WTOP News

What WTOP News does

WTOP News is a private, multi-platform local news media company serving the Washington DC metropolitan area (DC, Maryland, and Virginia). It operates an integrated newsroom that distributes content across three FM frequencies (103.5, 107.7, 103.9), AM station WWFD 820, the wtop.com website, dedicated iOS and Android mobile applications, a live streaming service at live.wtop.com, an email newsletter product, six podcasts (22 Hours, Founding DC, Beyond the Fame, DC Sports Huddle, Target USA, thERINpy), and active accounts across Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, YouTube, and Threads. Editorial coverage centers on local news, traffic, weather, sports, government, and federal affairs, with sister brand Federal News Network targeting the federal workforce and a Spanish-language vertical (WTOP Noticias) extending audience reach.

The underlying technology is a conventional digital news platform built around a WordPress-based website, native mobile applications, real-time audio streaming infrastructure, and RSS/podcast distribution to major aggregators. Differentiated features include live radio streaming, a traffic-and-weather-tuned mobile app, and an interactive games offering (crosswords, sudoku, solitaire). WTOP also operates the WTOP Top Workplaces Awards program as a recurring sponsored-content and community engagement channel.

WTOP generates revenue primarily through advertising, including display ads on wtop.com, sponsored content under the WTOP Insights banner, and branded partnerships (e.g., Consumer Brands Association, PMI U.S.); no subscription pricing model is in use, and content is free to consumers. The legal entity is Hubbard Radio Washington DC, LLC, a subsidiary of privately held Hubbard Broadcasting (St. Paul, Minnesota), making WTOP part of a family-owned media conglomerate with no public ticker or disclosed funding rounds.

Name

WTOP News

Legal name

Hubbard Radio Washington DC, LLC

Website

https://wtop.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

WTOP News is a privately held, multi-platform local broadcaster and digital news outlet serving the Washington DC metro area (DC, Maryland, Virginia) with FM/AM radio, website, mobile apps, live streaming, podcasts, and newsletters, monetized primarily through advertising.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local News Media and Radio Broadcasting

NAICS

Radio Broadcasting Stations (51611), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (51621), Radio and Television Broadcasting Stations (5161)

SIC

Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832)

akta.pro primary industry

News Talk Radio & Current Affairs Stations (MPABAIAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Traffic/Weather/Information Radio Networks (MPABABAI), News Streaming Platforms (MPACAAAF)

Keywords

• Local news broadcasting
• Radio news coverage
• Traffic and weather updates
• Digital news platform
• Podcast production

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

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, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Advertising: Traditional advertising including display ads on website, sponsored content sections like WTOP Insights, and branded content partnerships with advertisers such as Consumer Brands Association, PMI U.S., and others
2. Radio Broadcasting: Broadcast revenue from multiple FM frequencies (103.5 FM, 107.7 FM, 103.9 FM) serving the Washington DC metropolitan area, with companion AM station WWFD 820 AM

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

WTOP News is an all-news local media company that delivers breaking news, traffic, weather, sports, and government coverage to the Washington DC metropolitan area across FM/AM radio (103.5 FM, 107.7 FM, 103.9 FM, WWFD 820 AM), the wtop.com website, a mobile application, and live online streaming. The business is complemented by original podcasts, email newsletters, interactive games, and an affiliated Federal News Network covering federal government news.

Product overview

WTOP News operates as a comprehensive local news media company serving the Washington DC metropolitan area (Virginia, Maryland, and DC). The company offers a unified news platform consisting of its primary news website, a mobile application for iOS and Android, live radio streaming capabilities, and a portfolio of podcasts. Additional offerings include interactive games, email newsletter subscriptions, and the affiliated Federal News Network brand. The product portfolio is organized as a single integrated news platform rather than a modular platform-plus-modules architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Federal News Network: A partner network of WTOP providing federal government news coverage
• WTOP Noticias

Products and services

• WTOP News Website (wtop.com)
• WTOP Mobile App Primary news website covering local, national, and world news for the Washington DC metropolitan area including Virginia, Maryland, and DC. Mobile application for iOS and Android providing news, traffic updates, and weather information to DC metro area users.
• WTOP Live Radio Streaming
• WTOP Podcasts Live streaming audio service allowing users to listen to WTOP radio broadcasts in real-time online.
• WTOP Email Newsletters Portfolio of original podcasts including 22 Hours: A Second Look, Founding DC, Beyond the Fame with Jason Fraley, WTOP's DC Sports Huddle, Target USA, and thERINpy with Erin Washington.
• WTOP Games Email newsletter subscription service providing breaking news alerts and daily headlines delivered to subscribers.
• Federal News Network Online puzzle and game offerings including crosswords, sudoku, and solitaire.
• WTOP Noticias (Spanish-language news) Federal government news network operated as a sister site to WTOP News under Hubbard Broadcasting.
• WTOP Radio Broadcasting (FM/AM) Spanish-language news section providing local news coverage for Spanish-speaking audiences in the DC area.
• WTOP Insights FM/AM radio news broadcasts on 103.5 FM, 107.7 FM, 103.9 FM and WWFD 820 AM serving the greater Washington DC metropolitan area.
• WTOP Top Workplaces Awards Sponsored content section that hosts branded editorial and advertising partnerships, including named campaigns such as those with Consumer Brands Association and PMI U.S.
• WTOP News Website (wtop.com) Annual awards program recognizing top employers in the DC region that generates sponsored content and community engagement for advertising partners.

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

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

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor, parent and core.

• WETA+ Public TelevisionminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 June 2026Partnership for documentary content including '51st State' documentary on DC statehood activism. WTOP covered and promoted the streaming release of the documentary.
• Military Bowl / DC Touchdown ClubminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026WTOP partners with the Military Bowl Foundation for high school sports coverage, including the Player of the Week feature highlighting local football players.
• Hubbard RadioparentOthersParent company of WTOP News. Hubbard Radio Washington DC, LLC owns and operates WTOP as part of the Hubbard Broadcasting network of radio stations.
• Federal News NetworkcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerFederal News Network is cross-promoted on WTOP as a related Hubbard Broadcasting property focused on federal government news coverage. The two outlets share content and cross-link in coverage areas.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• WRC-TV (NBC4 Washington): Owned by NBCUniversal, NBC4 is the DC-market NBC affiliate and one of WTOP's primary competitors for the DC-metro local news audience, covering breaking news, weather, traffic, and government across the same geography.
• WJLA-TV (ABC7 News / 7News DC): DC-market ABC affiliate operated by Sinclair, Inc. Directly competes with WTOP for local news, traffic, and weather audiences in the DC-MD-VA region with overlapping coverage of breaking news and political stories.
• WUSA9 (CBS News Baltimore/DC): CBS affiliate serving the DC and Baltimore markets. Competes head-to-head with WTOP for local news, weather, and traffic audiences and for regional advertising budgets in the DC metro.
• WTTG (Fox 5 DC): Fox-owned DC-market station providing local news, weather, and traffic across the same geography as WTOP. Competes directly for commuter audiences and local advertiser share.
• The Washington Post: Dominant regional and national newspaper with deep DC government and political coverage. Competes with WTOP for both audience attention in DC and digital/subscription advertising dollars.
• WMAL (Cumulus Media): DC-market AM/FM talk-radio station owned by Cumulus Media, broadcasting news, talk, and political content in the same geography as WTOP. Directly competes for talk-radio ad budgets and audience share.

Emerging players

• DCist: Digital-first local news outlet covering DC neighborhoods, culture, and local government. Owned by WAMU (American University Radio), it competes for the same hyperlocal DC audience that WTOP targets, particularly among younger readers.
• Axios (DC/Local): Digital-first national and local news brand with an Axios DC presence focused on policy, politics, and local affairs. Competes with WTOP for digital readers and political/government advertiser budgets in DC.

Broad incumbents

• NPR: National public-radio network with extensive news, politics, and policy programming that overlaps with WTOP's audience and content. While non-commercial, it competes for share-of-time among DC commuters and national ad-eligible podcasts.
• iHeartMedia: Largest US radio broadcaster with multiple DC-metro stations and a national digital/audio ad platform (iHeartRadio). Competes with WTOP for broadcast advertising budgets in DC and increasingly for digital audio ad spend via its ad-network scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/wtop
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@WTOPNewsDC
• Facebookfacebook.com/wtopnews
• Instagraminstagram.com/wtopnews
• TikToktiktok.com/@wtopnews
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wtop-news

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 WTOP News