Heartland Communications

What Heartland Communications does

Heartland Communications Group, LLC is a privately held, small-market radio broadcasting company headquartered in Eagle River, Wisconsin. Founded in 2005 and family-owned since its 2018 acquisition by Jim and Diane Coursolle, the company operates a cluster of eight AM and FM stations serving communities across North central and Northwestern Wisconsin and Michigan's Upper Peninsula — specifically Ashland, Superior, Ironwood, Iron River, Eagle River, Minocqua, Rhinelander, and Three Lakes, reaching over 300,000 potential listeners.

The group's portfolio spans five programming formats: Country (WNXR, WCYE), Classic Rock (WBSZ), Classic Hits (WRJO, WNWX/Mix 96), Hot A/C (WJJH), and the politically-themed talk format "Freedom Talk." Operations are organized through a deliberately decentralized model in which local management teams run each station's day-to-day programming, on-air talent, and community engagement. The company holds Wisconsin Broadcasters Association recognition for "Small Market Station of the Year" and "Small Market News Operation of the Year," and sustains a quarterly stakeholder newsletter (HCGazette) that has been published since at least 2014.

Heartland generates revenue primarily through traditional over-the-air radio advertising sold to local, regional, and national advertisers seeking access to its combined small-market audience; it has no disclosed programmatic, digital, or non-advertising revenue streams. GTM is sales-led, executed by embedded local sales teams in each market, with the company actively recruiting advertising sales roles for its Ashland and Eagle River clusters. The company is tightly held as an LLC, has no disclosed parent, no external funding, and no public financial reporting.

Name

Heartland Communications

Legal name

Heartland Communications Group, LLC

Website

https://heartlandcomm.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Heartland Communications Group is a privately held small-market radio broadcaster operating eight AM and FM stations across North central and Northwestern Wisconsin and Michigan's Upper Peninsula, serving local and regional advertisers and approximately 300,000 potential listeners across multiple music and talk formats.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Radio Broadcasting

NAICS

Radio Broadcasting Stations (516110)

SIC

Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832)

akta.pro primary industry

Local Radio Station Groups (Owned & Operated/Station Chains) (MPABACAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

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

Keywords

• Small market radio broadcasting
• AM FM radio stations
• Radio advertising sales
• Local radio programming
• Community radio broadcasting

Headquarters

HQ city

Eagle River

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Radio Advertising: Heartland Communications generates revenue through radio advertising, delivering quality programming to listeners and results for advertisers across eight AM and FM stations serving small markets in North central and Northwestern Wisconsin.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Heartland Communications Group, LLC owns and operates eight AM and FM radio stations across North Central and Northwestern Wisconsin plus Michigan's Upper Peninsula, broadcasting Country, Classic Rock, Classic Hits, Hot A/C, and Freedom Talk formats to listeners in markets including Ashland, Superior, Iron River, Eagle River, Minocqua, Rhinelander, Three Lakes, and Ironwood. The company's primary commercial offering is radio advertising airtime sold to local and regional advertisers, supported by award-winning news operations and decentralized local management teams.

Product overview

Heartland Communications Group LLC operates as a small market radio broadcasting company offering a portfolio of eight AM and FM radio stations across North central and Northwestern Wisconsin, plus Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The stations broadcast four distinct music formats—Country (WNXR, WCYE), Classic Rock (WBSZ), Classic Hits (WRJO, WNWX/Mix 96), and Hot AC (WJJH)—alongside a talk radio format branded as "Freedom Talk." The company operates through decentralized local management teams responsible for day-to-day station operations in their respective markets. Heartland delivers entertainment, local/regional/national news, and advertising results to listeners across the Wisconsin communities of Ashland, Superior, Iron River, Eagle River, Minocqua, Rhinelander, and Three Lakes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• WBSZ (93.5 FM) Classic rock music format radio station serving the Ashland, Wisconsin market area, part of Heartland Communications Group's eight-station small market portfolio.
• WBSZ (93.5 FM) - Classic Rock Classic rock music format station serving the Ashland, Wisconsin market area.
• WJJH (96.7 FM) - Hot AC Hot AC music format station operating as part of the Ashland, Wisconsin station cluster.
• WNXR (107.9 FM) - Country Country music format station serving the Northwoods region of Wisconsin.
• WRJO (97.5 FM) - Classic Hits Classic hits music format station serving Eagle River, Wisconsin and surrounding communities.
• WCYE (100.3 FM) - Country Country music format station serving the Northwoods region of Wisconsin, also known as part of the Radio Northwoods network.
• WNWX (Mix 96) - Classic Hits Classic hits music format station serving the Northwoods region of Wisconsin branded as Mix 96.
• Freedom Talk Radio Programming Talk radio programming format featuring conservative commentary and political talk shows, broadcast as part of the Heartland Communications station portfolio.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Saga Communications: Saga Communications is a publicly traded radio broadcasting company specializing in small and mid-sized markets across the U.S. Like Heartland, it operates multiple stations in similar-sized markets with a focus on local advertising and community-rooted content.
• Townsquare Media: Townsquare Media operates radio stations and digital properties concentrated in small and mid-sized markets, particularly in the Midwest and Northeast. It shares Heartland's cluster-based approach to small-market broadcasting and local ad sales.
• Good Karma Brands: Good Karma Brands is a privately held media company operating radio stations in mid-sized and small Midwest markets, including Wisconsin. Its geographic overlap with Heartland and similar small-market cluster model make it a direct comparable.
• NRG Media: NRG Media is a privately held radio broadcasting company operating stations in small and mid-sized Midwest markets. It is comparable to Heartland in its cluster-based strategy and reliance on local advertising in geographically dispersed small markets.
• Midwest Communications: Midwest Communications is a large privately held radio group operating stations primarily in the Midwest, including Wisconsin. It shares Heartland's multi-station small-market approach and family/private ownership profile.
• Salem Communications: Salem Communications (now Salem Media Group) operates a portfolio of radio stations in small and mid-sized markets with a focus on conservative talk and Christian formats, overlapping with Heartland's 'Freedom Talk' format and small-market focus.

Regional players

• Quincy Media: Quincy Media is a Midwest-focused media company operating TV and radio stations across small and mid-sized markets in Wisconsin and surrounding states. It is comparable in its regional small-market broadcast footprint and local-news orientation.

Broad incumbents

• iHeartMedia: iHeartMedia is the largest U.S. radio operator, with hundreds of stations and a national digital audio platform. It competes with Heartland indirectly for national ad budgets and represents the scale the small operator is pressured by.
• Audacy: Audacy (formerly Entercom/CBS Radio) is a major U.S. radio broadcaster with a national footprint and significant digital audio investment. It is comparable as a competing terrestrial radio operator with growing streaming and podcast assets.
• Cumulus Media: Cumulus Media is a large national radio broadcaster with a portfolio of AM and FM stations across the U.S. While much larger than Heartland, it competes in the same broad advertising and audio content market and provides a public-market benchmark for the radio industry.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/heartland-communications-group-llc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Heartland Communications