on ethnic/multicultural audiences.
• Univision Radio (TelevisaUnivision): Major Spanish-language media operator including radio stations serving Hispanic communities across the US. Operates in the same multicultural radio advertising category, but at vastly larger scale and with broader portfolio reach.
• Townsquare Media: US radio broadcasting and digital media company operating local station clusters in mid-sized markets. Comparable in ad-supported local radio broadcasting, though broader in programming format.
• Emmis Communications: Diversified US media company with radio broadcasting operations including multicultural properties. Comparable in core AM/FM broadcasting and advertising revenue model.
• Audacy (formerly Entercom): Large US radio broadcaster with extensive AM/FM station portfolio and digital streaming platforms (Radio.com). Comparable business model in broadcast radio and digital advertising, but at national scale and without Korean-language focus.

Direct peers

• WKDM 1380 AM (New York Korean Radio): Korean-language AM radio station broadcasting in the New York metropolitan area. Operates under a similar multilingual AM radio + digital distribution model targeting Korean-American listeners and ethnic-segment advertisers.
• Entravision Communications: Multicultural media company with significant Spanish-language radio station portfolio. Highly comparable business model — ethnic-language local radio broadcasting supported by advertising sales — though operating at much larger scale.
• Radio Korea (1530 AM): Korean-language AM radio station serving the Korean-American community in the Los Angeles area. Closely comparable in language focus, broadcast distribution model, and ethnic-community advertising revenue model.
• SBS Radio America: Operates Korean-language radio programming for Korean-American audiences in the Los Angeles market. Directly comparable to Hanmi Radio as a Korean-language diaspora broadcaster targeting a defined ethnic audience with advertising-supported programming.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/korean-american-radio

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Korean American Radio