Leighton Media

What Leighton Media does

Leighton Media (legal entity Leighton Enterprises Inc.) is a privately held, family- and employee-owned multi-media marketing company headquartered in St. Cloud, Minnesota. Founded in 1963 by the parents of current CEO Bob Leighton, the company operates 26 radio stations across 7 markets in Minnesota and North Dakota reaching an estimated 335,000+ weekly listeners. Beyond broadcast, it runs integrated service lines in digital marketing (sister brand Leighton Engage), owned-event production (Leighton Events: Craft Beer Tour, Kids & Parents Expo, Wine Knot, Celebrate Aging), in-house video production, and podcast studio services, with brand-level partnerships including the BrandsFormation marketing methodology.

The company's underlying technology is radio broadcasting infrastructure supplemented by mobile streaming applications that extend station reach beyond terrestrial signal and enable push notifications for breaking news and community alerts. It monetizes primarily through traditional radio advertising sales — spot commercials, sponsorships, and on-air promotions — to local and regional businesses, with secondary professional-service revenue from digital, event, video, and podcast production work. Pricing is bespoke and quote-based per client (no standardized public tiers). Go-to-market is sales-led via account executives stationed across each of the 7 markets, supplemented by inside sales; additional demand is generated through owned event properties and content marketing (blog, e-books, email newsletter).

The customer base is horizontal and SMB-heavy, spanning travel (Bursch Travel), paving (Hanson Paving), dance studios (Melinda's Dance Studio), law (Bradshaw and Bryant), jewelry (J.F. Kruse), and nonprofit/recruitment verticals, with multi-year tenure in several accounts. Customer segments are explicitly horizontal; primary segment is local small-to-mid-market businesses seeking integrated brand amplification through multi-media marketing.

Name

Leighton Media

Legal name

Leighton Enterprises Inc.

Website

https://leighton.media

Company type

Private

Founded year

1963

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Leighton Media is a family- and employee-owned multi-media marketing company operating 26 radio stations across 7 Minnesota and North Dakota markets, supplemented by digital (Leighton Engage), events, video, and podcast service lines serving local SMB advertisers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Radio Broadcasting & Multi-Channel Marketing Services

NAICS

Radio Broadcasting Stations (516110)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Radio Advertising Sales & Representation (Local/National, Network Ad Sales) (MPAIAEAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Radio Streaming & Catch-Up Audio Platforms (MPAIADAJ), Radio Content Production & Studios (On-air Production, Imaging, Jingles) (MPAIAEAL)

Keywords

• Radio advertising services
• Local digital marketing
• Event marketing production
• Video production services
• Podcast production studio

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Cloud

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices8 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: Traditional radio advertising sales across 26 radio stations in Minnesota and North Dakota, offering commercials, sponsorships, and on-air promotions to local businesses
2. Digital Marketing Services: Integrated digital marketing through sister brand Leighton Engage, including website work, social media, paid media, content marketing, training and tools
3. Event Marketing: Event production and marketing services including owned events (Craft Beer Tour, Kids & Parents Expo, Wine Knot, Celebrate Aging) and event sponsorship opportunities
4. Video Production: In-house video production services with decades of experience for commercials, promotional content, and brand storytelling
5. Podcast Studio Services: Podcast production services from concept to distribution, guiding clients through every stage of their podcasting journey

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Leighton Media sells radio advertising airtime across 26 stations in Minnesota and North Dakota, complemented by an integrated portfolio of digital marketing (Leighton Engage), event production (Leighton Events), in-house video production, and podcast studio services. The company delivers these as bundled, multi-channel marketing campaigns for local and regional businesses seeking to reach hyperlocal audiences through radio, digital, events, video, and audio content.

Product overview

Leighton Media is a multi-media marketing company that operates as a unified platform combining radio broadcasting with complementary marketing services. The core offering is Radio Advertising across 26 stations in 7 markets, supplemented by Events production (Kids & Parents Expo, Craft Beer Tour, Wine Knot, Celebrate Aging), Video Production Services, and Podcast Studio services. Digital marketing capabilities are delivered through the Leighton Engage sub-brand, which provides website, social media, paid media, content marketing, and training services. The company also offers a Client Payment Portal and Resources section with guides and e-books for marketing education. The portfolio operates as an integrated media ecosystem where traditional radio connects with digital, events, and content production services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Leighton Engage: Sister brand providing integrated digital marketing services including website work, social media, paid media, content marketing, and training and tools.
• Craft Beer Tour
• Kids & Parents Expo
• Wine Knot
• Celebrate Aging
• BrandsFormation

Products and services

• Radio Advertising Radio advertising services across 26 radio stations in Minnesota and North Dakota, offering traditional radio spots, sponsorships, and on-air promotions to reach local audiences for business advertisers.
• Leighton Engage Digital Marketing
• Leighton Events
• Video Production Services
• Podcast Studio Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 19 display ad campaigns generated nearly 6,000 clicks and over 2.2 million impressions for Bursch Travel
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Leighton EngagecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister brand and digital marketing division providing integrated digital services including website development, social media management, paid media, content marketing, training and tools. Leighton Engage partners with Leighton Media to offer integrated marketing solutions combining traditional radio with digital strategies.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Townsquare Media: Operates a similar multi-market cluster of small/mid-market radio stations paired with digital marketing, live events, and programmatic ad solutions across the U.S. Most directly comparable peer to Leighton's 26-station, 7-market footprint with integrated marketing services.
• Alpha Media: U.S. radio broadcasting company focused on mid-sized and small markets with a portfolio of local stations and integrated digital advertising solutions. Comparable in market-tier focus, multi-station cluster strategy, and digital-plus-broadcast service mix.
• Midwest Communications: Family-owned radio broadcaster operating clusters in Midwestern markets including Minnesota and surrounding states. Highly comparable regional footprint and privately-held ownership profile.
• Beasley Media Group: Operates radio stations in mid-sized markets across the U.S. alongside digital marketing capabilities. Comparable scale and station-cluster business model to Leighton Media.
• Emmis Communications: Radio broadcasting company with local station clusters and integrated digital/content services. Comparable product mix of broadcast plus digital media solutions for local advertisers.

Regional players

• Lotus Communications: Privately-held radio broadcaster operating clusters across Western U.S. markets. Comparable privately-held, multi-market radio operator profile though in different geographic markets than Leighton.

Broad incumbents

• Cumulus Media: One of the largest U.S. radio broadcasters with hundreds of stations and integrated digital marketing (Cumulus Media | Westwood One). Operates at meaningfully greater scale than Leighton but competes for the same local advertiser budgets.
• iHeartMedia: Largest U.S. radio broadcaster with national station footprint plus iHeartRadio streaming and live events. A broad incumbent rather than direct competitor in Leighton's small/mid markets, but operates across the same radio advertising and digital audio value chain.
• Audacy: Major U.S. radio operator with significant station portfolio, podcasting (Cadence13), and digital audio streaming. Comparable product breadth in radio plus digital, though much larger scale and national in scope.
• Salem Communications: Larger publicly-traded radio broadcaster with a national footprint and complementary digital media properties. Broader and more diversified than Leighton, but operates in the same station-based local advertising space.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/leightonmedia

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries4 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 Leighton Media