Hot 96 FM
Hot 96 FM is a contemporary hit radio station broadcasting on 96.1 MHz in Evansville, Indiana, serving the Indiana-Kentucky-Illinois Tri-State area with FM, mobile app, smart speaker, and streaming distribution. It sells local advertising to area businesses and is owned by Midwest Communications, Inc.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersEvansville, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Hot 96 FM does
Hot 96 FM (legal entity: Midwest Communications, Inc.; FCC call sign: WSTO) is a contemporary hit radio (CHR) station broadcasting on the 96.1 MHz FM frequency from studios at 1162 Mt. Auburn Road in Evansville, Indiana. The station serves the Tri-State area spanning Indiana, Kentucky, and Illinois, with a self-proclaimed position as the #1 Hit Music Station in the region. Programming consists of hit music with named talent blocks including the CLAY & MAKENZIE morning show, Sarah Pepper's midday 'All Request Throwbacks' (10am–2pm), and Tyler Foxx's afternoon drive (2pm–7pm), supplemented by local news aggregation, weather, and entertainment content sourced from Reuters.
The station operates a unified broadcast-and-digital platform. Core technical infrastructure includes traditional over-the-air FM transmission, a SoCast-powered website (hot96.com) with live streaming, native iOS and Android applications, and an Amazon Alexa skill for smart speaker listening. On-demand products include the 'Hot Mornings On Demand' and 'Foxx World Live' podcasts, plus the interactive 'HOT 96 Music Network' listener survey feature. Distribution spans FM, mobile, web, and voice channels; content management and streaming are powered by SoCast's platform.
The business model is advertising-led. Hot 96 FM sells airtime and digital sponsorships to local businesses and community organizations in Evansville and the Tri-State market. Advertising packages are quote-based, handled through Midwest Communications' centralized sales portal (mwcadvertising.com/evansville) and a dedicated business line, with multi-year contracts typical. Customer segments include local SMB advertisers (primary revenue source) and general consumer listeners; named accounts span entertainment/tourism (Holiday World & Splashin' Safari), gaming/hospitality (Bally's Evansville), government (Downtown Evansville Improvement District), and several nonprofit partners. The station is privately held with 11–50 employees and no public revenue disclosure.
Hot 96 FM firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Hot 96 FM
- Legal name
- Midwest Communications, Inc.
- Website
- https://hot96.com
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Hot 96 FM is a contemporary hit radio station broadcasting on 96.1 MHz in Evansville, Indiana, serving the Indiana-Kentucky-Illinois Tri-State area with FM, mobile app, smart speaker, and streaming distribution. It sells local advertising to area businesses and is owned by Midwest Communications, Inc.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Hot 96 FM industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Radio Broadcasting
- NAICS
- Radio Broadcasting Stations (516110), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (5162)
- 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), Radio Streaming & Catch-Up Audio Platforms (MPAIADAJ)
Keywords
Where Hot 96 FM is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Evansville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Hot 96 FM business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Radio Advertising: Hot 96 FM generates revenue primarily through selling advertising airtime to local businesses in the Evansville and Tri-State market. The station offers advertising opportunities through direct sales and the parent company Midwest Communications' advertising platform.
- Contests and Promotions: Station conducts on-air, online, and text-based contests that drive listener engagement and create sponsorship opportunities with local and national advertisers.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Local Business Advertising |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
Hot 96 FM product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Hot 96 FM is a contemporary hit radio (CHR) format station broadcasting on 96.1 FM from Evansville, Indiana, and serving the Tri-State area of Indiana, Kentucky, and Illinois with current hit music, on-air personalities, contests, and community-relevant programming. The station delivers its content over FM broadcast as well as through digital streaming channels (mobile app, smart speakers, and web) and monetizes its audience primarily through on-air and digital advertising sold to local and regional businesses. It is operated as one of the stations of Midwest Communications, Inc.
Product overview
Hot 96 FM operates as a contemporary hit radio (CHR) station broadcasting on 96.1 FM in Evansville, Indiana, serving the Tri-State area. The station offers a unified media platform combining traditional over-the-air radio broadcasting with digital distribution channels including a mobile application for iOS/Android, online internet streaming via web browser and smart speakers (Alexa), and on-demand podcast content. The core product is the FM radio broadcast supplemented by digital listening options and listener engagement features such as the HOT 96 Music Network survey program. The station's programming includes live shows (CLAY & MAKENZIE morning show, Tyler Foxx afternoon show), local news, entertainment news aggregation, and weather services.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Hot 96 FM On-Air Radio Broadcast (96.1 FM) Continuous contemporary hit radio (CHR) broadcast on 96.1 FM delivering current hit music, on-air personalities, contests, and community-relevant content to listeners in the Evansville, Indiana Tri-State area (Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois). The free, ad-supported broadcast serves both listeners tuning in on FM receivers and the local businesses that advertise on it.
- Hot 96 FM Digital Audio Streaming (Mobile App, Web, and Smart Speakers) Live and on-demand streaming of the Hot 96 FM CHR broadcast delivered outside the FM footprint via iOS and Android mobile applications, web streaming on the station website, and voice-activated streaming on smart speakers such as Alexa-enabled devices. Designed for Tri-State listeners who are outside FM reception range or who listen via digital devices.
- On-Air and Digital Radio Advertising Advertising inventory across Hot 96 FM's FM broadcast and digital audio streams, sold to local and regional businesses and agencies wanting to reach Tri-State adult listeners. Includes per-spot, daypart, rotation, sponsorship, and digital audio packages.
Quantifiable outcome
- Self-proclaimed #1 position in Tri-State radio market
Companies that use Hot 96 FM
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Hot 96 FM technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
Feature3 records
Hot 96 FM partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- SoCastcoreSoCast provides the digital platform technology powering the Hot 96 FM website, including content management, streaming infrastructure, and mobile app frameworks. The station website and streaming services are powered by SoCast's platform technology.
- Midwest Communications, Inc.coreParent company and license holder for WSTO 96.1 MHz broadcast license. Midwest Communications is a regional radio broadcasting company operating stations across the upper Midwest (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin). The company filed for transfer of control in January 2023.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Hot 96 FM competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Beasley Media Group: Multi-market U.S. radio broadcaster with FM stations across the eastern U.S., using a comparable local ad-sales-plus-digital-streaming model. Relevant as a like-sized incumbent operating single-market stations similar to Hot 96 FM.
- iHeartMedia: Largest U.S. terrestrial radio operator with hundreds of FM stations plus the iHeartRadio streaming platform. Comparable as a broad incumbent running the same radio-advertising-plus-digital-streaming business model at national scale.
- Townsquare Media: Regional radio operator that owns multiple Evansville-market stations (including WKDQ) and dozens of others across the U.S. Comparable because it pursues the same local-advertising model, multi-platform distribution, and community-event sponsorship playbook that Hot 96 FM uses.
- Cumulus Media: Major U.S. radio broadcaster operating hundreds of AM/FM stations across mid-sized and large markets. Comparable as a broad incumbent with a similar portfolio of CHR, country, and news/talk stations selling local and national advertising.
- Hubbard Broadcasting: Privately held U.S. media company operating radio stations and television properties across multiple markets. Comparable as a privately held, family-owned broad incumbent running FM stations with local advertising as the core revenue stream.
- Audacy: Multi-format U.S. radio operator (formerly CBS Radio/Entercom) running major-market FM stations and a national streaming/podcast app. Comparable because it pairs local-market FM broadcasting with digital streaming distribution similar to Hot 96 FM's FM-plus-SoCast model.
Direct peers
- WABX 102.7 FM Evansville: Sister station under Midwest Communications, Inc., also broadcasting in the Evansville Tri-State market on a classic rock format. It is the most direct comparable because it shares ownership, management, and sales infrastructure with Hot 96 FM while targeting an adjacent format and audience.
- WKDQ 99.5 FM Evansville: Country-format FM station in the Evansville market owned by Townsquare Media, directly competing with Hot 96 FM for the same local ad budgets and Tri-State listener base. Comparable as a market-level FM radio competitor in the same geography.
- WIKY-FM 104.1 Evansville: Adult-contemporary FM station in Evansville owned by South Central Communications, competing for adult listeners and local ad dollars in the same Tri-State market. Directly comparable as a market-overlap FM station targeting overlapping advertiser segments.
Emerging players
- SiriusXM Holdings: Satellite radio and streaming audio competitor that monetizes listener attention across the same CHR/Top 40 demographic Hot 96 FM serves. Comparable as a competing audio platform drawing ad budgets and listening share away from local FM.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Hot 96 FM social profiles
Digital presenceHot 96 FM financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Hot 96 FM leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Hot 96 FM funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Hot 96 FM 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 Hot 96 FM
What does Hot 96 FM do?
Hot 96 FM is a contemporary hit radio (CHR) format station broadcasting on 96.1 FM from Evansville, Indiana, and serving the Tri-State area of Indiana, Kentucky, and Illinois with current hit music, on-air personalities, contests, and community-relevant programming. The station delivers its content over FM broadcast as well as through digital streaming channels (mobile app, smart speakers, and web) and monetizes its audience primarily through on-air and digital advertising sold to local and regional businesses. It is operated as one of the stations of Midwest Communications, Inc.
Is Hot 96 FM a public or private company?
Hot 96 FM is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Hot 96 FM founded?
Hot 96 FM was founded in -1. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Hot 96 FM based?
Hot 96 FM is headquartered in Evansville, United States, in the North America region.
How does Hot 96 FM make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Radio Advertising is the primary driver. The others are contests and Promotions.
Who are Hot 96 FM's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Beasley Media Group, iHeartMedia, Townsquare Media, Cumulus Media, Hubbard Broadcasting and Audacy. Direct peers are WABX 102.7 FM Evansville, WKDQ 99.5 FM Evansville and WIKY-FM 104.1 Evansville. SiriusXM Holdings is listed as an emerging player.
Does Hot 96 FM have an API?
No public API is recorded for Hot 96 FM.
What industry is Hot 96 FM in?
Hot 96 FM's product category is Radio Broadcasting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAIAEAA, Commercial Terrestrial Radio Broadcasting (AM/FM), with a secondary code of MPAIAEAE, Internet Radio & Streaming Broadcast Stations (Simulcast/Online-only). Its NAICS code is 516110 and its SIC code is 4832.