Case Study: KEXP achieves global streaming reach and scalable, cost-effective operations with Microsoft Azure

Cloud technology powers nonprofit radio station on the air and behind the scenes

KEXP is a Seattle-based nonprofit radio station (90.3 FM) with a tiny IT team and a limited budget that needed to deliver reliable live and on-demand audio, rich playlist and archive features, and audience insights to a growing international audience. Hosting all traffic from a small server room wasn’t feasible, and the station needed scalable, easy-to-manage infrastructure to support heavy web and mobile usage and large volumes of data.

By adopting Microsoft Azure’s integrated cloud services and donated resources, KEXP moved streaming, web hosting, storage, and analytics into a global, scalable environment. The result: reliable worldwide streaming (only about one-third of traffic is local), a two‑week rolling archive and popular playlist features, new data-driven insights for programming, and a small IT staff able to support world‑class services cost‑effectively so the station can focus on its mission.

KEXP

Jamie Alls

Lead Engineer