Hot 96 FM

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.

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

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

• Contemporary hit radio
• FM radio broadcasting
• Digital radio streaming
• Local radio advertising
• Audio entertainment

Headquarters

HQ city

Evansville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

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: 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.
2. 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

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core 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

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• SoCastcoreTechnology or IntegrationSoCast 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.coreOthersParent 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

Broad 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

• Xx.com/HOT96TWEETS
• Facebookfacebook.com/HOT96WSTO
• Instagraminstagram.com/instahot96
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hot-96

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 Hot 96 FM