KCRW is betting on direct connection to its listeners.
Founded in 1945 at Santa Monica College, KCRW is a nonprofit public radio station serving Los Angeles and is a member station of National Public Radio (NPR), the United States’ largest public radio network. Like many American public media organizations, it relies heavily on listener donations, a need that’s become even more acute with the loss of federal funding in 2025.
In September 2025, KCRW redesigned its app, adding registration for the first time and launching new music features. In the following months, the team migrated its local event ticket giveaway program into the app and added a citywide activities guidebook.
Beneath all of these changes is KCRW’s people-centric thesis: building ways to connect DJs and reporters to listeners will grow audiences and revenue.
> Only about 10% of a public radio audience donates. With pledge drives weakening and federal funding gone, KCRW rebuilt its app around one idea: connecting listeners directly to its DJs and reporters > Map your audience before you build. KCRW found three segments, music fans, national news listeners and Los Angeles locals with "cultural FOMO", and gave each its own products and its own reason to pay > Make the entry point a need, not your brand. Mood Mixes for commuting or working out bring in new listeners, appeals are tied to specific shows, and events like PieFest bring all three segments together > Let people register for free first. Saving songs and building playlists drove sign-ups, and listeners who go through free account onboarding convert well to membership. KCRW had 55,000 paying members by June 2026
“We need to try something different”
