Dick Broadcasting Company

What Dick Broadcasting Company does

Dick Broadcasting Company (DBC) is a family-owned regional radio broadcasting company headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, operating AM and FM stations across North Carolina (Greensboro, Greenville/New Bern), South Carolina (Myrtle Beach), and Georgia (Savannah/Hilton-Head). Founded in 1952 by James A. Dick Sr. with a single Knoxville AM station, the company grew to 16 stations by 2000, sold 14 to Cumulus Media that year, and has since rebuilt a multi-market, multi-format portfolio spanning Sports, Country, Top 40, Classic Rock, Latin Urban, Classic Hits, Active Rock, Alternative Rock, and Talk formats. Its core product is local radio advertising delivered through relationship-based field sales, supplemented by two wholly-owned subsidiaries: DBC Next Media, a digital streaming and online advertising extension, and DBC Outdoor, an out-of-home advertising vertical launched to diversify monetization beyond broadcast.

The company monetizes through three advertising streams: traditional radio airtime sold to local and regional businesses, digital inventory via DBC Next Media, and out-of-home placements via DBC Outdoor. Go-to-market is a hybrid enterprise field-sales motion (account executives managing mid-market relationships) and a self-serve advertising portal (advertisingportal.emarketron.com), with billing transitioned to a new invoice portal in July 2024. Customer segments are geographically defined by the company's broadcast markets, serving advertisers seeking to reach local consumer audiences across the southeastern U.S., with secondary engagement from radio listeners and digital content consumers across the listed formats. Leadership is third-generation family, with Taylor Dick appointed President in January 2024 and Allen Dick serving as Chairman; the company employs 101-250 people and maintains no disclosed institutional or PE ownership.

Name

Dick Broadcasting Company

Legal name

Dick Broadcasting Company

Website

https://dickbroadcasting.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1952

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Dick Broadcasting Company is a family-owned regional radio broadcaster operating AM and FM stations across North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, serving local and regional businesses with integrated radio, digital (DBC Next), and out-of-home (DBC Outdoor) advertising.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Radio Broadcasting

NAICS

Radio Broadcasting Stations (51611), Broadcasting and Content Providers (516)

SIC

Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832), Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

Commercial Terrestrial Radio Broadcasting (AM/FM) (MPAIAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Internet Radio & Streaming Broadcast Stations (Simulcast/Online-only) (MPAIAEAE), Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) Network/Studio Streaming Channels (MPABAHAG)

Keywords

• Radio broadcasting
• Radio advertising
• Digital advertising
• Outdoor advertising
• Local media advertising

Headquarters

HQ city

Greensboro

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Radio Advertising: Traditional broadcast radio advertising services across owned radio stations in multiple formats including Sports, Latin Urban, Country, Top 40, Classic Rock, and Classic Hits. Advertisers can purchase airtime across the company's station portfolio in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia markets.
2. Digital Advertising (DBC Next): Digital advertising services through DBC Next Media division, representing the convergence of consumer digital and physical lives where content is streamed and shared. Provides online and digital ad inventory across digital platforms.
3. Outdoor Advertising (DBC Outdoor): Out-of-home advertising division launched by Taylor Dick that manages outdoor advertising inventory in the company's market regions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Dick Broadcasting Company operates a regional portfolio of AM/FM radio stations across North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia and sells advertising inventory across three channels: traditional radio airtime, digital advertising through its DBC Next Media division, and out-of-home advertising through DBC Outdoor. The company also reaches listeners directly via streamed and shared digital content delivered through DBC Next Media.

Product overview

Dick Broadcasting Company operates as a radio broadcasting company with a portfolio of AM and FM stations across North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, complemented by two digital divisions: DBC Next Media (for internet streaming and digital content delivery) and DBC Outdoor (for out-of-home advertising). The company also provides client-facing tools including an invoice payment portal and an advertising portal for campaign management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Radio Advertising Traditional broadcast radio advertising services across owned AM and FM stations in multiple formats (Sports, Latin Urban, Country, Top 40, Classic Rock, Classic Hits, Variety, Talk) in markets across North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. Sold to local and regional advertisers seeking to reach specific audience segments in those markets.
• DBC Next Media (Digital Advertising) Digital advertising division operating across the company's websites, streaming audio, and online channels, enabling advertisers to reach listeners as audience attention shifts from broadcast to digital. Sells online and digital ad inventory to local and regional advertisers across DBC's markets.
• DBC Outdoor (Out-of-Home Advertising) Out-of-home advertising division managing outdoor ad inventory in the company's southeastern US market regions. Sells billboard and out-of-home placements to advertisers wanting physical presence alongside radio and digital buys.
• Radio Stations Portfolio Portfolio of owned AM and FM stations including WRNS (Sports), WXQR (Latin Urban/Regional Mexican), WQSL, WROO, WQZL (Variety), WRNS 95.1 (Country), WERO (Top 40), WKRR (Classic Rock), WXYY (Classic Hip Hop), WFXH (Active Rock), WRWN (Classic Hits), WKZQ (Alternative Rock), and WRNN (Talk), serving markets in NC, SC, and GA. The stations deliver the audiences that underpin the company's advertising sales.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Cumulus Media CompanyminorOthers · 1 January 2000In 2000, Dick Broadcasting sold 14 of its 16 stations to Cumulus Media Company, retaining only the two stations in Greensboro and Winston-Salem, NC. This was a significant transaction during the period when broadcast radio properties experienced skyrocketing valuations.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Cox Media Group: Cox Media Group operates radio and TV stations across multiple southeastern and midwestern US markets, directly overlapping DBC's NC/GA/FL footprint. It is a comparable multi-platform regional broadcaster with adjacent digital ad capabilities.
• iHeartMedia: iHeartMedia is the largest US radio operator with 860+ stations and the iHeartRadio digital platform. It competes with DBC for advertiser budgets at the national/agency level and represents the upper bound of scale in the same broadcast radio + digital advertising model.
• Audacy: Audacy (formerly Entercom/CBS Radio) operates a large portfolio of AM/FM stations plus the Audacy streaming platform. It competes with DBC in shared markets and pursues a similar radio-plus-digital convergence strategy, making it a relevant scale comparable.

Direct peers

• Alpha Media: Alpha Media operates a portfolio of radio stations across mid-size US markets following its 2019 emergence from bankruptcy. It is a comparable mid-size regional radio broadcaster competing for similar local/regional advertisers.
• Townsquare Media: Townsquare Media is a PE-backed regional radio and digital advertising operator with stations clustered in mid-size markets. Its combination of local radio plus Townsquare Interactive digital products mirrors DBC's traditional radio + DBC Next Media combination.
• Cumulus Media: Cumulus Media is one of the largest US radio broadcasters, operating hundreds of AM/FM stations across multiple markets. It purchased 14 of DBC's 16 stations in 2000, making it both a direct historical transaction counterparty and the closest scale peer in multi-market regional radio broadcasting.
• Beasley Media Group: Beasley Media Group operates a regional cluster of radio stations across multiple US markets. As a publicly traded regional broadcaster with a multi-market, multi-format strategy, it is closely comparable to DBC's southeastern multi-market model.
• Salem Media Group: Salem Media Group is a multi-format radio broadcaster with a focus on talk, Christian, and conservative programming, plus digital content. Its combination of owned-and-operated stations and digital platforms makes it comparable to DBC's diversified broadcasting model.
• Emmis Communications: Emmis Communications is an Indianapolis-based radio broadcaster with stations in multiple US markets and a content/digital emphasis. Its multi-market regional model and focus on integrating digital content with radio make it a relevant peer.

Regional players

• Curtis Media Group: Curtis Media Group is a North Carolina-based family-owned radio broadcaster operating multiple stations across NC markets. It competes with DBC directly in the same NC footprint and is closely comparable in scale and ownership structure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries2 records

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 Dick Broadcasting Company