What WBBM-TV does

WBBM-TV, operating as CBS News Chicago, is a CBS owned-and-operated television station licensed to CBS Broadcasting Inc. and ultimately owned by Paramount Global (NASDAQ: PARA). The station broadcasts on Channel 2 in the Chicago designated market area, the third-largest U.S. television market, and has operated since 1940. Its core product is a unified local news platform delivering breaking news, weather forecasting, investigative journalism, sports coverage, and community reporting across Chicago, Northwest Indiana, and Southern Wisconsin.

The technical stack combines traditional over-the-air broadcast infrastructure with a digital platform spanning the CBS News Chicago website, iOS/Android mobile applications, Paramount+ streaming integration, and active social media distribution on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X. Notable proprietary components include the First Alert Weather brand with its dedicated forecasting team and interactive radar system, and the CBS 2 Investigators investigative journalism unit. Content spans local news, politics, consumer affairs, health, entertainment, and comprehensive coverage of all major Chicago professional sports franchises (Bears, Bulls, Blackhawks, Cubs, White Sox, Fire, Red Stars, Sky).

The revenue model is multi-stream: television and digital advertising sales across news, weather, sports, and entertainment programming; broadcast rights and retransmission fees for local sports; and subscription revenue through Paramount+ where CBS News Chicago content is distributed to streaming subscribers. The station serves a broad consumer audience in the Chicago metropolitan area, with advertisers as the primary paying customers. Pricing is freemium: over-the-air broadcast and digital website/app access are free with advertising support, while Paramount+ requires a paid subscription for full streaming access.

Name

WBBM-TV

Legal name

CBS Broadcasting Inc.

Website

https://chicago.cbslocal.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1940

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

WBBM-TV (CBS News Chicago) is a Paramount Global-owned CBS television station serving the Chicago DMA with local news, weather, investigative journalism, and sports coverage distributed via broadcast, digital, mobile, and Paramount+ streaming.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Broadcast Television News

NAICS

Television Broadcasting Stations (51612)

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 News & Weather Stations (MPABACAJ)

Keywords

• Local television news
• Broadcast journalism
• Weather forecasting
• Investigative reporting
• Live news streaming

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Advertising Revenue: Television advertising and digital advertising placements across news content, weather reports, sports coverage, and entertainment segments
2. Broadcast Rights: Television broadcasting rights for local sports teams including Chicago Bears, Bulls, Blackhawks, Cubs, White Sox, Fire, and Red Stars
3. Streaming Subscriptions: Paramount+ streaming platform carrying CBS News Chicago content and live broadcasts

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

WBBM-TV operates as a CBS-owned-and-operated local television station (CBS News Chicago) serving the Chicago metropolitan area, including Northwest Indiana and Southern Wisconsin. It delivers breaking news, First Alert Weather forecasting, investigative journalism (CBS 2 Investigators), and local sports coverage across over-the-air broadcast, website, mobile app, and streaming platforms.

Product overview

WBBM-TV operates as a local CBS-affiliated television station providing comprehensive news coverage for the Chicago metropolitan area. The core offering is CBS News Chicago, a unified news platform delivering breaking news, First Alert Weather forecasting, and CBS 2 Investigators investigative journalism. Content spans multiple verticals including local news, sports (Bears, Bulls, Cubs, White Sox, Blackhawks), politics, consumer news, health, and entertainment. Distribution includes the main website, mobile app, live streaming, and social media integration. The station serves communities across Chicago, Indiana (particularly Lake County), and Wisconsin.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CBS News Chicago (WBBM-TV) Local television news station providing breaking news, weather, investigative journalism, sports coverage, and community reporting for the Chicago metropolitan area, including Indiana and Southern Wisconsin coverage.
• CBS 2 Investigators

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• CBS NewscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCBS News Chicago is a local affiliate of CBS News, part of CBS Broadcasting Inc. and Paramount Global. The station operates under the CBS News brand and utilizes network resources, branding, and content frameworks.
• Paramount+coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorParamount+ streaming platform distributes CBS News Chicago content including live broadcasts and on-demand news programming to subscribers nationwide.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• WFLD (FOX 32 Chicago): Fox-owned Chicago market station delivering local news and FOX network programming. Direct competitor in the Chicago DMA for viewers, ad revenue, and sports/weather coverage.
• WMAQ-TV (NBC 5 Chicago): NBCUniversal O&O television station serving the same Chicago DMA. Competes head-to-head in local news, weather, and prime-time network audience share against WBBM-TV.
• WLS-TV (ABC 7 Chicago): ABC O&O television station serving the Chicago DMA with local news, weather, and network programming. Directly competes with WBBM-TV for Chicago ratings, advertising share, and retransmission fees.
• WTTW (PBS Chicago): Chicago's primary PBS member station, providing local news, public affairs, and educational programming. Competes for advertiser-supported and underserved-audience share in the same DMA as WBBM-TV.
• WGN-TV (CW Chicago): Long-established Chicago local station now under Nexstar, operating as a CW affiliate and independent. Competes for local news viewers and Chicago advertising dollars alongside WBBM-TV.

Broad incumbents

• KCBS-TV (CBS Los Angeles): Sister CBS O&O station serving the Los Angeles DMA. Same network affiliation, parent company (Paramount), and operating playbook as WBBM-TV - directly comparable business model in another top market.
• WCBS-TV (CBS New York): CBS O&O station serving the New York DMA. Shares the CBS News network infrastructure, brand, and operational stack with WBBM-TV, and is the most directly comparable large-market CBS station.
• Nexstar Media Group: Largest U.S. TV station operator (owns WGN and Tribune portfolio). Competes directly with WBBM-TV for local advertising share in Chicago and sets the M&A comparable for large-market station valuations.
• Tegna: Large U.S. TV station group operating network-affiliated stations in mid and large markets. Comparable station operating model to WBBM-TV and a frequent peer in broadcast M&A analysis.
• Sinclair Broadcast Group: Major U.S. broadcast station group with network affiliate and regional sports operations. Overlaps with WBBM-TV's business model of operating local affiliates and sports content rights.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/cbschicago
• YouTubeyoutube.com/cbschicago
• Facebookfacebook.com/cbschicago
• Instagraminstagram.com/cbschicago
• TikToktiktok.com/@cbschicago
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cbs-local

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 WBBM-TV