WLS-AM 890

What WLS-AM 890 does

WLS-AM 890 is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Chicago, Illinois, broadcasting at 890 kHz under a conservative talk radio format. Founded in 1923, it is owned and operated by Cumulus Media Inc. (NASDAQ: CMLS) and in 2026 is publicly observing its 100-year anniversary. The on-air lineup combines syndicated conservative personalities (including Mark Levin, Chris Plante, and Guy Benson) and local hosts (including Ray Stevens) with Chicago news, traffic, weather, and sports coverage; the 2026 schedule highlights a recurring slate of regional sports rights, including Chicago Fire FC (MLS) and University of Illinois Fighting Illini Athletics.

The station distributes through three parallel technical surfaces: the 890 kHz AM signal for in-market over-the-air listening, live website streaming plus native iOS and Android applications for on-the-go digital tune-in, and an on-demand podcast portfolio comprising The Real Money Pros, Show & Tell, DriveChicago, The Hidden Wealth Solution, and the Taxes Saved Podcast. Programming and inventory are anchored by sponsorship partnerships with Live Nation, Toyota (NASCAR/Ray Stevens 250), Chicago Fire FC, and University of Illinois Athletics, giving the station cross-promotional access to concerts, live events, collegiate sports, and motor sports.

WLS-AM 890 operates a classic broadcast advertising business model: the listening product is free to consumers, and revenue is generated by selling advertising and sponsorships to national and Chicago-area businesses seeking access to its talk-radio audience. Distribution is free and ad-supported across all channels, with inventory priced in the spot and sponsorship markets typical of a major-market talk station.

Name

WLS-AM 890

Legal name

Cumulus Media Inc.

Website

https://wlsam.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1923

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

WLS-AM 890 is a Chicago-based commercial AM talk radio station (890 kHz), owned by Cumulus Media, broadcasting conservative talk, news, and sports to Chicago-area listeners free of charge across AM, web, mobile, and podcast channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Radio Broadcasting

NAICS

Radio Broadcasting Stations (516110)

SIC

Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• AM radio broadcasting
• Talk radio programming
• Chicago news coverage
• Conservative talk shows
• Sports radio broadcast

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Advertising and Sponsorships: WLS-AM 890 generates revenue primarily through advertising sold to businesses seeking to reach the station's Chicago-area audience. The station features various ad placements including on-air mentions, digital advertising on the website, and sponsored content integrated with programming. Contests and giveaways are often branded by sponsors.
2. Contest and Sweepstakes Administration: The station conducts national and local contests, some of which are administered by Cumulus Media and may include sponsor involvement. These contests generate engagement and advertising revenue while providing prizes to winners.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

WLS-AM 890 is a Chicago-based AM talk radio station broadcasting at 890 kHz, featuring conservative political talk shows, local news, sports coverage (including Chicago Fire FC and Fighting Illini), and digital extensions through mobile apps, live streaming, and on-demand podcasts. The station has been on the air since 1923 and serves the Chicago metropolitan market with multi-platform audio content.

Product overview

WLS-AM 890 is a Chicago-based AM radio station operated by Cumulus Media, offering a primary broadcast product (890 AM radio programming) complemented by digital extensions including mobile applications for iOS and Android, podcast content (The Real Money Pros, Show & Tell, DriveChicago, The Hidden Wealth Solution, Taxes Saved Podcast), contest and sweepstakes programs, and a local deals platform through SweetDeals Chicago. The station features talk radio programming including political commentary, news, and entertainment shows. The core radio broadcasting service is available via traditional AM frequency, live streaming on the website and mobile apps, and on-demand podcast content.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Ray Stevens Show: Weekday morning show 6am-9am hosted by Ray Stevens
• The Chris Plante Show
• The Vince Show
• Guy Benson
• The Mark Levin Show
• America at Night with McGraw Milhaven
• The Real Money Pros
• Show & Tell with Andrea Darlas
• DriveChicago
• The Hidden Wealth Solution
• Taxes Saved Podcast

Products and services

• WLS 890 AM Radio Broadcast Over-the-air AM radio broadcast at 890 kHz featuring conservative talk programming, news, sports, and entertainment for Chicago-area listeners.
• WLS Podcasts On-demand podcast extensions of WLS radio programming, allowing listeners to access show content digitally.
• WLS Mobile App

Segments1 record

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

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Live NationcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerLive Nation partnership for the Summer of Live promotion allows WLS-AM to offer concert ticket giveaways and trip giveaways to listeners. The station promotes Live Nation concerts and events as part of its contest programming, with WLS-AM distributing prizes while Live Nation provides tickets and experiences.
• ToyotacoreGTM or Marketing PartnerToyota sponsors the Ray Stevens 250 NASCAR contest, providing tickets to NASCAR events at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, IL. The promotion celebrates America's 250th birthday and NASCAR's return to the Chicago area.
• SweetDealsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSweetDeals is a local deals partner offering WLS-AM listeners limited-time deals on dining, local attractions, and entertainment in Chicago. The partnership provides exclusive offers to station listeners.
• NASCARcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with NASCAR for the Ray Stevens 250 event at Chicagoland Speedway. WLS-AM serves as a promotional partner, giving away tickets to NASCAR Cup Series events and celebrating NASCAR's return to the Chicago area.
• University of Illinois Athletics (Fighting Illini)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWLS-AM has a broadcast partnership with University of Illinois Athletics, featuring Fighting Illini sports coverage. The station provides radio broadcast and promotional support for Illinois athletics programs.
• Chicago Fire FCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWLS-AM welcomed Chicago Fire FC as a broadcast partner, providing coverage and promotional support for the Major League Soccer team based in Chicago.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• KFI AM 640: A flagship major-market AM news/talk station in Los Angeles operated by iHeartMedia. KFI is directly comparable to WLS-AM in format, ad-funded model, syndication of national talk talent, and multi-platform distribution strategy.
• WSCR 670 The Score: Chicago's primary sports-talk AM station, operated by Audacy. WSCR competes for the same Chicago sports radio and advertising dollars that WLS targets through its Chicago Fire FC and Fighting Illini sports partnerships.
• WABC 770 AM: A New York City AM talk station with conservative-leaning programming similar to WLS-AM's lineup. WABC is a directly comparable heritage AM talk station targeting a major US DMA with syndicated political talk and advertiser-funded operations.
• WVON 1690 AM: A Chicago AM talk station targeting a specific audience segment in the same DMA as WLS-AM. WVON competes for Chicago talk-radio listening share and ad budgets, representing direct Chicago-market format competition.
• WBBM Newsradio 780 AM: Operates as a Chicago-market news/talk AM station with similar format positioning and audience overlap. WBBM competes head-to-head for Chicago news/talk listeners and advertiser dollars across dayparts that overlap with WLS-AM.
• WBAP News Talk 820: A Dallas-Fort Worth heritage AM news/talk station operated by Cumulus Media. WBAP offers the same news/talk/weather/sports bundle to advertisers and audience as WLS-AM, with an analogous multi-platform strategy within a major US market.
• WGN Radio 720 AM: A long-standing Chicago AM talk station also offering news, sports, and talk programming. WGN directly competes with WLS-AM for Chicago DMA talk listenership and shares a similar heritage, multi-platform distribution, and ad-funded revenue model.

Broad incumbents

• Cumulus Media Inc. WLS-AM's parent company and one of the largest US radio broadcasting operators. Cumulus is comparable as the broader incumbent platform operator that owns and scales WLS-AM alongside hundreds of other stations nationwide.
• Audacy: A major US radio broadcaster and operator of multiple Chicago-area stations (including WBBM and WSCR). Audacy is comparable as a broad incumbent competing for Chicago-market listener attention and advertising revenue against WLS-AM.
• iHeartMedia: The largest US radio broadcaster and a direct competitor to Cumulus/WLS-AM. iHeart operates multiple Chicago-market stations and competes for the same advertiser dollars, syndicated talent, and digital/audio inventory.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/wlsam890
• YouTubeyoutube.com/wlsam890
• Facebookfacebook.com/wlsam890
• Instagraminstagram.com/wlsam890
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wls-radio-

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 WLS-AM 890