WDRB

Local Broadcast Televisionwdrb.com

WDRB is a Louisville-based FOX affiliate television station serving the Kentuckiana region with local news, weather, sports, and exclusive originals distributed via broadcast TV, the WDRB+ streaming platform, three mobile apps, and digital newsletters. Acquired by Gray Media Group in May 2026 for $80 million.

Company typePrivate
Founded1971
HeadquartersLouisville, United States
Headcount51–100
GTM typeB2C
OfferingServices

What WDRB does

WDRB is a FOX-affiliate local television station founded in 1971 and headquartered at 624 W. Muhammad Ali Blvd. in Louisville, Kentucky, serving the Kentuckiana region across Kentucky and southern Indiana. The station delivers local news, weather, sports (with emphasis on Louisville Cardinals, Kentucky Wildcats, and high school athletics), and community-oriented programming, including exclusive originals such as Crossroads, Sports Page, and Foodie Town available through the WDRB+ streaming platform. Its underlying technology combines traditional over-the-air broadcast transmission with a multi-platform digital distribution layer: WDRB+ OTT apps on Roku, Apple TV, and Fire TV; three dedicated mobile applications (News, WDRB+, and Weather with 250-meter resolution radar and predictive "future radar" features); a TownNews-powered website; and email newsletter products (Morning Edition, Evening Edition, Breaking News, Sports Newsletter). The station also operates WBKI as a CW affiliate under shared ownership.

WDRB's business model is overwhelmingly advertising-driven. Revenue streams include local broadcast TV spot advertising (commercial airtime on the FOX affiliate signal), digital advertising on wdrb.com (display, native, and sponsored content marketplace), and advertising-supported streaming through WDRB+. Pricing for advertising is quote-based and undisclosed; the WDRB+ app is free to download with ad-supported content. Customer segments are split two-sided: on the demand side, local and regional advertisers (SMEs and national buyers) purchasing Louisville DMA reach; on the consumer side, geographically-defined Kentuckiana households seeking hyperlocal news, severe weather alerts, and regional sports coverage unavailable from national outlets.

In May 2026, Gray Media Group (NYSE: GTN) completed its $80 million acquisition of WDRB-TV from Block Communications, receiving FCC approval to form a Big Four duopoly by consolidating NBC (WAVE-TV) and FOX (WDRB) affiliates under single ownership in the Louisville market. The transaction was followed by leadership turnover, including the departure of long-time WDRB General Manager Bill Lamb. Headcount is reported at 51–100 employees; revenue and detailed financials are not publicly disclosed.

WDRB firmographics

Firmographics

Name: WDRB
Legal name: Gray Media, Inc.
Website: https://wdrb.com
Company type: Private
Founded year: 1971
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 51–100 employees
Short description: WDRB is a Louisville-based FOX affiliate television station serving the Kentuckiana region with local news, weather, sports, and exclusive originals distributed via broadcast TV, the WDRB+ streaming platform, three mobile apps, and digital newsletters. Acquired by Gray Media Group in May 2026 for $80 million.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

WDRB industry classification

Industry

Product category: Local Broadcast Television
NAICS: Television Broadcasting Stations (516120), Television Broadcasting Stations (51612), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (5162)
SIC: Television Broadcasting Stations (4833)
akta.pro primary industry: Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) Network/Studio Streaming Channels (MPABAHAG)
akta.pro secondary industry: News OTT & Live News Streaming Channels (MPABAHAK)

Keywords

Local television broadcasting
Broadcast news media
Streaming news apps
Digital advertising sales
Weather radar coverage

Where WDRB is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Louisville
HQ country: United States
HQ region: North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

WDRB business model

Business model

GTM type: B2C
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

Television Advertising: Local broadcast television advertising including spot ads, sponsorships, and segment integrations. The station sells commercial airtime to local businesses and national advertisers targeting the Louisville DMA.
Digital Advertising: Online advertising on wdrb.com including display ads, native content, and sponsored sections such as 'Sponsored Content' marketplace.
Streaming/Subscription Services: WDRB+ streaming service generates revenue through viewer engagement and likely includes premium content offerings accessible via subscription or ad-supported models on connected devices.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

WDRB product offering

Product offering

Core offering

WDRB is a Louisville-based FOX affiliate local television station that produces and distributes hyperlocal news, weather, sports, and entertainment content to viewers in the Kentuckiana region. Its core offerings are delivered across broadcast television, the WDRB+ OTT streaming platform, mobile applications (news, weather, WDRB+), email newsletters, and the wdrb.com website. Revenue is generated primarily through local and digital advertising sold against this audience reach.

Product overview

WDRB is a Louisville-based FOX affiliate television station that operates a multi-platform media network built around its core broadcast station and digital properties. The product portfolio consists of the main WDRB broadcast station supplemented by three dedicated mobile applications (WDRB Mobile News App, WDRB+ Mobile App, and WDRB Mobile Weather App), streaming applications for connected devices (Roku, Apple TV, Fire TV), live streaming on the website, email newsletter products (Morning Edition, Evening Edition, Breaking News alerts, Sports Newsletter), and exclusive original content series including Crossroads and Sports Page available exclusively through WDRB+. The offerings work together to provide comprehensive local news, weather, sports, and entertainment coverage across the Kentuckiana region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

WDRB+: Streaming app delivering live streams of newscasts, exclusive content like Crossroads, Beat the Spread and Foodie Town, sports commentary from Rick Bozich and Eric Crawford, and coverage of special events like Thunder Over Louisville and the Kentucky Derby.
WDRB Weather
Crossroads
Sports Page
Point of View

Products and services

WDRB (FOX 41) Broadcast Television Station FOX-affiliated local television station delivering local news, weather, sports, and entertainment programming over-the-air, via cable/satellite, and through digital platforms to viewers in the Louisville/Kentuckiana market.
WDRB+ Mobile App

Quantifiable outcome

WDRB is the number one local news source in Louisville (self-reported)

Companies that use WDRB

Customer profile

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

WDRB technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

WDRB partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

WDRB competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Regional players

WTTV/WXIN (FOX affiliate, Indianapolis): Indianapolis FOX affiliate owned by Nexstar Media. Similar mid-sized Midwest FOX affiliate operating in an adjacent regional market; relevant comp for network programming mix and sports coverage of Indiana teams (IU, Purdue).
WKYT (CBS affiliate, Lexington, KY): Lexington CBS affiliate and Gray Media-owned station covering the other half of Kentucky. Competitor for statewide Kentucky news, UK Wildcats coverage, and regional ad budgets.

Broad incumbents

Sinclair Broadcast Group: Largest US TV station operator with national footprint. Competes with Gray for station acquisitions, regional sports network rights, and national advertising deals; relevant as a public-market broadcast peer.
TEGNA: Major US TV station group (NBC/CBS/ABC affiliates) known for premium local journalism. Direct operational peer for local news investment strategy, digital subscription products, and mid-market station economics.
Gray Media Group (parent): NYSE-listed parent company (GTN) operating 100+ local TV stations including WDRB. Provides corporate strategy, shared services, and capital allocation context; portfolio-level peer for broadcast group benchmarks.
Nexstar Media Group: Second-largest US TV broadcaster owning WTTV, WXIN, and dozens of other affiliates. Competitor to Gray Media for M&A and a benchmark for multi-platform streaming and political advertising revenue at scale.

Direct peers

WHAS11 (ABC affiliate, Louisville): Louisville's ABC affiliate and direct Big Four competitor in the same DMA. Competes head-to-head with WDRB for local news audiences, advertisers, and digital engagement.
WAVE-TV (NBC affiliate, Louisville): Louisville NBC affiliate now owned by Gray Media Group alongside WDRB. Direct in-market competitor across news, weather, and sports with the closest competitive overlap; post-merger it functions as WDRB's sister station under shared ownership.
WLKY (CBS affiliate, Louisville): Louisville's CBS affiliate, completing the Big Four competitive set in the DMA. Competes directly with WDRB on local news, weather coverage, and advertising share.
WXIX (FOX affiliate, Cincinnati): FOX affiliate in the adjacent Cincinnati DMA owned by Gray Media. Closest comparable in terms of network affiliation, parent ownership, mid-market positioning, and multi-platform distribution strategy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

WDRB financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

WDRB leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

WDRB funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

WDRB M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about WDRB

What does WDRB do?

Is WDRB a public or private company?

WDRB is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.

When was WDRB founded?

WDRB was founded in 1971. It employs 51 to 100 people.

Where is WDRB based?

WDRB is headquartered in Louisville, United States, in the North America region.

How does WDRB make money?

Three revenue lines are on record. Television Advertising is the primary driver. The others are digital Advertising and streaming/Subscription Services.

Who are WDRB's main competitors?

Regional players on record are WTTV/WXIN (FOX affiliate, Indianapolis) and WKYT (CBS affiliate, Lexington, KY). Broad incumbents are Sinclair Broadcast Group, TEGNA, Gray Media Group (parent) and Nexstar Media Group. Direct peers are WHAS11 (ABC affiliate, Louisville), WAVE-TV (NBC affiliate, Louisville), WLKY (CBS affiliate, Louisville) and WXIX (FOX affiliate, Cincinnati).

Does WDRB have an API?

No public API is recorded for WDRB.

What industry is WDRB in?

WDRB's product category is Local Broadcast Television. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPABAHAG, Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) Network/Studio Streaming Channels, with a secondary code of MPABAHAK, News OTT & Live News Streaming Channels. Its NAICS code is 516120 and its SIC code is 4833.