94.7 WLS-FM

What 94.7 WLS-FM does

94.7 WLS-FM is a commercial classic hits radio station licensed to serve the Chicago, Illinois metropolitan area, broadcasting at the 94.7 FM frequency under the long-running WLS call letters (in use in Chicago since 1948). The station is owned and operated by Cumulus Media Inc., a publicly traded media conglomerate (NASDAQ: CMLS), through its subsidiary Chicago FM Radio Assets, LLC, and is part of Cumulus's Chicago radio cluster. Programming centers on 80s and classic hits music from artists such as Journey, Cyndi Lauper, Bon Jovi, and Queen, anchored by a personality-driven lineup including the Dave & Kim morning show (airing weekdays 5-10 AM with over nine years of tenure), Erin Carman (10 AM-3 PM), Tyler Naylor (3-7 PM), and Jaybeau Jones (7 PM-12 AM).

The station's product surface extends beyond over-the-air broadcast to include live digital streaming via 947wls.com, dedicated iOS and Android mobile applications, and smart speaker integration. Its technology infrastructure relies on the SoCast Digital platform for contest administration and listener engagement, Nielsen for audience measurement, and Google reCAPTCHA for site security. The station runs frequent contest programs (Secret Gas Giveaway, July Jackpot Giveaway, Summer Vacay Payday) and concert ticket sweepstakes, alongside coverage of Chicago-area events including Taste of Chicago, Square Roots Festival, and Live Nation concert promotions at Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre. It maintains active social media presence on Facebook, Twitter/X, and YouTube.

The business model is advertising-led, generating primary revenue by selling on-air spots and digital advertising placements to local Chicago businesses and national brands running campaigns on Cumulus Media stations. Secondary revenue comes from contest sponsorships, with the July Jackpot Giveaway specifically sponsored by SoCast Digital. Listening is free for consumers; specific advertising rates are not publicly disclosed. The station operates from its main studio at 455 N. Cityfront Plaza Drive, Suite 600, Chicago, IL 60611, with corporate oversight from Cumulus Media's Atlanta headquarters.

Name

94.7 WLS-FM

Legal name

Cumulus Media Inc.

Website

https://947wls.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1948

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

94.7 WLS-FM is a Chicago-licensed classic hits and 80s radio station owned by Cumulus Media, broadcasting on the 94.7 FM frequency and streaming digitally via web, mobile apps, and smart speakers. It serves the Chicago DMA listener base and generates revenue primarily through advertising sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Broadcast Radio

NAICS

Radio Broadcasting Stations (51611), Radio Broadcasting Stations (516110)

SIC

Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Internet Radio & Streaming Broadcast Stations (Simulcast/Online-only) (MPAIAEAE), News Talk Radio & Current Affairs Stations (MPABAIAI)

Keywords

• Broadcast radio
• Classic hits radio
• Radio advertising
• Audio streaming
• Terrestrial radio

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Advertising Revenue: The station generates primary revenue through selling advertising spots to businesses seeking to reach the Chicago metropolitan radio audience. Advertisers include both local Chicago businesses and national brands running campaigns on Cumulus Media stations.
2. Contest Sponsorship: The July Jackpot Giveaway is sponsored and administered by SoCast Digital, with the station participating as a promotional partner. Additional national contests are administered by Cumulus Media New Holdings Inc. with various prize sponsors.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

94.7 WLS-FM is a commercial classic hits radio station licensed to serve the Chicago metropolitan area at the 94.7 FM frequency, broadcasting 80s and classic hits music (Journey, Cyndi Lauper, Bon Jovi, Queen) with personality-driven daypart programming. Its over-the-air signal is supplemented by digital streaming via the 947wls.com website, mobile app, and smart speakers. The station generates primary revenue by selling on-air and digital advertising inventory to local Chicago businesses and national brands seeking access to the Chicago DMA listener base.

Product overview

94.7 WLS-FM is a Chicago-based broadcast radio station operating as a classic hits and 80s music format, owned and operated by Cumulus Media. The station's product portfolio consists of its core broadcast offering supplemented by digital streaming services (via website player and mobile app), programming blocks anchored by on-air personalities (Dave & Kim Mornings, Erin Carman, Tyler, Jaybeau Jones, Cara Carriveau), contest and sweepstakes programs, and concert/event promotional coverage. The station leverages SoCast Digital's platform for contest administration and Nielsen for audience measurement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 94.7 WLS-FM Broadcast Over-the-air commercial radio broadcast at 94.7 FM serving the Chicago metropolitan area, offering free classic hits music programming to listeners.
• Live Radio Streaming Online audio streaming of the live 94.7 WLS-FM broadcast via the 947wls.com website and mobile app, enabling listeners to tune in from any internet-connected device.
• 94.7 WLS Mobile App Dedicated mobile application for iOS and Android that lets listeners stream 94.7 WLS-FM live and receive station updates on their phones.
• Dave & Kim Mornings Weekday morning radio show hosted by Dave Fogel and Kim Berk on 94.7 WLS, airing 5:00-10:00 AM and featuring classic hits and Chicago-area commentary.
• Erin Carman Show Weekday midday radio show hosted by Erin Carman on 94.7 WLS, airing 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM.
• Tyler Show Weekday afternoon drive radio show hosted by Tyler Naylor on 94.7 WLS, airing 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM.
• Jaybeau Jones Show Weekday evening radio show hosted by Jaybeau Jones on 94.7 WLS, airing 7:00 PM to 12:00 AM.
• Cara Carriveau Show Weekend radio show hosted by Cara Carriveau on 94.7 WLS, airing Saturday from 11:30 AM to 5:30 PM and Sunday from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
• We Love Saturday Nights Saturday evening programming block on 94.7 WLS featuring Tom Kent, airing Saturdays 7:00 PM to 12:00 AM.
• View Points Radio Sunday morning public affairs program on 94.7 WLS, airing Sundays 5:00-5:30 AM.
• Contests and Sweepstakes Listener contests and sweepstakes on 94.7 WLS including the Secret Gas Giveaway ($1,000 cash), July Jackpot Giveaway ($2,000 cash), Summer Vacay Payday ($1,000), and numerous national concert ticket sweepstakes, administered via the SoCast Digital platform.
• Concerts & Events Coverage Coverage of Chicago-area concerts and events on 94.7 WLS, featuring promotional partnerships with Live Nation and venue event listings.
• Cumulus Digital Mail Email marketing service from Cumulus offering newsletters and promotional communications to 94.7 WLS listeners.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SoCast DigitalcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 June 2026SoCast Digital provides the contest and digital engagement platform for 94.7 WLS-FM. The July Jackpot Giveaway is sponsored and administered by SoCast Digital, utilizing their digital contest infrastructure for entry management and winner selection. SoCast Inc. is headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
• Cumulus Media Inc.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCumulus Media Inc. is the parent company and broadcaster of 94.7 WLS-FM. The station operates as part of Cumulus Media's portfolio of radio stations across the United States. Cumulus provides corporate infrastructure, advertising sales support, and national contest administration through its Cumulus Media New Holdings Inc. subsidiary.
• SweetDealsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSweetDeals partnership provides limited-time deals on dining, local attractions, and entertainment in Chicago. The station promotes SweetDeals offers to listeners as a value-added service, with the partnership visible on the station website sidebar.
• Live NationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLive Nation partnership promotes Summer of Live concert events at Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre in Tinley Park, IL. The station runs promotional giveaways and advertising for Live Nation concerts, including ticket giveaways for artists like Mötley Crüe, Black Crowes, and Guns N' Roses.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• US99 (WKSC-FM 99.5): Audacy's country-formatted Chicago FM station and one of the highest-rated stations in the market. Competes for the same advertising pool and audience attention within the Chicago DMA despite a different format.
• WBBM-FM (B96) 96.3: Audacy-owned Chicago CHR station with strong ratings. While format-different, it competes with WLS-FM for share of ear and Chicago DMA advertising budgets across dayparts.
• Audacy: National radio operator with a large Chicago station cluster (WBBM-FM, US99, WBBM-AM, WSCR) plus the Audacy digital streaming platform. Peer broadcaster competing for ad budgets across analog and digital audio.
• iHeartMedia Chicago: National radio conglomerate operating a cluster of major Chicago FM/AM stations. Competes directly with Cumulus Media for Chicago advertising accounts and audience ratings, while also offering a national digital audio platform (iHeartRadio).
• WGN Radio 720: WGN-AM, the iconic Chicago news/talk station (now Nexstar Media). Major Chicago broadcast competitor for audience share, news content, and ad dollars even though WLS-FM is music-formatted.

Direct peers

• WLS-AM 890: Cumulus Media's news/talk sister station serving the Chicago DMA on the AM dial. Most direct internal peer given shared parent, shared Chicago studio operations, and shared corporate advertising sales infrastructure.
• 97.1 WDRV: Hubbard Radio's classic rock station serving the Chicago DMA. Direct format-adjacent competitor (classic rock vs. classic hits) targeting similar 25–54 listener demographics with comparable morning shows and digital distribution.
• 93.9 WLIT-FM: iHeartMedia Chicago adult contemporary station. Directly competes in the soft-rock/light-hits segment of the Chicago ad market and sells against WLS-FM for similar 25–54 advertiser dollars.
• 101.9 WKQX: Cumulus Media Chicago alternative rock station and corporate sibling. Shares studio operations, ad sales, and contest infrastructure with WLS-FM and competes in the same Chicago ad market.

Emerging players

• iHeartRadio (digital app): iHeart's streaming app that simulcasts terrestrial radio stations including competitors to WLS-FM and offers on-demand music, podcasts, and personalized stations. Direct digital competitor for in-car and mobile listening time.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/947wlsfm
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/947wls
• Facebookfacebook.com/947WLSFM
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wls-94.7-fm

Compliance1 record

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 94.7 WLS-FM