WUIS Public Radio

What WUIS Public Radio does

WUIS Public Radio, doing business as NPR Illinois, is a non-profit public radio station owned and operated by the University of Illinois Springfield (UIS). Founded in 1975 as WSSR at Sangamon State University and rebranded to NPR Illinois in 2015, the station broadcasts on 91.9 FM with secondary station WIPA (89.5 FM) and HD2/HD3 digital subchannels offering classical and alternative music formats. Its core programming centers on Illinois state government and politics coverage, local community news, and public affairs content, with named programs including The 21st Show, First Listen, State Week, Community Voices, and Statewide.

The station operates a multi-platform content distribution model spanning FM/HD broadcast, online streaming via the NPR app, podcasts distributed across Apple, Spotify, and Google Podcasts, a daily email newsletter, and an active social media presence. Its content portfolio includes the J-Corps citizen journalism training program, which is funded by Healing Illinois and Press Forward Springfield grants to cover underserved central Illinois communities. Revenue is generated through three streams: listener donations and fundraising campaigns, corporate underwriting/sponsorship, and institutional support from UIS, with content delivered free of charge to listeners. The station maintains editorial partnerships with Capitol News Illinois for statehouse coverage and partnerships with the Alliance of Rural Public Media and noncomMUSIC Alliance for programming access.

The organization is small (9 employees) and structurally embedded in the UIS public affairs mission, with editorial staff holding verified statehouse and broadcasting credentials. Its 50th anniversary in 2025 was marked by a Lincoln Library exhibit ("Radio That Listens to You: 50 Years of NPR Illinois") running through May 2026. The station holds awards including the 2021 Illinois News Broadcasters Association Crystal Mic Award for Best Small Market Radio Reporter and a 2020 Washington Post recognition for best political reporters in Illinois. Its competitive positioning is anchored by the FCC spectrum license, NPR network affiliation, 50 years of brand equity in central Illinois, and the UIS institutional backing rather than proprietary technology or commercial pricing power.

Name

WUIS Public Radio

Legal name

WUIS Public Radio

Website

https://wuis.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

WUIS Public Radio, doing business as NPR Illinois, is a non-profit public radio station operated by the University of Illinois Springfield that serves central Illinois audiences through 91.9 FM broadcast, HD subchannels, podcasts, and digital streaming, with local news, state government coverage, and community programming funded by listener donations, corporate underwriting, and institutional support.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Radio Broadcasting

NAICS

Radio Broadcasting Stations (516110), Radio Broadcasting Stations (51611)

SIC

Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832)

akta.pro primary industry

National Public Radio Networks & Member Stations (NPR-style) (MPABADAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public/Noncommercial Radio Broadcasting (NPR, Community, Campus) (MPAIAEAB), University/College-licensed Public Broadcasting (TV & Radio) (MPABADAD), Internet Radio & Streaming Broadcast Stations (Simulcast/Online-only) (MPAIAEAE)

Keywords

• Public radio broadcasting
• Local news programming
• Podcast production
• Citizen journalism training
• NPR affiliate station

Headquarters

HQ city

Springfield

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

Revenue model

1. Listener Donations: Public radio relies on listener donations and fundraising campaigns to support operations
2. Business Sponsorship: Corporate sponsors underwrite programming in exchange for on-air and digital recognition
3. University of Illinois Springfield Funding: Institutional support from UIS as part of the university's public affairs and communications mission

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

WUIS Public Radio (NPR Illinois) is a nonprofit public radio station that produces and broadcasts local news, public affairs, and cultural programming to central Illinois audiences via 91.9 FM and HD2/HD3 digital subchannels. Its offering extends to original podcasts, a daily email newsletter, a community events calendar, and the J-Corps citizen journalism training program, all provided freely to listeners.

Product overview

NPR Illinois (WUIS Public Radio) operates as a multi-platform public media organization serving central Illinois. The core offering is broadcast radio across three HD streams: the main 91.9 FM station carrying news and talk programming, NPR Illinois Classic (91.9 HD2) featuring classical music, and The X (91.9 HD3) with alternative music. The organization distributes content through multiple digital channels including five named podcasts (First Listen, Community Voices, The 21st Show, State Week, Statewide), a daily email newsletter, and a community events calendar. The portfolio also includes J-Corps, a citizen journalism training program. The products work together to provide comprehensive local news coverage, public affairs programming, and cultural content to the central Illinois community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NPR Illinois Classic (91.9 HD2): Classical music format broadcast on the station's HD2 digital subchannel
• The X from NPR Illinois (91.9 HD3)
• First Listen
• Community Voices
• State Week
• The 21st Show
• Statewide
• J-Corps
• Front Row Network

Products and services

• NPR Illinois Radio (91.9 FM) Main public radio broadcast station airing news, talk shows, and cultural programming to central Illinois listeners via 91.9 FM.
• NPR Illinois Classic (91.9 HD2) Secondary HD radio stream featuring classical and jazz music programming.
• The X from NPR Illinois (91.9 HD3) Third HD radio stream with alternative music programming.
• First Listen Podcast Daily morning news podcast covering state government, politics, and current events in Illinois, produced by NPR Illinois.
• Community Voices Conversational segment featuring interviews with neighbors, artists, and area business people, airing weekdays at noon and 10 PM, with CV-X on Saturdays at 5 PM.
• The 21st Show Weekday news program focused on Illinois state government and politics, airing at 11 AM with an encore at 11 PM.
• State Week Weekly analysis and commentary program on Illinois state government and politics, airing Fridays at 12:30 PM and 7:30 PM, and Saturdays at 6:30 AM.
• Statewide Reporting program covering news from in and around Illinois, airing Saturdays at 9 AM and Sundays at 3 PM.
• Front Row Network Entertainment and pop culture podcast featuring interviews and discussions about movies, television, and music.
• J-Corps (Journalism Corps) Citizen and student journalism training program designed to identify and train people in communities throughout central Illinois to cover underserved areas.
• NPR Illinois Daily Newsletter Daily email newsletter providing news updates and highlights from NPR Illinois coverage.
• Community Calendar Event listing and submission platform allowing community members to submit and discover local central Illinois events.

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NPR (National Public Radio)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNPR Illinois is affiliated with NPR, distributing national NPR programming while contributing local content to the network. This partnership provides national credibility and access to NPR's reporting resources.
• University of Illinois Springfield (UIS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStation is operated by UIS as part of the university's public affairs and communications mission. UIS provides institutional support, facilities, and student involvement opportunities.
• Capitol News IllinoiscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNPR Illinois republishes Capitol News Illinois content covering state government and politics. Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service funded by the Illinois Press Foundation and Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
• Healing IllinoisminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFunding initiative of the Illinois Department of Human Services and Field Foundation that advances racial healing through storytelling. J-Corps reporting project made possible by Healing Illinois grant.
• Alliance of Rural Public MediaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational organization supporting rural public media; NPR Illinois participates as member station.
• noncomMUSIC AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlliance of public radio music stations; NPR Illinois participates in music programming network.
• Sangamon ExperienceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUIS program that produced the 'Radio That Listens to You: 50 Years of NPR Illinois' exhibit at Lincoln Library, chronicling the station's history.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• WGLT (Illinois State University): Public radio station operated by Illinois State University serving Bloomington-Normal and central Illinois. Overlaps directly with NPR Illinois' coverage area and shares the university-licensed nonprofit public radio model with news, talk, and music programming.
• WILL Public Media (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign): University-licensed public radio and TV station serving east-central Illinois from UIUC. Directly comparable as another Illinois university-affiliated NPR member station operating a similar mix of FM broadcast, HD channels, podcasts, and listener-donation revenue model.
• Iowa Public Radio: Statewide public radio network serving Iowa with multiple FM stations, news, classical, and music programming. Comparable as a nonprofit NPR-affiliated regional public radio network operating with similar listener donation and underwriting revenue models across a similar Midwestern geography.
• Tri States Public Radio (WNIU/WNIJ - Northern Illinois University): Public radio service operated by Northern Illinois University serving northern Illinois, including Rockford and DeKalb. Comparable as university-licensed NPR member station with news, talk, and classical programming funded through donations and institutional support.
• WSIU Public Broadcasting (Southern Illinois University): University-licensed public radio and TV station operated by Southern Illinois University Carbondale serving southern Illinois. Comparable as another Illinois state university public broadcasting operation with similar NPR affiliation and multi-platform distribution.

Regional players

• WBEZ Chicago (Chicago Public Media): Major NPR member station serving Chicago and northeastern Illinois. Comparable as Illinois-based public radio with multi-platform content (broadcast, podcasts, digital), though significantly larger in scale and serving a major metropolitan market rather than central Illinois.

Broad incumbents

• WTTW (Chicago PBS station): Major Chicago-area public television and radio broadcaster. Comparable as an Illinois public broadcasting organization with multi-platform content, listener/viewer donation revenue model, and similar federal/state funding dynamics, though primarily TV-focused rather than radio.
• NPR (National Public Radio): National public radio network and NPR Illinois' parent affiliate organization. Provides national programming, distribution infrastructure, and brand credibility to member stations like WUIS, while competing for digital audience attention through its own apps and platforms.
• Marketplace (American Public Media): Nationally distributed public radio business news program produced by American Public Media. Comparable as public radio programming distributed via NPR member stations including NPR Illinois, with similar underwriting and podcast revenue models.

Emerging players

• Capitol News Illinois: Nonprofit, nonpartisan statehouse news service funded by the Illinois Press Foundation and Robert R. McCormick Foundation. Comparable as a nonprofit news organization covering Illinois state government, and a content partner that NPR Illinois republishes, with overlapping audience and donor base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCRopF2BLbagbMZ_yt8Ff0QQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/nprillinois
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wuis
• Instagraminstagram.com/nprillinois
• Pinterestpinterest.com/nprillinois

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries3 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 WUIS Public Radio