Center for Broadcast Journalism

What Center for Broadcast Journalism does

Center for Broadcast Journalism (CBJ) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2021 by Georgia Fort and Marianne Combs, headquartered at 370 Wabasha St. N, Suite 117, Saint Paul, Minnesota. The organization operates a newsroom and provides journalism education and media-production training, with a stated mission to advance representation in media by developing emerging Black, Brown, and marginalized journalists. Its core offerings are Newsforce™, a registered service brand connecting emerging journalists with newsroom hiring managers to diversify local newsrooms; the Summer Journalism Intensive, a four-week cohort program; and the Power 104.7 Level II Media Lab, an eight-week hybrid training program with $3,000 stipends that produces live broadcasts on the organization's own FM radio station, Power 104.7 (formerly WEQY), in St. Paul's East Side. Program participants gain hands-on experience through daily reporting assignments, field reporting, mentorship, portfolio reviews, and paid work experiences hosted by partner newsrooms including Star Tribune, Pioneer Press, Minnesota Spokesman Recorder, and Sahan Journal.

The organization is governed by a board of directors with over 35 years of combined experience in radio, television, and the nonprofit sector, led by Board Chair Octavia 'Tav' Treadway and Vice President Harry Colbert Jr. (appointed October 2025). Community engagement is delivered through events like the 7th Street LIVE festival, which drew over 1,700 attendees in April 2025. CBJ does not disclose revenue or financials; its business model is grant-funded nonprofit operations with diversified revenue streams including foundation grants, advertising and sponsorships on Power 104.7 FM, individual donations, and nominal event vendor fees. Customer segments split between emerging journalists (program participants, persona segment) and regional newsroom hiring managers (Newsforce™ targets), with go-to-market executed through community-based programs, direct program enrollment, and FM broadcast reach in St. Paul's East Side.

Name

Center for Broadcast Journalism

Legal name

Center for Broadcast Journalism

Website

https://centerforbroadcastjournalism.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Center for Broadcast Journalism is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2021 in Saint Paul, Minnesota that trains emerging journalists—especially Black and underserved-community reporters—through cohort programs and a community FM station (Power 104.7), connecting graduates to regional newsrooms via its Newsforce™ talent pipeline.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Journalism Training & Media Education

NAICS

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

SIC

Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Broadcasting Production Units & Studios (In-house/Member) (MPABADAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public/Nonprofit Radio Networks (NPR-style) (MPABABAB), Investigative & Nonprofit News Organizations (MPAJADAF), News Magazine & Investigative Journalism Channels (MPABAIAG)

Keywords

• Journalism training programs
• Broadcast radio station
• Nonprofit newsroom
• Media workforce development
• Community journalism events

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Paul

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Grants and Foundation Funding: The organization receives funding from various foundations and grant programs including Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation, Minneapolis Foundation, McKnight Foundation, F.R. Bigelow Foundation, Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, and others for general operations, youth programming, and equipment.
2. Advertising and Sponsorships: Revenue generated from ad sales on Power 104.7 FM and through event sponsorships for community events like 7th Street Live.
3. Audience Contributions and Donations: Individual donations and audience contributions supporting CBJ operations, with donor transparency policy for contributions of $5,000 or more.
4. Event Vendor Fees: Revenue from vendor registration fees for community events such as 7th Street Live, with vendor fees of $75 per vendor.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Center for Broadcast Journalism is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that runs journalism education and media-production training programs for emerging journalists, with emphasis on Black journalists and underserved communities. It operates Power 104.7 FM as a broadcast outlet and training platform, and runs cohort-based training intensives that culminate in paid work experiences at partner newsrooms.

Product overview

The Center for Broadcast Journalism operates as a nonprofit mobilizing the next generation of journalists through a portfolio of training programs and media platforms. Core offerings include Newsforce™ (talent pipeline connecting emerging journalists with newsrooms), the Power 104.7 Level II Media Lab (8-week paid journalism training intensive), and the Summer Journalism Intensive (4-week cohort program). CBJ also operates Power 104.7 FM (formerly WEQY), its broadcast radio station serving as the production outlet for trainees. Community engagement is facilitated through events like 7th Street LIVE. The organization focuses on advancing representation in media with emphasis on Black journalists and underserved communities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Power 104.7 Level II Media Lab: An eight-week hybrid learning program providing advanced training in journalism, media production, and communications for emerging journalists with emphasis on Black journalists and underserved communities.
• 7th Street Live
• Summer Journalism Intensive

Products and services

• Newsforce™

Named customers4 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

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• SPNNcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSaint Paul Neighborhood News (SPNN) partnered with CBJ as a youth programming partner supporting the Summer Journalism Intensive.
• Indigenous RootscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner for 7th Street Live event, collaborating on the community festival that united East Side organizations.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Minnesota Public Radio (MPR News): Twin Cities-based nonprofit public radio network and one of the largest NPR-member stations; directly comparable as a nonprofit broadcast news operation in CBJ's home market, and Marianne Combs spent 25 years there before co-founding CBJ.
• Sahan Journal: Twin Cities-based nonprofit newsroom covering immigrant and communities of color; comparable as a nonprofit, community-anchored news organization that both CBJ serves as a partner placement site and operates in the same local journalism ecosystem.
• MinnPost: Minneapolis-based nonprofit online news outlet; CBJ's new VP Harry Colbert Jr. was previously Managing Editor at MinnPost, and it shares the nonprofit local-news model and target audience.
• Report for America: National nonprofit that places emerging journalists into local newsrooms to address coverage gaps; directly comparable to Newsforce as a journalism workforce development and placement organization serving newsroom diversity goals.
• Pioneer Press: Twin Cities regional daily newspaper and active host of CBJ Summer Journalism Intensive paid work experiences; comparable as a local newsroom that both competes for talent and partners with CBJ on workforce development.

Broad incumbents

• National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ): Largest organization for Black journalists in the U.S., providing training, awards, and career programs; comparable as a national-scale diversity-in-journalism organization with overlapping mission, though it operates as a membership association rather than a training/news outlet.
• NPR: National nonprofit radio network; CBJ's Power 104.7 FM operates a similar noncommercial radio model at a hyper-local scale, and the broader public-radio system context shapes CBJ's competitive and partnership landscape.
• Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA): National membership organization supporting Asian American and Pacific Islander journalists through training, scholarships, and programs; comparable as a diversity-focused journalism professional association with overlapping talent-development mission.

Emerging players

• The 19th News: Nonprofit, independent newsroom reporting on gender, politics, and policy with a focus on underrepresented voices; comparable as a nonprofit news model founded to diversify American journalism, though operating at a much larger national scale.
• City Bureau: Chicago-based civic journalism nonprofit that trains local residents in reporting and civic storytelling; comparable as a nonprofit that combines journalism training with community-centered reporting, similar in scale and model to CBJ.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CenterforBroadcastJournalism
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/center-for-broadcast-journalism

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries1 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 Center for Broadcast Journalism