Illinois Public Media

What Illinois Public Media does

Illinois Public Media (IPM) is the public broadcasting entity of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, operating a multi-platform media portfolio serving Central Illinois audiences since 1922 in radio and since 1955 in television. The organization distributes content across WILL-AM 580 (news and talk), WILL-FM 90.9 (Illinois Classical), WILL-TV (PBS affiliate), the digital Illinois Newsroom, and the newly launched Illinois Soul audio service. IPM produces local programming including The 21st Show (daily news), Prairie Fire (documentary series), Mid-American Gardener, State of Change, and Legal Issues in the News, alongside NPR and PBS distributed content. The organization also runs educational community initiatives including the Book Mentor Project, Illinois Youth Media, Social Justice Learning, and the Early Childhood Champions Awards in partnership with PBS KIDS.

IPM operates as a nonprofit under the umbrella of the University of Illinois College of Media, with the University of Illinois Foundation serving as its official fundraising and gift-receiving agency. Revenue is generated through five principal streams: membership and recurring sustainer donations, corporate underwriting and sponsorships, planned giving and estate gifts (administered through the Donald P. Mullally Legacy Circle), tiered major giving circles (Leadership $500-$999, Vision $1,000-$4,999, Producer's Circle $5,000+), and WILL Travel experiential tours. Member benefits include NPR+ Podcast Bundle access, WILL Passport, and Patterns Magazine. The organization holds FCC broadcast licenses and receives funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and is governed by CEO and President Moss Bresnahan with a staff of approximately 64 employees based at Campbell Hall in Urbana, Illinois.

Name

Illinois Public Media

Legal name

University of Illinois Foundation fbo Illinois Public Media

Website

https://will.illinois.edu

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Illinois Public Media is the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's public broadcasting entity, operating WILL-AM 580, WILL-FM 90.9, WILL-TV, Illinois Soul, and digital news services to deliver local news, classical music, and educational content to Central Illinois audiences, funded through memberships, underwriting, and major giving.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Broadcasting

NAICS

Radio Broadcasting Stations (51611), Television Broadcasting Stations (51612), Radio and Television Broadcasting Stations (5161), Radio Broadcasting Stations (516110)

SIC

Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832), Television Broadcasting Stations (4833)

akta.pro primary industry

University/College-licensed Public Broadcasting (TV & Radio) (MPABADAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

National Public Radio Networks & Member Stations (NPR-style) (MPABADAB), National Public Television Networks & Member Stations (PBS-style) (MPABADAA), Public Media Digital Platforms & Streaming (Apps, On-demand, Podcasts) (MPABADAG), Educational/Instructional Public Media Services (Schools, Distance Learning) (MPABADAH), State/Regional Public Broadcasting Networks & Consortia (MPABADAC)

Keywords

• Public broadcasting services
• Radio broadcasting
• Television broadcasting
• Educational programming
• Community media

Headquarters

HQ city

Urbana

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership and Donations: Illinois Public Media generates revenue primarily through membership contributions, one-time donations, and recurring sustainer gifts from listeners and viewers. Members receive benefits such as NPR+ Podcast Bundle access, event invitations, and Patterns Magazine.
2. Corporate Underwriting and Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors support WILL programming through underwriting agreements, providing acknowledgment on-air and online in compliance with FCC guidelines.
3. Planned Giving and Estate Gifts: The organization accepts bequests, charitable gift annuities, charitable remainder trusts, and other deferred gifts through the Donald P. Mullally Legacy Circle and President's Council recognition programs.
4. Travel Tours: WILL Travel organizes group tours (history trains, garden tours, international trips) for Friends of WILL, generating revenue through tour fees.
5. Major Giving Circles: Leadership Circle ($500-$999), Vision Circle ($1,000-$4,999), and Producer's Circle ($5,000+) annual giving programs provide tiered benefits to major donors.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Illinois Public Media operates a multi-platform public broadcasting service for Central Illinois, delivering news, talk, classical music, cultural, and educational content through WILL-AM 580, Illinois Classical FM 90.9, WILL-TV (PBS affiliate), Illinois Soul audio service, and digital streaming via will.illinois.edu. The organization also produces original local programming (The 21st Show, Prairie Fire, Mid-American Gardener, State of Change), community education initiatives, member travel tours, and provides the NPR+ Podcast Bundle as a membership benefit.

Product overview

Illinois Public Media operates a multi-platform public media portfolio serving Central Illinois, combining television (WILL-TV with PBS programming), radio (WILL-AM 580 news/talk and WILL-FM 90.9 classical music), and digital services. The organization produces local programming including The 21st Show news program, Prairie Fire documentaries, Mid-American Gardener, State of Change, and provides education initiatives through WILL Education. A new audio service called Illinois Soul is planned for 2024 to serve the Black community. Member benefits include NPR+ Podcast Bundle access, WILL Passport, and Patterns Magazine. The organization also operates WILL Travel offering educational tours.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• WILL-AM 580 News and talk radio station at 580 AM serving Central Illinois listeners with The 21st Show and local news coverage from IPM Newsroom.
• WILL-FM 90.9 (Illinois Classical) Classical music FM radio station featuring The Evening Concert and continuous classical programming serving Central Illinois audiences.
• WILL-TV PBS-affiliated public television station airing PBS educational programming, PBS KIDS, and local productions including Prairie Fire documentaries and Mid-American Gardener.
• Illinois Soul New audio service focused on the Black community in Central Illinois, featuring jazz and music genres rooted in Black communities, news, public affairs, and NPR programs with diverse hosts.
• Illinois Newsroom

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• PBS KIDScoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021WILL-TV collaborates with PBS KIDS for the Early Childhood Champions Awards, an annual program recognizing committed early childhood educators.
• NPR (National Public Radio)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIPM operates as an NPR affiliate, broadcasting NPR news programs and podcasts including Fresh Air, Code Switch, Planet Money, and Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me. IPM provides local news to NPR through its IPM Newsroom for national distribution.
• PBS (Public Broadcasting Service)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIPM operates WILL-TV as a PBS affiliate, broadcasting PBS educational programming, documentaries, and children's content including PBS KIDS programming.
• University of Illinois College of LawcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFaculty from the University of Illinois College of Law provide weekly commentary on Legal Issues in the News, broadcast Mondays at 7:35 am on WILL-AM and WILL-FM.
• TourGroupPlannersminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTourGroupPlanners serves as the tour coordinator for WILL Travel experiences, handling reservations and logistics for history trains, garden tours, and international trips.
• Danville GardensminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDanville Gardens partners with Mid-American Gardener for gardening tours and demonstrations, providing venue access for educational content.
• Country Arbors NurseryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCountry Arbors Nursery in Urbana partners with Mid-American Gardener for gardening tours and demonstrations, providing venue access for educational content.
• NPR+ (NPR Plus)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerNPR+ provides podcast benefits including early access, bonus episodes, sponsor-free listening, and expanded archive access to IPM's qualifying members as a member benefit.
• University of IllinoiscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIPM is affiliated with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, operating within the College of Media. The University of Illinois Foundation handles fundraising for IPM.
• FCC (Federal Communications Commission)coreOthersIPM holds FCC licenses for WILL-TV, WILL-AM, and WILL-FM broadcast stations and operates under public broadcasting regulatory frameworks.
• Illinois Extension (University of Illinois)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIllinois Extension provides horticultural expertise referenced on Mid-American Gardener, including ZZ Plant care guides and garden preparation resources.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• WGBH (Boston): WGBH is a flagship PBS/NPR affiliate and major content producer. Comparable to Illinois Public Media as a university-adjacent public broadcasting organization operating multiple radio/TV platforms, but at a substantially larger scale and national production footprint.
• Wisconsin Public Radio / Wisconsin Public Television: Wisconsin Public Radio operates a state network of NPR affiliates and a parallel public TV network. Comparable to Illinois Public Media as a regional public broadcasting network combining classical, news/talk, and PBS-style programming with education outreach.
• Michigan Public (WUOM / Michigan Radio): Michigan Public, part of the University of Michigan, operates NPR and classical stations across Michigan. Comparable to Illinois Public Media as a University of Michigan-licensed public radio group serving a similar Midwest state footprint with WILL-AM/Illinois Classical analog services.
• Indiana Public Media (WFIU/WTIU): Indiana University-operated WFIU (NPR/news/classical) and WTIU (PBS) public broadcasting stations. Closely comparable to Illinois Public Media as a Big Ten university-licensed public broadcaster with news, classical, and television services.
• WETA (Washington, DC): WETA is a PBS and NPR member station serving the DC metro. Comparable to Illinois Public Media as a non-commercial public broadcaster combining PBS television, NPR radio, and education/outreach programming funded through memberships and underwriting.
• KQED (San Francisco): KQED is a major NPR and PBS affiliate serving Northern California. Comparable to Illinois Public Media as a multi-platform public media organization with deep local news (The 21st Show analog) and member-supported funding model.
• WNET (New York): WNET Group operates THIRTEEN, WLIW21, and NJ PBS as PBS affiliates. Comparable to Illinois Public Media as a multi-station public broadcaster producing local news, cultural, and educational content distributed nationally.
• Houston Public Media (KUHT, University of Houston): KUHT is the University of Houston-licensed PBS station operating as Houston Public Media. Particularly close peer to Illinois Public Media as a university-licensed public broadcaster with radio, TV, and digital properties.

Others

• NPR (National Public Radio): NPR is the national network IPM affiliates with for news programming and the NPR+ Podcast Bundle. Comparable as a strategic content/distribution partner and member-supported funding-model peer for public radio.
• Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB): CPB is the federal funding entity for US public broadcasting. Listed as an ecosystem participant because IPM is a direct CPB grantee; CPB's appropriations cycle materially impacts IPM's budget and operational posture.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/playlist?list=PLYcO97ibZlITfBiY16YFyaunXNcVyAitg
• Facebookfacebook.com/224130284268314
• Instagraminstagram.com/midamericangardener
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/illinois-public-media

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries4 records

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 Illinois Public Media