KGAN

What KGAN does

KGAN is a local broadcast television station headquartered at 600 Old Marion Road NE in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, operating since 1953 as a CBS affiliate (branded KGAN CBS2) and through its sister station KFXA as a FOX affiliate (Fox 28). It serves Eastern Iowa viewers across 20 counties, delivering local news, weather forecasting, sports coverage (including University of Iowa Hawkeyes, Iowa State Cyclones, and prep athletics), and community-oriented programming under the Iowa's News Now digital brand. The station's underlying technology is conventional local broadcast infrastructure: over-the-air signal, cable and satellite carriage (DIRECTV, DISH), a website (cbs2iowa.com), and iOS/Android mobile applications, with content distributed via Facebook, X/Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

The business model is advertising-driven across three primary revenue streams: television advertising (local and national spot buys on broadcast and cable), digital advertising (targeted display, CTV/OTT, social marketing, streaming audio, and podcast sponsorships), and sports broadcasting rights (local and regional sports, Hawkeyes and Cyclones coverage). All advertising inventory is sold through Sinclair Broadcast Group's (NASDAQ: SBGI) centralized unified sales force, AMP Sales & Marketing Solutions, which packages broadcast and digital buys and serves as the primary commercial interface for advertisers. KGAN operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sinclair Communications, LLC, within one of the largest U.S. television broadcast groups, and benefits from parent-company operational, programming, and technology infrastructure while maintaining a lean local staff (11–50 employees).

Name

KGAN

Legal name

Sinclair Communications, LLC

Website

https://cbs2iowa.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1953

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

KGAN is a Cedar Rapids-based CBS and FOX affiliate television station, owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, delivering local news, weather, sports, and community programming to Eastern Iowa viewers across 20 counties, with revenue generated through broadcast and digital advertising via Sinclair's AMP Sales platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Television Broadcasting

NAICS

Television Broadcasting Stations (516120)

SIC

Television Broadcasting Stations (4833)

akta.pro primary industry

Network-Affiliated Local TV Stations (ABC/CBS/NBC/FOX/CW/Telemundo/Univision, etc.) (MPABACAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Local TV Station Groups (Owned & Operated/Station Chains) (MPABACAA)

Keywords

• Local broadcast television
• Television news production
• Weather forecasting services
• Sports broadcasting coverage
• Digital advertising solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Cedar Rapids

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Television Advertising: Revenue generated from local and national advertisers purchasing commercial airtime across broadcast and cable platforms
2. Digital Advertising: Revenue from digital marketing services including targeted display ads, CTV/OTT advertising, social media marketing, streaming audio, and website advertising
3. Sports Broadcasting Rights: Revenue from broadcasting local sports, Hawkeyes (University of Iowa), Cyclones (Iowa State), and regional sporting events

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

KGAN operates as a local CBS-affiliated television station in Cedar Rapids, Iowa (with a FOX sub-affiliate, KFXA, in the same market), delivering local news, weather, sports, and entertainment programming across the Cedar Rapids-Iowa City designated market area. The station distributes content via over-the-air broadcast, cable/satellite carriage, its cbs2iowa.com website, mobile apps, and social media, while monetizing audience reach through broadcast and digital advertising sold via Sinclair's AMP Sales & Marketing Solutions.

Product overview

KGAN is a local CBS television station in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, owned and operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group. The station's product portfolio centers on KGAN CBS2 as its primary broadcast product, complemented by KFXA (Fox 28) as a secondary station, and Iowa's News Now as its digital content platform. The station delivers local news, weather, and sports coverage across traditional broadcast, mobile applications (iOS/Android), and digital channels. Additional offerings include Health Matters content, community initiatives, and the Dave Shay CBS2 Broadcast Journalism Scholarship. The station's advertising solutions are managed through Sinclair's AMP Sales & Marketing Solutions platform, providing integrated marketing services across connected TV, social media, and digital advertising channels.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• KGAN CBS2 Primary CBS-affiliated local broadcast television station serving Cedar Rapids and Eastern Iowa, delivering local news, weather, sports, and entertainment content. Operates within Sinclair Broadcast Group.
• KFXA (Fox 28) FOX-affiliated television station serving Cedar Rapids, Iowa, providing additional sports and entertainment programming as a Sinclair-duopoly partner of KGAN CBS2.
• Iowa's News Now (Digital News Platform) Digital sub-brand and content platform for KGAN, delivering Cedar Rapids / Eastern Iowa news, weather, sports, and breaking news across the station's website and mobile apps.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AMP Sales & Marketing SolutionscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerAMP Sales & Marketing Solutions is the unified advertising sales force of Sinclair Broadcast Group. It connects local advertisers with KGAN's audience through multi-platform solutions including targeted display ads, CTV, sports OTT/CTV, social marketing, and various digital channels. Contact: (319) 730-3403 or Tony Wilkins at [email protected]
• Greater Cedar Rapids Community FoundationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation sponsors the Dave Shay CBS2 Broadcast Journalism Scholarship administered by KGAN. The foundation provides final approval of scholarship winners and handles prize disbursement to winning students' colleges.
• Sinclair Broadcast GroupcoreOthersSinclair Broadcast Group is the parent company of KGAN. As one of the nation's largest media companies, Sinclair provides operational support, advertising sales (through AMP), programming, and technology infrastructure for the station.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• KCCI: Des Moines-based CBS affiliate (Hearst Television) and the other major Iowa network-affiliated station competing for state-wide news, sports, and advertising share that overlaps with KGAN's Eastern Iowa audience.
• KFXA: Sister Fox affiliate operated by KGAN/Sinclair in the same Cedar Rapids market; shares facilities, staff, and sales infrastructure and directly competes for Fox network viewers and ad inventory in the DMA.
• WQAD: ABC affiliate in the Quad Cities market, a nearby Iowa/Illinois market competing for regional sports rights (including Hawkeyes coverage) and overlapping advertiser pools.
• WHBF-TV: CBS affiliate in the Quad Cities market, similarly positioned as a mid-sized Iowa-adjacent CBS station with comparable news/sports offerings and overlapping reach into KGAN's counties.
• KWWL: NBC affiliate serving the Waterloo/Cedar Rapids market, directly overlapping KGAN's DMA and competing for the same local news viewers and regional advertisers.

Broad incumbents

• Sinclair Broadcast Group: KGAN's publicly traded parent company (NASDAQ: SBGI) and one of the largest U.S. local TV broadcasters; comparable as the parent-level operator of similar network-affiliated local stations across the country.
• Nexstar Media Group: Largest U.S. owner of local TV stations; competes with Sinclair-affiliated stations like KGAN for network affiliations, retransmission revenue, and national ad spend.
• TEGNA: Large U.S. local TV station group with extensive CBS/NBC/ABC portfolios; competes for network affiliation renewals and overlapping advertising relationships in mid-sized markets similar to KGAN's Cedar Rapids DMA.
• E.W. Scripps Company: Diversified local broadcast and digital media company operating network-affiliated stations in similar mid-sized markets; directly comparable as a Sinclair competitor for broadcast and digital ad revenue.
• Gray Television: National local TV broadcaster with comparable mid-market station portfolio and digital-first strategy; competes with Sinclair for retransmission, network deals, and digital ad clients in similar DMAs.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/iowasnewsnow
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@IowasNewsNow
• Facebookfacebook.com/IowasNewsNow
• Instagraminstagram.com/iowasnewsnow
• TikToktiktok.com/@iowasnewsnow

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

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 KGAN