Bustos Media

What Bustos Media does

Bustos Media is an independent, family-owned Hispanic radio broadcasting company founded in 1992 and headquartered in Portland, Oregon. The company owns and operates 25+ radio stations across six U.S. states (Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona, Texas, and Wisconsin), serving markets including Portland, Salem, Seattle, Tri Cities, Yakima, Wenatchee, Tucson, Chico, and Milwaukee, with additional stations in Houston and San Jose. Programming is primarily Spanish-language through branded networks including La GranD (regional Mexican), La Zeta, La Ranchera, Urbana, and LA MAQUINA, supplemented by stations broadcasting in English, Russian, Vietnamese, Korean, and Chinese to reach diverse ethnic and linguistic communities.

The company's core technology is conventional AM/FM radio broadcast infrastructure, with each station operating as a separate licensed frequency under FCC regulation. The product portfolio consists of individual station brands, sub-network brands, and national advertising sales services. Acquisitions are a central growth mechanism: in May 2019 alone, Bustos Media completed six station purchases totaling approximately $3.6M in disclosed consideration, including KFNY 102.9 FM in Seattle ($3M), three Chico stations from Mapleton ($400K), and KRCW 96.3 FM in Royal City ($200K). The company also acquired KDRI-FM in Tucson from Bobby Rich as part of his retirement.

Bustos Media generates revenue almost entirely through radio advertising, selling airtime to advertisers seeking to reach Hispanic and multilingual audiences. Distribution operates through a dual channel: regional station sales teams with dedicated general managers serve local and SMB advertisers in each market, while national sales partnerships with Gen Media Partners and Entravision, coordinated by VP/Chief Revenue Officer Ed Distel, serve enterprise and national advertisers. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, varying by market, station, time slot, and audience reach. The company employs 101-250 people and remains privately held by the Bustos family, with Amador Bustos serving as President and CEO and Felipe Chavez as COO.

Name

Bustos Media

Legal name

Bustos Medial LLC

Website

https://bustosmedia.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Bustos Media is an independent, family-owned Hispanic radio broadcasting company operating 25+ AM/FM stations across six U.S. states, serving Hispanic and multilingual audiences in markets from Portland to Milwaukee through branded networks and selling advertising airtime to local and national advertisers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Radio Broadcasting

NAICS

Radio Broadcasting Stations (51611)

SIC

Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832)

akta.pro primary industry

Local Radio Station Groups (Owned & Operated/Station Chains) (MPABACAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Spanish-Language & Multicultural Radio Networks (MPABABAG)

Keywords

• Hispanic radio broadcasting
• Spanish-language radio
• Radio advertising sales
• AM/FM broadcast networks
• Multi-market radio broadcasting

Headquarters

HQ city

Portland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Radio Advertising: Bustos Media generates revenue primarily through radio advertising, selling airtime to businesses seeking to reach Hispanic and general audiences across their multi-state station portfolio. The company emphasizes radio as the most affordable mass-market media for reaching Hispanic consumers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Bustos Media owns and operates 25+ AM/FM radio stations across Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona, Texas, and Wisconsin, broadcasting primarily in Spanish with supplementary English, Russian, Vietnamese, Korean, and Chinese programming. Stations are organized under branded networks (LA MAQUINA, La GranD, La Zeta, Urbana, La Ranchera, La Pantera) that target Hispanic adults 18+, generating revenue by selling local and national advertising airtime to businesses seeking to reach Hispanic and other multicultural consumers.

Product overview

Bustos Media is an independent Hispanic-owned broadcast radio company operating a multi-station, multi-market portfolio across Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona, Texas, and Wisconsin. The company operates through branded station sub-brands including La GranD (regional Mexican), La Zeta, Urbana (urban format), La Ranchera, and LA MAQUINA network, alongside general market stations. Programming is primarily Spanish-language with some English, Russian, Vietnamese, Korean, and Chinese stations. The portfolio includes both acquired stations (KFNY Seattle, KRCW Royal City, KQPT/KFMF/KZAP Chico) and organically operated stations across nine major markets, with national sales managed through Gen Media Partners and Entravision partnerships.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• LA MAQUINA: Radio network operated by Bustos Media
• La GranD
• La Z
• La Ranchera
• La Pantera
• Urbana

Products and services

• LA MAQUINA Radio Network
• La GranD Network
• La Zeta Network
• Urbana Network
• La Ranchera Network
• La Pantera Network
• National Advertising Sales Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Radio reaches 97% of U.S. Hispanics aged 18+ weekly - highest reach of any medium
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

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

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Farmworkers Educational Radio Network, Inc.minorOthers · 15 May 2019Seller of KRCW 96.3 FM station to Bustos Media for $200,000. Transaction brokered by KALIL & CO., INC.
• Ocean Stations Trust II LLCminorOthers · 5 May 2019Seller of KFNY 102.9 FM station to Bustos Media for $3,000,000. Station was put into Trust by iHeart when it acquired the CBS stations in Seattle. Deal brokered by Media Venture Partners Capital, LLC (MVP).
• MapletonminorOthers · 2 May 2019Seller of three FM radio stations (KQPT 107.5, KFMF 93.9 FM, KZAP 96.7) to Bustos Media for $400,000. Deal brokered by Jorgenson Broadcast Brokerage, Inc.
• Gen Media PartnerscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNational sales partner for Bustos Media, helping coordinate national advertising sales across the company's multi-state radio station portfolio.
• EntravisioncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNational sales partner providing coordinated national advertising sales capabilities for Bustos Media's radio stations.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Townsquare Media: Regional U.S. radio group focused on mid-sized and small markets outside top-10 cities, with local-sales-driven ad model. Comparable to Bustos Media's regional cluster strategy in markets like Yakima, Wenatchee, and Tri Cities.
• Alpha Media: Private U.S. radio group operating stations across regional and mid-sized markets. Comparable to Bustos Media in scale and multi-market local-sales orientation.
• Grupo Multimedios: Mexican media group with radio stations and content reaching U.S. Hispanic audiences via cross-border broadcasting. Comparable to Bustos Media in targeting Spanish-language listening in U.S. Hispanic markets.

Direct peers

• Entravision Communications: Public Spanish-language media company operating radio stations and TV stations targeting U.S. Hispanic audiences. Comparable to Bustos Media as it is also a national sales partner of Bustos and a direct competitor in Spanish-language radio ad sales.
• Lotus Communications: Privately held Hispanic-focused radio group operating Spanish-language and bilingual radio stations across the U.S. Closely comparable to Bustos Media in independent, Hispanic-owned multi-market radio operations.
• Uforia / TelevisaUnivision Audio: Audio division of TelevisaUnivision operating Spanish-language radio stations and streaming platform Uforia in U.S. Hispanic markets. Direct comparable to Bustos Media's Spanish-language radio stations and Hispanic ad-targeting model.
• Spanish Broadcasting System (SBS): Spanish-language media company operating radio stations in major U.S. Hispanic markets, plus digital properties. Direct comparable to Bustos Media in Hispanic-targeted radio broadcasting and ad-supported audio.

Broad incumbents

• Cumulus Media: Large-cap U.S. radio broadcaster with broad station portfolio across multiple formats and markets. Comparable to Bustos Media as a radio group operator competing for ad budgets.
• Salem Communications: Radio broadcaster focused on Christian and conservative formats, with multi-market station ownership. Comparable to Bustos Media as a multi-market niche radio group with format-specific audiences.
• iHeartMedia: Largest U.S. radio operator with thousands of stations across formats including Spanish-language. Comparable to Bustos Media as a radio broadcaster and a source of divested stations (e.g., Ocean Stations Trust II was set up by iHeart).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/lagrandpdx
• Facebookfacebook.com/lagrandpdx

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors3 records

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 Bustos Media