KCBS

What KCBS does

KCBS operates as the CBS owned-and-operated broadcast television station serving the Los Angeles metropolitan area under the brand "CBS News Los Angeles," alongside its sister station KCAL-TV (channel 9). Established in 1948 and tracing its corporate lineage to CBS Broadcasting Inc. (founded 1927), KCBS is a privately held subsidiary of Paramount Global following the 2022 rebranding from ViacomCBS. The station delivers local news, weather (NEXT Weather), sports coverage of major LA franchises (Dodgers, Lakers, Rams, Chargers, Angels, Clippers, Kings), and investigative journalism to viewers across Los Angeles County, Orange County, and the Inland Empire.

The underlying technology is conventional broadcast television infrastructure: over-the-air transmission on channel 2 (KCBS-TV) and channel 9 (KCAL-TV), supplemented by cable/satellite carriage (Spectrum, Cox, AT&T, DirecTV, Dish Network), the Paramount+ subscription streaming platform, and the CBS News 24/7 live stream. The product portfolio extends beyond local programming to include flagship national CBS News brands (60 Minutes, 48 Hours, CBS Evening News, CBS Mornings), investigative units (CBS News Investigates, CBS News Confirmed), local lifestyle shows, podcasts (Sports Central), and digital distribution via social platforms (YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X) plus a mobile app.

Revenue is generated almost exclusively through advertising sales to local and national advertisers targeting the Los Angeles DMA — the second-largest television market in the United States. There is no direct consumer pricing; viewers access content free over-the-air or via distribution partners. The go-to-market is sales-led, monetizing audience reach across linear broadcast and digital channels through commercial spot sales during news, sports, and entertainment programming.

Name

KCBS

Legal name

CBS Broadcasting Inc.

Website

https://losangeles.cbslocal.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1927

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

KCBS is the CBS owned-and-operated broadcast television station (KCBS-TV/KCAL-TV) serving the Los Angeles DMA, delivering local news, weather, sports, and investigative journalism to Southern California viewers and monetizing audience reach primarily through advertising sales under parent Paramount Global.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Broadcast Television News

NAICS

Television Broadcasting Stations (516120), Television Broadcasting Stations (51612)

SIC

Television Broadcasting Stations (4833)

akta.pro primary industry

Network-Affiliated Local TV Stations (ABC/CBS/NBC/FOX/CW/Telemundo/Univision, etc.) (MPABACAE)

Keywords

• Broadcast television news
• Local news coverage
• Sports broadcasting
• Weather forecasting
• Investigative journalism

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Advertising Revenue: KCBS generates revenue through sale of advertising spots during news programming, sports broadcasts, and other content. The station serves as an advertising platform for local businesses and national brands targeting the Los Angeles market.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

KCBS operates KCBS-TV and KCAL-TV, CBS owned-and-operated broadcast television stations serving the Los Angeles metropolitan area (Los Angeles County, Orange County, and Inland Empire). The stations deliver local news, weather (via NEXT Weather), sports coverage (Dodgers, Lakers, Rams, Chargers, Angels, Clippers, Kings, college sports), investigative journalism, and CBS national programming to Southern California viewers free over-the-air, with content also available via cable, satellite, Paramount+ streaming, the CBS News app, and social media.

Product overview

KCBS operates as CBS News Los Angeles (formerly KCAL-TV), providing broadcast television news, weather, sports, and investigative journalism to the Southern California market. The station functions as part of the CBS News network, distributing content across multiple platforms including over-the-air broadcast, streaming (CBS News 24/7), and the Paramount+ streaming service. The product portfolio includes flagship national programs (60 Minutes, 48 Hours, CBS Evening News, CBS Mornings), local programming (NEXT Weather, local shows), investigative units (CBS News Investigates, CBS News Confirmed), community initiatives (CBS LA Cares), and digital audio offerings (podcasts).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CBS News California Investigates: Investigative journalism unit covering California issues
• KCAL Sports Central
• NEXT Weather

Products and services

• KCBS-TV / KCAL-TV (CBS News Los Angeles) The Los Angeles CBS owned-and-operated broadcast television service providing local news, weather, sports, and investigative journalism to Southern California viewers over-the-air on KCBS-TV (channel 2) and KCAL-TV (channel 9), and through cable/satellite and streaming distribution. Aimed at Los Angeles County, Orange County, and Inland Empire residents.
• CBS News 24/7 (Live Streaming) A 24/7 live streaming news channel providing live coverage of breaking news, national events, and ongoing news programming accessible via the CBS News website, mobile app, and cbsnews.com/losangeles. Aimed at digital-first news consumers.
• NEXT Weather Advanced weather forecasting and radar service providing detailed local and regional weather predictions tailored for Southern California microclimates. Aimed at LA metro residents needing severe weather alerts and daily forecasts.
• CBS LA Local Shows Distinct local programming lineup including The Desk, Let's Go Places, Inside SoCal, Java with Jamie, Class Act, SoCal Spotlight, and Coffee With CBS LA. Aimed at Southern California viewers seeking lifestyle, community, and feature content.
• CBS Podcasts (The Sports Central Podcast) Audio podcast programming including The Sports Central Podcast featuring LA sports stories and interviews with entertainment stars. Aimed at on-demand audio listeners interested in LA sports and entertainment coverage.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• ParamountflagshipOthersParamount Global is the parent company of KCBS-TV and KCAL-TV, operating under the CBS News and Stations division. The station leverages Paramount's technology infrastructure, streaming platform (Paramount+), and corporate resources for content distribution and audience reach.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• WNBC (NBC New York): WNBC is the NBC O&O in the #1 US DMA (New York), structurally identical to KCBS as a Big Four network-owned local station with national programming, local news, and same distribution model.
• KTLA 5 (Los Angeles): KTLA is a long-established independent/CW-affiliated local station in Los Angeles that competes directly with KCBS for local news, weather, and sports viewership and regional advertising in the same DMA.
• WABC-TV (ABC7 New York): WABC is the ABC O&O in New York, comparable to KCBS as a flagship network-owned local station with similar news, weather, and sports programming and Big Four economics.
• KABC-TV (ABC7 Los Angeles): KABC is the ABC-owned local broadcast station in Los Angeles, competing head-to-head with KCBS for local news viewers, sports broadcast rights, and regional advertising spend within the same DMA.
• KTTV / KCOP (FOX 11 Los Angeles): FOX-owned duopoly in the Los Angeles market directly competing with KCBS-KCAL for local news audiences, sports coverage, and advertising revenue with similar Big Four network economics.
• KNBC (NBC Los Angeles): KNBC is the NBC-owned local broadcast station serving the Los Angeles DMA, directly competing with KCBS for news, weather, sports rights, and advertising dollars in the same market with the same over-the-air plus cable/satellite distribution model.

Broad incumbents

• Sinclair Broadcast Group: Sinclair operates one of the largest US local TV station groups with extensive news production operations; comparable to KCBS as a major local broadcast operator with similar ad-revenue business model and regulatory exposure.
• Tegna Inc. Tegna operates a large portfolio of Big Four-affiliated local TV stations across major US markets; comparable to KCBS as a broadcast station group with similar ad-supported local news model and regulatory dynamics.
• WGN America / Nexstar Media Group: Nexstar is the largest US TV station operator with a portfolio of local broadcast stations including properties in major DMAs; comparable as a broadcast-TV group operator competing for advertising and audience share against Paramount's CBS Stations division.

Regional players

• KTVU (FOX 2 Bay Area): KTVU is a FOX-owned local station in the San Francisco Bay Area; directly comparable to KCBS as a California-based Big Four local broadcast station with similar news, sports, and advertising operations in an adjacent regional market.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CBSLA
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCkH1uDkyuO9sVjSqdqBygOg
• Facebookfacebook.com/CBSLA
• Instagraminstagram.com/KCALNews
• TikToktiktok.com/@cbsla

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 KCBS