Lehigh Valley Community Broadcasters Association

What Lehigh Valley Community Broadcasters Association does

Lehigh Valley Community Broadcasters Association is a Pennsylvania non-profit corporation that operates WDIY 88.1 FM, a noncommercial educational community public radio station licensed to Bethlehem, PA and serving the Lehigh Valley region (Lehigh and Northampton counties). The station delivers locally originated and NPR-affiliated programming including news, talk, music, and community affairs content, distributed over its licensed FM signal and complemented since 2019 by a mobile application for smartphone-based listening. Governance is provided by a Board of Directors of between ten and twenty-five members, with operations supported by two membership classes: Participating Members (volunteers) and Contributing Members (financial donors).

The station's revenue model is characteristic of U.S. community public radio: member donations form the primary funding base, supplemented by program underwriting grants and business underwriting acknowledgments. Additional revenue and engagement channels include vehicle donations via Careasy and SMS outreach via GetThru. The station produces community programming such as a Youth Media Program and live community events, and has been recognized by the Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters with the 'Outstanding Use of Digital Media' award in 2022, 2023, and 2024. Distribution technology partnerships include NPR for national programming, Tomorrow.io for localized weather data, and Constant Contact for member email communications.

Name

Lehigh Valley Community Broadcasters Association

Legal name

Lehigh Valley Community Broadcasters Association, Inc.

Website

https://wdiy.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Lehigh Valley Community Broadcasters Association operates WDIY 88.1 FM, a noncommercial educational public radio station licensed to Bethlehem, PA, serving the Lehigh Valley through NPR-affiliated programming, a mobile app, member donations, and business underwriting.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Radio Broadcasting

NAICS

Radio Broadcasting Stations (51611)

SIC

Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832)

akta.pro primary industry

Public/Noncommercial Radio Broadcasting (NPR, Community, Campus) (MPAIAEAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Public/Community Local Stations (PBS Member Stations, Community Radio, LPFM) (MPABACAG)

Keywords

• Community public radio
• Noncommercial educational broadcasting
• Local news programming
• NPR affiliate radio
• Diverse music programming

Headquarters

HQ city

Bethlehem

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, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Member Donations and Contributions: The corporation solicits and receives donations and monetary contributions from community members. Contributing Members make monetary contributions to qualify for membership with terms of twelve months.
2. Program Underwriting and Grants: The corporation receives program underwriting grants and other contributions for operating the public radio station. This includes support from foundations, funds, and government.
3. Underwriting/Business Support: Business underwriting support from local businesses and organizations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Lehigh Valley Community Broadcasters Association, Inc. operates WDIY 88.1 FM, a noncommercial educational community radio station serving the Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania. The station broadcasts local news, public affairs programming, diverse music shows, and nationally distributed NPR programs over-the-air and via a free mobile app and website streaming. The organization is supported by listener donations, business underwriting, foundation grants, and volunteer participation.

Product overview

WDIY | Lehigh Valley Public Radio (88.1 FM) is a community-run public radio station operated by the Lehigh Valley Community Broadcasters Association. The station delivers local news, nationally distributed NPR programming, locally produced music shows spanning Blues, Classical, Folk, Jazz, Rock/Pop/AAA, World Music and other genres, and public affairs content to the Lehigh Valley. Content is distributed through traditional over-the-air broadcast and digital channels including a free mobile app for iOS and Android that enables live streaming, podcast access, and an on-demand Two-Week Music Show Archive. The station is supported by listener memberships, business underwriting, foundation grants, government support, planned giving, and vehicle donations, with volunteer participation from the community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• WDIY's Youth Media Program: Youth media program operated by WDIY to engage young people in broadcasting and media production.

Products and services

• WDIY Radio Station (88.1 FM) Noncommercial educational FM radio station broadcasting at 88.1 FM, serving the Lehigh Valley region with local news, public affairs programming, diverse music shows, and nationally distributed NPR content such as Morning Edition, Fresh Air, All Things Considered, and Weekend Edition. Available to community listeners over the air.
• WDIY Mobile App Free smartphone and tablet application available on iOS and Android that streams the radio station live, provides access to recent local news reports and public affairs podcasts, and enables on-demand listening to music shows for up to two weeks after broadcast. Aimed at Lehigh Valley listeners and commuters wanting mobile access to WDIY content.
• WDIY Youth Media Program Training and involvement program operated by WDIY that engages young people in broadcast skills, production, and station operations, providing hands-on media education to local youth.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• NPR (National Public Radio)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWDIY is affiliated with NPR, carrying nationally distributed news programs including Morning Edition, Fresh Air, All Things Considered, Weekend Edition, and NPR News content. This partnership provides access to nationally recognized journalism and expands local programming with nationally distributed content.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• NPR: NPR is the national content network that supplies WDIY's flagship programs (Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Fresh Air) — a key enabling partner rather than a direct competitor, but central to WDIY's content proposition.

Regional players

• WUNC: WUNC is North Carolina Public Radio, an NPR affiliate serving a regional market with NPR news plus locally produced public affairs — comparable in audience model, though operating in a different geography than WDIY.
• WXPN: WXPN is the University of Pennsylvania's public radio station in Philadelphia, also serving Pennsylvania with music discovery and local programming — a regional analog with similar listener-supported and music-curation focus.
• WHYY: WHYY is the primary NPR member station for the Philadelphia region and one of the largest public media organizations in Pennsylvania — comparable as an NPR affiliate with strong local news and cultural programming.

Direct peers

• KCRW: KCRW (Santa Monica) is a community public radio station with strong original music and public affairs programming, plus a leading mobile app and podcast network — a direct analog to WDIY's community-radio plus digital-strategy profile.
• KEXP: KEXP is a community-supported public radio station in Seattle known for award-winning digital platforms, deep music programming, and a listener-funded model — closely paralleling WDIY's community-led, digital-forward public-radio approach.
• WTMD: WTMD is a Towson University-affiliated public radio station in the Baltimore region with a focus on music discovery and community engagement — comparable to WDIY's mix of local public affairs and diverse music programming.
• Pacifica Radio: Pacifica Radio operates a network of community public radio stations with volunteer-driven programming and listener-supported funding — closely matching WDIY's community-led governance and grassroots funding model.
• WAMU 88.5: WAMU is an NPR member public radio station serving the greater Washington, D.C. region, broadcasting NPR news plus local programming — directly comparable to WDIY's NPR-affiliate plus local-content model.

Broad incumbents

• GBH (WGBH): GBH is a major public media organization in Boston operating radio and television — a larger, broader incumbent in the same public-broadcasting space, providing a benchmark for scale and operational sophistication.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@wdiyfm
• Facebookfacebook.com/wdiy881
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wdiy-88.1-fm-lehigh-valley-community-public-radio
• Instagraminstagram.com/wdiyfm

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Lehigh Valley Community Broadcasters Association