Kiss 95.1

What Kiss 95.1 does

Kiss 95.1 (legal call sign WNKS) is a commercial FM radio station broadcasting on frequency 95.1 in the Charlotte, North Carolina metropolitan area. Operated by Beasley Media Group, LLC, a privately held broadcaster based in the US Southeast, the station programs a Top 40 / contemporary hit music format and self-positions as 'Charlotte's #1 Hit Music Station.' Its core programming mix combines pop music rotation with local news, weather, sports coverage (Carolina Panthers, Charlotte FC, regional college sports), entertainment reporting, and community events information.

The station's product surface extends beyond over-the-air broadcasting into digital channels. Distribution includes live streaming on kiss951.com, native mobile applications on iOS and Android, smart speaker integration via Alexa, and an on-demand podcast archive of the Maney & LauRen Morning Show hosted on the Art19 CDN. Supporting monetization-adjacent products include recurring contest and giveaway campaigns, a dedicated local events listings calendar, and the 'Kiss & Tell' email newsletter. The technology stack is conventional broadcast radio transmission combined with standard web/mobile streaming infrastructure; no proprietary technology, patents, or AI/ML capabilities are documented.

Kiss 95.1's revenue model is advertising-based: the station sells airtime, sponsored segments, and promotional announcements to local and national advertisers, with content consumed free of charge by listeners. The business model is a classic broadcaster B2B/B2C hybrid — listener reach is the inventory, advertiser demand sets the price. Marketing partnerships (including with Live Nation for concert promotions) supplement monetization through ticket-driven contest campaigns and event co-promotion rather than through direct ad revenue sharing.

Name

Kiss 95.1

Legal name

Beasley Media Group, LLC

Website

https://kiss951.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1962

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Kiss 95.1 (WNKS) is a commercial Top 40/Hit Music FM radio station broadcasting on 95.1 in the Charlotte, NC metro, operated by Beasley Media Group. It delivers music programming, local news, sports coverage, contests, and events to Charlotte-area listeners via broadcast, mobile apps, and online streaming, monetizing primarily through advertising sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Radio Broadcasting

NAICS

Radio Broadcasting Stations (51611)

SIC

Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832)

akta.pro primary industry

Internet Radio & Streaming Broadcast Stations (Simulcast/Online-only) (MPAIAEAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sports Digital Audio Broadcasts (Live Radio, Play-by-Play, Podcasts) (MPAKAOAG), Radio Content Production & Studios (On-air Production, Imaging, Jingles) (MPAIAEAL)

Keywords

• Commercial radio broadcasting
• Top 40 music station
• Local news radio
• FM radio streaming
• Radio advertising sales

Headquarters

HQ city

Charlotte

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 Revenue: Radio advertising sales including local and national advertisers who purchase airtime to reach the station's audience. Revenue generated through commercial spots, sponsored segments, and promotional announcements during programming.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Kiss 95.1 (WNKS) is a commercial FM broadcast radio station operating at 95.1 FM in the Charlotte, North Carolina metropolitan area, delivering Top 40/pop music programming combined with local news, sports coverage (Carolina Panthers, Charlotte FC), entertainment content, and community events. The station distributes its programming over-the-air and through digital channels including live website streaming, native iOS and Android mobile apps, smart speaker (Alexa) integration, and on-demand podcasts of The Maney & LauRen Morning Show.

Product overview

Kiss 95.1 is a commercial broadcast radio station operated by Beasley Media Group, serving the Charlotte, North Carolina metropolitan area as a Top 40 hit music station. The station's product portfolio centers on its core live radio broadcast, complemented by a native mobile application for iOS and Android that enables on-demand listening and live streaming. Supporting offerings include the Maney & LauRen Morning Show On Demand podcast archive, promotional contests and giveaways, a local events calendar, and an email newsletter. These products collectively engage listeners across on-air, digital, and mobile platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Kiss 95.1 Live Radio Stream

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Live NationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLive Nation is partnered with Kiss 95.1 for contest and event promotions. The station runs contests in partnership with Live Nation for concert ticket giveaways, such as the NE-YO & AKON: Nights Like This Tour 2026 contest at Truliant Amphitheater in Charlotte.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Power 96.1 Charlotte: Charlotte-market CHR/Top 40 FM station owned by iHeartMedia; directly competes with Kiss 95.1 for the same Hit Music adult 18-34 audience and local ad inventory in the same DMA.
• 96.1 The Beat Charlotte (WPEG): Charlotte-market FM station owned by iHeartMedia operating in the same DMA; competes for share-of-ear, music-news content traffic, and local SMB ad budgets alongside Kiss 95.1.

Broad incumbents

• iHeartMedia: Largest U.S. radio operator with hundreds of CHR/Hot AC stations nationwide; owns direct Charlotte competitors and bundles cross-station ad sales that compete with Beasley-owned Kiss 95.1.
• Audacy: Major U.S. radio broadcaster (Entercom/CBS Radio successor) operating numerous CHR and Hot AC stations with multi-platform distribution and podcasting comparable to Kiss 95.1.
• Cumulus Media: Top-three U.S. radio operator with stations across multiple formats including CHR; competes for ad share in similar mid-to-major U.S. markets with analogous ad-driven models.
• Townsquare Media: Mid-market-focused U.S. radio broadcasting group operating CHR and local-content stations with comparable ad-revenue models and digital/email extensions.
• Urban One: Multi-format U.S. radio operator with urban and CHR cross-format presence; competes for similar advertiser categories and demographic reach as Kiss 95.1.
• Emmis Communications: Radio-focused operator with major-market CHR and Hot AC stations; comparable in format mix and ad-driven revenue model to Kiss 95.1.

Emerging players

• TuneIn: Internet radio aggregator streaming thousands of AM/FM stations globally; a distribution layer that captures streaming listening share and competes for digital audio ad budgets against station-owned apps.
• iHeartRadio: iHeartMedia's consumer digital listening platform aggregating radio streams and on-demand music; competes with Kiss 95.1's owned streaming and mobile inventory for digital audio ad spend.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Kiss951WNKS

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 Kiss 95.1