WPTF

What WPTF does

WPTF is a commercial AM/FM radio station headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina, operating on 680 kHz and 92.9 FM, and serving the Raleigh-Durham market as part of the Curtis Media Group portfolio. Founded October 25, 1924, it is North Carolina's second-oldest continuously licensed broadcast station, broadcasting news, sports, weather, traffic, and talk programming 24 hours a day. Primary listener segments are Raleigh-Durham general-audience consumers and gardening enthusiasts (anchored by the 30-plus-year Weekend Gardener show hosted by Mike Raley and Anne Clapp). Its secondary audience of paying customers consists of local and regional businesses that purchase radio airtime and digital display advertising across wptf.com and the station's mobile apps.

WPTF's core technology is its licensed broadcast infrastructure: a Nautel NX50 50,000-watt AM transmitter and a legacy Continental 317C2 transmitter installed in 1982, located at a Cary, NC transmitter site with 370-foot Ideco towers, industrial electrical systems, and backup generators supporting continuous operation. The digital layer extends the over-the-air signal through native iOS and Android applications (jacapps.wptftraffic / WPTF Triangle Traffic), web-based live streaming at wptf.com, and a SoCast-powered content management system that hosts news, recipes, horoscopes, community events, and sports modules. A VIP Email Club and active social channels on Facebook, X, Instagram, and YouTube round out the multi-channel distribution footprint.

WPTF generates revenue primarily through traditional radio advertising sold to local and regional advertisers on a quote-based, multi-year contract cadence, complemented by website display and sponsored-content advertising on wptf.com. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is negotiated per campaign based on time slots, frequency, and audience reach, with advertising inquiries directed through Curtis Media Group ([email protected]). The station is privately held under Curtis Media Group, with no public ticker, no disclosed funding rounds, and no disclosed revenue figures.

Name

WPTF

Legal name

WPTF FM 92.9 / AM 680

Website

https://wptf.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1924

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

WPTF is a commercial AM/FM radio station (680 kHz and 92.9 FM) in Raleigh, North Carolina, broadcasting news, weather, sports, and talk programming 24 hours a day to the Raleigh-Durham market and funded through local radio and digital advertising under Curtis Media Group.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Radio Broadcasting

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

News/Talk Radio Networks (MPABABAD), News Talk Radio & Current Affairs Stations (MPABAIAI)

Keywords

• Local radio broadcasting
• News talk radio
• Radio advertising
• Community broadcasting
• Digital radio streaming

Headquarters

HQ city

Raleigh

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Radio Advertising: Traditional radio advertising model where local and regional businesses purchase airtime to reach the station's audience in the Raleigh-Durham market and across North Carolina.
2. Digital Advertising: Website advertising through wptf.com, including display ads, sponsored content, and promotional placements on the station's digital platforms.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

WPTF is a commercial AM/FM radio station broadcasting on 680 kHz (50,000 watts nighttime directional) and FM 92.9, delivering news, sports, weather, traffic, and talk programming 24 hours a day to the Raleigh-Durham market. The station sells radio and digital advertising airtime to local and regional businesses, and extends its content via mobile applications, online streaming, and complementary content sections including the long-running Weekend Gardener program.

Product overview

WPTF is a traditional AM/FM radio station operating as a full-service broadcast operation in the Raleigh-Durham market. The station's core offering is its radio broadcast service on FM 92.9 and AM 680 frequencies, delivering news, sports, weather, and talk programming 24 hours a day. The product portfolio extends beyond traditional radio through complementary content modules including the Weekend Gardener program (a long-running gardening talk show), Community Events listings, Recipes section, and Horoscopes content. Mobile applications for iOS and Android enable on-the-go listening. All offerings are delivered through Curtis Media Group's SoCast-powered digital platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• WPTF AM/FM Radio Broadcast Commercial AM/FM radio broadcast on 680 kHz and FM 92.9, delivering news, sports, weather, traffic, and talk programming 24 hours a day to the Raleigh-Durham market and broader North Carolina.
• Weekend Gardener Award-winning radio talk show airing Saturdays 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., answering gardening questions with regional focus on North Carolina climates, hosted by Mike Raley and Anne Clapp.
• WPTF Mobile Application Native iOS and Android apps that allow users to listen live to the WPTF radio broadcast and access station content on mobile devices.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 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.

• Netflix (Stranger Things Production)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2023In March 2023, the Stranger Things Season 5 production team visited the WPTF transmitter site over two days to photograph buildings, take measurements, and document the layout for the fictional WSQK station set. The production acquired legacy broadcast equipment for reference. CMG VP of Engineering Allen Sherrill remained in contact with the production throughout development. The RCA TFU-30JDA UHF television antenna originally from WRDU/WPTF-TV was provided to the production for use in the show.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• WCMC-FM (99.9 The Eagle): Classic hits FM broadcasting in the Raleigh-Durham market. Comparable as a commercial FM competitor targeting overlapping local advertisers and audiences in the same metro, with similar revenue model and ad-driven monetization.
• WUNC 91.5 (North Carolina Public Radio): Public radio station licensed to Chapel Hill with statewide reach, focusing on news and talk. Competes head-to-head with WPTF for news/talk listeners and underwriter dollars across the Research Triangle region.
• WPTI 95.5 / WDCG G105: iHeartMedia-owned top-rated CHR/rock FM in Raleigh-Durham. Direct competitor for listeners and local ad dollars, run by one of the largest US commercial radio operators with materially greater scale and corporate support.
• WQDR-FM: Sister station under Curtis Media Group in the Raleigh-Durham market, operating as a country-music FM. Most directly comparable in geography, ownership and operational alignment; competes with WPTF for share-of-ear and local ad budgets within the same portfolio.
• WBT 1100 AM (Charlotte): Heritage commercial news/talk AM in the Charlotte market, the other major North Carolina metro. Closely comparable in news/talk format, AM-centric operations, regional/local ad model, and historical brand stature within the state.
• WTOP (Washington, DC): Top-billing heritage news/talk AM station serving the Washington DC market on Hubbard Radio. Closely analogous format, audience and revenue model — news/weather/traffic anchored, with a digital extension layered on broadcast — and a benchmark for the high-end of regional radio station enterprise value.

Broad incumbents

• iHeartMedia Raleigh-Durham cluster: Largest US radio operator; runs multiple stations plus iHeartRadio streaming in the Raleigh-Durham market. Represents the dominant consolidated competitor against which WPTF must position its local/legacy brand.
• Cumulus Media Atlantic Region stations: Major national radio operator with stations across the Carolinas. Comparable commercial-broadcast business model at scale, with greater programmatic and digital ad sales capability.
• NPR member stations (national network): National public radio network including member stations like WUNC. Relevant comparable as the dominant news/talk audio brand competing for high-information listeners and grant/underwriter funding.
• Audacy (Entercom) Raleigh cluster: National multi-station operator running multiple FMs in the Raleigh-Durham market. Comparable as a commercial radio peer at scale, with broader portfolio resources and programmatic ad-tech infrastructure that WPTF cannot match independently.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/wptf
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@WPTFNews
• Facebookfacebook.com/NewsRadio680WPTF
• Instagraminstagram.com/wptfnews

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 WPTF