PenTV

Public Access Television / Community Broadcastingpentv.tv

Company typePrivate
Founded1999
HeadquartersSan Carlos, United States
Headcount1–10
GTM typeB2B
OfferingServices

What PenTV does

PenTV (legally Peninsula Television, Inc.) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community access television station founded in 1999 and headquartered at 1250 San Carlos Avenue, 2nd Floor, in the SamTrans District Building, San Carlos, California. The organization operates with six employees and broadcasts on three cable channels (Comcast 26, Wave 27, and AT&T U-verse 99) serving San Mateo County, supplemented by a website (pentv.tv) offering live streaming and video on demand, plus distribution via Vimeo and YouTube. Its programming spans original shows across politics (The Game), community interviews (Pen Voice, One on One), health (Lung Cancer Living Room, Healthpoints), sports (Bay Area Online Sports Network, Hooked on the Niners), education (Bay Area Quiz Kids, College of San Mateo athletics), and lifestyle categories, alongside comprehensive government meeting coverage for 10 municipalities and San Mateo County.

The business model is anchored on municipal and county appropriations from 10+ San Mateo County jurisdictions (Belmont, Brisbane, Burlingame, Foster City, Hillsborough, Redwood City, San Carlos, San Mateo, South San Francisco, and the County of San Mateo) plus tax-deductible individual donations processed via PayPal. Ancillary revenue lines include tiered DVD duplication services ($7-$15 per disc by volume), video production, and studio rental of the Bacciocco auditorium. Underlying technology is conventional broadcast and streaming infrastructure with no proprietary platform components beyond programming; third-party integrations include Vimeo, YouTube, Ustream for video delivery, and PayPal for donation processing. Governance rests with a Board of Directors under CEO Mark Naismith, with no external investment or parent-company ownership structure.

PenTV firmographics

Firmographics

Name: PenTV
Legal name: Peninsula Television, Inc.
Website: https://pentv.tv
Company type: Private
Founded year: 1999
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 1–10 employees
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

PenTV industry classification

Industry

Product category: Public Access Television / Community Broadcasting
NAICS: Television Broadcasting Stations (516120), Television Broadcasting Stations (51612)
SIC: Television Broadcasting Stations (4833)
akta.pro industry: PRIMARYMPABACAG
Public/Community Local Stations (PBS Member Stations, Community Radio, LPFM)
Media, Entertainment & Sports/Broadcasting (TV & Radio)/Local Broadcast Stations & Affiliates (TV & Radio)
SECONDARYMPABADAF
Public Broadcasting Production Units & Studios (In-house/Member)
Media, Entertainment & Sports/Broadcasting (TV & Radio)/Public/Nonprofit Broadcasting (PBS/NPR-style)

Keywords

Public access television
Community broadcasting
Government meeting coverage
Nonprofit media
Video production services

Where PenTV is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: San Carlos
HQ country: United States
HQ region: North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

PenTV business model

Business model

GTM type: B2B
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

Municipal/Government Funding: PenTV receives support from multiple local cities and San Mateo County government, including Belmont, Brisbane, Burlingame, Foster City, Hillsborough, Redwood City, San Carlos, San Mateo, South San Francisco, and the County of San Mateo.
Donations: Tax-deductible donations accepted via PayPal or check. PenTV is a 501c3 nonprofit organization.

Pricing tiers

Model	Billing	Price
Unit Pricing	Pay-as-you-go	DVD Duplication - Tiered pricing based on quantity

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

PenTV product offering

Product offering

Core offering

PenTV is a nonprofit community access television station that produces, broadcasts, and streams hyperlocal programming for San Mateo County. It delivers original shows covering politics, community interviews, health, sports, and education, along with comprehensive coverage of local government meetings and civic events, distributed via cable television (Comcast 26, Wave 27, AT&T U-verse 99) and digital streaming platforms. Complementary paid services include live streaming, video production, DVD duplication, and studio rental at its San Carlos facility.

Product overview

PenTV (Peninsula Television, Inc.) is a nonprofit community television station serving San Mateo County that operates as a single unified platform offering both broadcast television and digital streaming services. The organization provides live streaming video services, video production, DVD duplication, studio rental, and video on demand capabilities alongside an extensive library of original programming. Major programs include The Game (politics), Pen Voice (interviews), Lung Cancer Living Room (health), Bay Area Online Sports Network, San Mateo County Today (news), and various government meeting coverages. The station broadcasts on Comcast 26, Wave 27, and AT&T U-verse 99, with content also available via Vimeo and YouTube streaming platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

PenTV Live Streaming Video Services
PenTV Video Production
DVD Duplication
Studio Rental Studio rental at the SamTrans District Building, 1250 San Carlos Avenue, 2nd Floor, San Carlos, CA, featuring the Bacciocco auditorium and production facilities for independent producers and community programmers.
Video On Demand Video on demand service providing access to archived shows and programs across all major show categories (politics, community, educational, health, lifestyle, meetings, specials, sports) via the pentv.tv website.
Government Meeting Coverage Broadcast and live streaming coverage of local government meetings including City Council sessions for Foster City, Redwood City, San Carlos, San Mateo, South San Francisco, North Fair Oaks Community Council, San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, and school district board meetings.

Companies that use PenTV

Customer profile

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

PenTV technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

PenTV partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core.

City of BelmontcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBelmont is one of the core municipal partners providing funding and support for PenTV operations. The city receives public access broadcasting of council meetings and community events.
City of BrisbanecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrisbane is a municipal partner providing funding and support for PenTV. City council meetings and community events are broadcast through the station.
City of BurlingamecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBurlingame partners with PenTV for broadcasting of city events including the annual tree lighting and pet parade. The city provides funding support.
City of Foster CitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoster City is a municipal partner with council meetings and candidate forums broadcast through PenTV.
Town of HillsboroughcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHillsborough provides municipal support and funding to PenTV for public access broadcasting.
City of Redwood CitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRedwood City is a major partner, with extensive coverage including council meetings, State of the City addresses, and community events. The Redwood City San Mateo County Chamber of Commerce co-sponsors economic outlook programming.
City of San CarloscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSan Carlos provides municipal support. The station studio is located in San Carlos at the SamTrans District Building.
City of San MateocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSan Mateo is a municipal partner with city council meetings and events broadcast through PenTV.
City of South San FranciscocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSouth San Francisco partners with PenTV for city council meeting broadcasts and community programming.
County of San MateocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSan Mateo County is a primary partner, with Board of Supervisors meetings and county government proceedings broadcast. The county provides significant funding support.
SAMCEDA (San Mateo County Economic Development Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSAMCEDA co-sponsors annual meetings and the Economic Outlook conference. PenTV broadcasts their Innovators Awards of Excellence and special events.
Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPenTV films and live streams the monthly 'Living Room' events at the Addario Headquarters in San Carlos, where lung cancer patients and caregivers gather for support and education.
San Mateo County SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with College of San Mateo for athletics programming, hall of fame coverage, and educational content including Bay Area Quiz Kids.
Redwood City-San Mateo County Chamber of CommercecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-sponsors the RWC/SMC Chamber & SAMCEDA Economic Outlook conference. Programming partnership for business and economic content.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

PenTV competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Direct peers

Access Sacramento: Community access television station serving Sacramento, California. Comparable PEG channel nonprofit providing government meeting broadcasting, community programming, and production services through cable distribution.
KCAT TV (Tri-City Community Television): Public access television station serving Fremont, Newark, and Union City in the San Francisco Bay Area. Comparable nonprofit PEG channel model with government meeting coverage, community programming, and production services for local residents.
CCTV Cambridge (Cambridge Community Television): Community public access television station serving Cambridge, Massachusetts. Comparable nonprofit PEG model providing government meeting coverage, community programming, and production services to local residents and organizations.
Midpeninsula Community Media Center (MidPen Media): Community public access television station serving the Mid-Peninsula area of San Mateo and Santa Clara counties. Directly comparable nonprofit PEG (public, educational, government) channel with similar municipal funding, community programming, and video production services.
Open Signal (Portland Community Media Center): Community media center serving Portland, Oregon. Operates public access television channels with similar nonprofit model, government meeting coverage, and community programming production services.
Marin TV (Community Media Center of Marin): Community television station serving Marin County, California. Operates as a PEG access channel with municipal partnerships, government meeting coverage, and community-focused original programming - structurally identical to PenTV.
BTV (Burlington Telecom / Burlington Community Access Television): Municipal community access television operation in Burlington, Vermont. Comparable PEG access channel providing government meeting broadcasts, community programming, and public access media services to local residents.

Broad incumbents

KQED: Major Bay Area public television and radio station (PBS/NPR affiliate). Overlaps with PenTV in public-service broadcasting and local journalism for the San Francisco Bay Area, but operates at significantly larger scale and geographic scope.

Emerging players

San Jose Spotlight: Local digital news nonprofit covering San Jose and Silicon Valley. Represents the digital-native alternative to public access TV, addressing similar local journalism and government transparency needs but through web/streaming channels rather than cable TV.

Regional players

Valley PBS (KVPT): Public television station serving California's Central Valley region (Fresno/Visalia). Comparable public broadcasting nonprofit with community programming and local government coverage, though operates as a licensed PBS station rather than a PEG access channel.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

PenTV financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

PenTV leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

PenTV funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

PenTV M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about PenTV

What does PenTV do?

Is PenTV a public or private company?

PenTV is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.

When was PenTV founded?

PenTV was founded in 1999. It employs 1 to 10 people.

Where is PenTV based?

PenTV is headquartered in San Carlos, United States, in the North America region.

How does PenTV make money?

Two revenue lines are on record. Municipal/Government Funding is the primary driver. The others are donations.

Who are PenTV's main competitors?

Direct peers on record are Access Sacramento, KCAT TV (Tri-City Community Television), CCTV Cambridge (Cambridge Community Television), Midpeninsula Community Media Center (MidPen Media), Open Signal (Portland Community Media Center), Marin TV (Community Media Center of Marin) and BTV (Burlington Telecom / Burlington Community Access Television). KQED is listed as a broad incumbent. San Jose Spotlight is listed as an emerging player. Valley PBS (KVPT) is listed as a regional player.

Does PenTV have an API?

No public API is recorded for PenTV.

What industry is PenTV in?

PenTV's product category is Public Access Television / Community Broadcasting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPABACAG, Public/Community Local Stations (PBS Member Stations, Community Radio, LPFM), with a secondary code of MPABADAF, Public Broadcasting Production Units & Studios (In-house/Member). Its NAICS code is 516120 and its SIC code is 4833.