WDIO
WDIO is a local ABC-affiliated broadcast TV station and digital news platform (wdio.com) owned by Hubbard Broadcasting, serving the Duluth-Superior Northland region of Minnesota and Wisconsin with news, weather, sports, and community programming since 1965.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1965
- HeadquartersDuluth, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What WDIO does
WDIO operates WDIO-TV, a local broadcast television station and affiliated digital news platform (wdio.com) serving the Northland region of Northern Minnesota and Northwestern Wisconsin, including Duluth and Superior. Founded in 1965 and now in its 60th year of operation, WDIO is owned by Hubbard Broadcasting Company through its subsidiary WDIO-TV, LLC, and functions as an ABC network affiliate. Its core product portfolio consists of the WDIO News website, Storm Track Weather (interactive radar, 7-day forecasts, live weather cams, severe weather alerts), WDIO Sports (high school, NHL development, regional athletics), lifestyle programming "The Lift," morning show "Good Morning Northland," and on-demand livestream including ABC News Live integration. Underlying technology is conventional over-the-air broadcast plus a digital CMS, livestream pipeline, and newsletter/email infrastructure; no proprietary AI/ML, APIs, or mobile apps are disclosed.
The business model is advertising-supported and free to the viewer across both broadcast and digital channels. Revenue is generated through traditional spot advertising on WDIO-TV and targeted digital advertising on wdio.com, with third-party partners (Microsoft Advertising, Raptive) handling programmatic placement and Nielsen providing audience measurement. WDIO has 51-100 employees, no public pricing, no subscription product, and serves a single regional market. The company has a wholly owned subsidiary, WIRT-DT, and operates within Hubbard Broadcasting's broader television group that includes KSTP, KSTC, KAAL, KOB, WNYT, and WHEC. Strategic positioning emphasizes hyperlocal news, severe-weather public safety, high school sports, and community programming (e.g., Grandma's Marathon, "Ready to Work"), with brand recognition built over six decades.
WDIO firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- WDIO
- Legal name
- WDIO-TV, LLC
- Website
- https://wdio.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1965
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- WDIO is a local ABC-affiliated broadcast TV station and digital news platform (wdio.com) owned by Hubbard Broadcasting, serving the Duluth-Superior Northland region of Minnesota and Wisconsin with news, weather, sports, and community programming since 1965.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where WDIO is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Duluth
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
WDIO business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Advertising Revenue: Revenue generated through advertising on broadcast television and digital platforms, including targeted advertising partnerships
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
WDIO product offering
Product offeringCore offering
WDIO is a local ABC-affiliated television station (WDIO-TV) and digital news platform serving the Northland region of Northern Minnesota and Northwestern Wisconsin. It delivers local news, Storm Track Weather forecasts, sports coverage, and lifestyle/community programming through over-the-air broadcast, its wdio.com website, and live streaming services. Content is provided free to viewers and supported by advertising revenue.
Product overview
WDIO is a local television news station (WDIO-TV) and digital news platform serving the Northland region of Minnesota and Wisconsin. The company operates as a single unified news media offering through its broadcast television station and website (wdio.com). The core product portfolio includes the main news website delivering local, national, and world news; Storm Track Weather for weather forecasting; WDIO Sports for athletic coverage; The Lift as a lifestyle/entertainment program; Good Morning Northland as a morning news show; and live streaming capabilities. The station is owned by Hubbard Broadcasting Company and operates as an ABC affiliate.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Storm Track Weather: Weather forecasting brand providing local and regional weather coverage
- The Lift
- Good Morning Northland
Products and services
- WDIO News Website
Quantifiable outcome
- Comprehensive local coverage spanning news, weather, sports, and community programming
Companies that use WDIO
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
WDIO technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
WDIO partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Hubbard Broadcasting CompanycoreWDIO-TV, LLC is owned and operated by Hubbard Broadcasting Company, headquartered in St. Paul, Minnesota. The station operates as part of the Hubbard Television Group which includes KSTP-TV, KSTC-TV, WDIO-TV, KAAL-TV, KOB-TV, WNYT-TV, and WHEC-TV.
- ABC NetworkcoreWDIO operates as an ABC affiliate, broadcasting ABC News Live content and local programming alongside national ABC network content
- Microsoft AdvertisingminorMicrosoft Advertising partnership for delivering personalized advertising on the WDIO platform and other websites
- RaptiveminorRaptive (CMI Marketing, Inc.) handles advertising placement on the WDIO platform and collects data for advertising purposes
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
WDIO competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- WLUC-TV: WLUC is an NBC affiliate in Marquette, Michigan, operating a comparable small-market Upper Midwest broadcast news operation with overlapping regional weather and community coverage.
Direct peers
- WBAY-TV: WBAY is the CBS/ABC affiliate in Green Bay, Wisconsin — a similar mid-sized Midwestern TV station with local news, weather, and sports coverage against the same regional advertiser pool.
- WEAU-TV: WEAU is the NBC affiliate in the adjacent Eau Claire DMA, operating a comparable small-market broadcast + digital news operation in western Wisconsin with similar scale and content mix.
- KBJR (Northern News Now): KBJR is a direct in-market competitor operating as the CBS/FOX affiliate in the Duluth-Superior DMA, competing for the same local news, weather, and sports advertising dollars and audience attention.
- WDSE - WRPT (PBS Northland): WDSE is the PBS affiliate serving the same Duluth-Superior Northland region, providing hyperlocal public-media news, weather, and community programming that competes for viewer attention and underwriting dollars.
- KAAL-TV (Hubbard Broadcasting): KAAL is another Hubbard-owned ABC affiliate serving Austin/Rochester, Minnesota, operating the same broadcast+digital model as WDIO in a similarly sized Midwestern regional market.
Broad incumbents
- TEGNA: TEGNA operates a portfolio of network-affiliated local TV stations across mid-sized U.S. markets, comparable to WDIO's operating model of news-and-weather local affiliate broadcasting.
- Gray Television: Gray Television operates a portfolio of mid-market local TV stations with news and digital operations structurally similar to WDIO, serving as a broader-incumbent comparable on station economics and scale.
- Sinclair Broadcast Group: Sinclair is one of the largest U.S. local broadcast TV operators, providing a benchmark for group-level capital allocation, ad sales scale, and content syndication across small and mid-market affiliates comparable to WDIO.
- KSTP-TV (Hubbard Broadcasting): KSTP is Hubbard Broadcasting's flagship ABC affiliate in Minneapolis-St. Paul and WDIO's sister station, sharing ownership, back-office systems, and programming — directly comparable in operations if larger in market.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
WDIO social profiles
Digital presenceWDIO financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
WDIO leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
WDIO subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
WDIO funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
WDIO M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about WDIO
What does WDIO do?
WDIO is a local ABC-affiliated television station (WDIO-TV) and digital news platform serving the Northland region of Northern Minnesota and Northwestern Wisconsin. It delivers local news, Storm Track Weather forecasts, sports coverage, and lifestyle/community programming through over-the-air broadcast, its wdio.com website, and live streaming services. Content is provided free to viewers and supported by advertising revenue.
Is WDIO a public or private company?
WDIO is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was WDIO founded?
WDIO was founded in 1965. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is WDIO based?
WDIO is headquartered in Duluth, United States, in the North America region.
How does WDIO make money?
One revenue line is on record: advertising Revenue.
Who are WDIO's main competitors?
WLUC-TV is listed as a regional player. Direct peers are WBAY-TV, WEAU-TV, KBJR (Northern News Now), WDSE - WRPT (PBS Northland) and KAAL-TV (Hubbard Broadcasting). Broad incumbents are TEGNA, Gray Television, Sinclair Broadcast Group and KSTP-TV (Hubbard Broadcasting).
Does WDIO have an API?
No public API is recorded for WDIO.