Talk Radio 96.7

What Talk Radio 96.7 does

Talk Radio 96.7 (legal call sign WLKF) is a locally programmed AM/FM radio station headquartered at 404 W. Lime Street, Lakeland, Florida, and owned and operated by Hall Communications, Inc., a privately held diversified broadcast group that runs 17 stations across Vermont, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Florida. WLKF has broadcast continuously since May 15, 1936, originally as WLAK on 1310 AM; it currently simulcasts on AM 1430 and FM 96.7, providing 24-hour news, talk, and sports programming to Polk County, Florida. The station blends national syndicated shows (Brian Kilmeade, Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, Dave Ramsey, Eric Metaxas, Kim Komando) with locally produced segments such as Sports Central, The O-Zone, Dollars and Sense, Ask the Preacher, Downtown Dish, Lakeland Insider, and Ask the Experts, plus designated coverage of Florida State University Seminoles football.

The station's technical foundation is conventional AM/FM broadcast technology licensed by the FCC, extended online through a SoCast-powered website that handles digital streaming, contest management, and an opt-in Email Club newsletter. National and international news is delivered live at the top of each hour via an ABC News partnership, statewide coverage comes through the Florida Radio Network, and wire content arrives via Associated Press affiliation; severe weather alerting is provided exclusively through BayNews 9. Hallcast, a Hall Communications property, distributes selected shows as podcasts. Full-time station staff comprises roughly 3-5 people including Promotions Director Jessica Brown, Executive Vice President Nancy Cattarius, and General Manager/Vice President Billy Baldwin.

Talk Radio 96.7 monetizes exclusively through advertising. Inventory is sold directly by the station's business office via quote-based rate cards (not publicly disclosed), available as standalone WLKF spots or bundled with sister stations 97.5 WPCV and My Max Music under the 'Big 4 of Lakeland' cluster brand. Digital banner ads run on the station website, with Hall Marketing Solutions offering multi-platform (radio + digital) advertising packages. The primary customer base consists of local and regional SMBs in Polk County, supplemented by national advertisers seeking local-market reach through syndicated programs; the listener base is Polk County residents seeking local news, weather, sports, and community-focused programming.

Name

Talk Radio 96.7

Legal name

Hall Communications, Inc.

Website

https://wlkf.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1936

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Talk Radio 96.7 (WLKF) is a Lakeland, Florida AM/FM radio station owned by Hall Communications, broadcasting 24-hour local news, talk, and sports programming to Polk County listeners. It monetizes through direct-to-advertiser radio and digital ad sales, bundled across Hall Communications' station cluster.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Radio Broadcasting

NAICS

Radio Broadcasting Stations (516110)

SIC

Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832)

akta.pro primary industry

Network-Affiliated Local Radio Stations (News/Talk/Sports Syndication Affiliates) (MPABACAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Local Radio Station Groups (Owned & Operated/Station Chains) (MPABACAC), Talk/News/Sports Radio Networks & Syndication (MPAIAEAG)

Keywords

• Local radio broadcasting
• Talk radio station
• Radio advertising sales
• Syndicated talk programming
• Community news coverage

Headquarters

HQ city

Lakeland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

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 Sales: The station generates revenue through sale of radio advertising airtime to local and national advertisers. The advertising page offers stations 97.5 WPCV, My Max Music, and Talk Radio 96.7 for advertiser consideration, suggesting bundled or individual station advertising packages.
2. Digital Advertising: The station website displays banner advertisements and promotional content, including Bay News 9 weather advertising and Hall Marketing Solutions digital advertising services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Talk Radio 96.7 (WLKF) operates as a local talk radio station broadcasting on AM 1430 and FM 96.7 in Lakeland, Florida, delivering 24-hour programming that combines syndicated national talk shows (Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, Brian Kilmeade, Dave Ramsey, Eric Metaxas, Kim Komando) with locally-produced content covering local news, sports, weather, and community topics. The station monetizes its audience by selling advertising airtime to local and national businesses through Hall Marketing Solutions and offers digital design services as a complementary offering.

Product overview

Talk Radio 96.7 FM/1430 AM (WLKF) is a local radio station owned and operated by Hall Communications, broadcasting from Lakeland, Florida. The station operates on dual frequencies—FM 96.7 and AM 1430—providing 24-hour programming. The core product is the radio broadcast service featuring a mix of local programming and national syndicated shows. Local programming includes Ask the Experts, Sports Central, The O-Zone, Dollars and Sense, Ask the Preacher, Downtown Dish, and Lakeland Insider. National syndicated programming includes Brian Kilmeade (9AM-Noon), Glenn Beck (Noon-3PM), Sean Hannity (3PM-6PM), Dave Ramsey (7PM-10PM), Eric Metaxas (10PM-1AM), and Kim Komando (Saturdays). The station also provides news coverage (24-hour at top of each hour, Florida Radio Network, AP affiliate) and sports coverage including Florida State University Seminoles football. Advertising services are offered through Hall Marketing Solutions and Digital Design for businesses seeking to advertise across radio and digital platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• WLKF Talk Radio 96.7 / AM 1430 24-hour local talk radio broadcast service delivered on AM 1430 and FM 96.7 to listeners in Lakeland and Polk County, Florida, combining syndicated national talk programming with locally-produced news, sports, weather, and community-focused shows such as Sports Central, Ask the Preacher, The O-Zone, Dollars and Sense, Downtown Dish, Lakeland Insider, and Ask the Experts.
• Hall Marketing Solutions (Radio Advertising) Radio advertising sales service that places commercial spots on WLKF Talk Radio 96.7 / AM 1430 for local and regional businesses seeking to reach the Lakeland/Polk County listening audience. Sold through the station's business office.
• Digital Design Services Digital design service offering creative production of advertising assets to support clients purchasing airtime on Talk Radio 96.7.

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Hall CommunicationscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHall Communications, Inc. (also known as 'Big 4 of Lakeland') is the parent company that owns and operates WLKF. The company owns and operates 17 radio stations across Vermont, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Florida. WLKF is one of four stations branded as the 'Big 4 of Lakeland' alongside 97.5 WPCV and My Max Music.
• BayNews 9coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBayNews 9 provides weather radar and severe weather coverage for WLKF listeners. The station displays Bay News 9 weather radar on its website and teams up with BayNews 9 to bring listeners the most complete and accurate coverage when bad weather threatens Polk County.
• ABC NewscoreTechnology or IntegrationNational and world news provided by ABC News, delivered live at the top of each hour 24 hours daily as part of the station's continuous news programming.
• Florida Radio News (FRN)coreTechnology or IntegrationFlorida Radio News provides statewide Florida news coverage supplementing local news from WLKF employees in Lakeland. Part of the station's strategy to keep listeners informed with state and local news.
• Associated PresscoreTechnology or IntegrationWLKF is an Associated Press affiliate, providing access to AP news content and potentially news wire services.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Saga Communications: Mid-market-focused US radio broadcaster operating news/talk and music formats in similar-sized DMAs to Lakeland. Comparable as a regional cluster operator with the same local-station economics and syndicated talk dayparts.
• Salem Communications: Publicly traded US radio broadcaster specializing in news/talk and conservative talk formats — the closest format-specialist comparable to WLKF. Operates comparable syndicated-host-driven stations in mid-sized markets across the country.
• WPCV 97.5: Sister station under Hall Communications in the same Lakeland cluster, sold as part of the 'Big 4 of Lakeland' bundled ad package with WLKF. Directly comparable as a co-located Hall-owned local radio asset with shared sales force and back office.
• My Max Music (WLMX-FM): Third station in Hall Communications' Lakeland 'Big 4' cluster, sold in the same bundled advertising package alongside WLKF. Direct peer as a co-located Hall-owned local broadcaster with shared resources and overlapping audience.

Broad incumbents

• Cumulus Media: Major US radio broadcaster with significant news/talk station portfolio and Westwood One syndication arm. Operates comparable talk-format stations and competes for the same national advertisers as WLKF.
• Beasley Broadcast Group: Publicly traded US radio broadcaster with stations concentrated in mid-sized Southeastern and Florida markets. Comparable as a regional radio operator with overlapping advertiser base and format mix including talk.
• Townsquare Media: Mid-sized US radio operator focused on small and mid-sized markets — the closest geographic and demographic comparable to WLKF at greater scale. Operates comparable news/talk and sports formats in similar DMAs.
• Cox Media Group: Diversified local media company operating radio stations in similar Southeast US markets, including news/talk formats. Comparable as a multi-station regional broadcaster with overlapping advertiser relationships.
• iHeartMedia: Largest US radio broadcaster, operating hundreds of news/talk stations that carry the same syndicated hosts (Hannity, Beck, Ramsey) as WLKF. Comparable as a portfolio operator in the same content and advertising markets, though at vastly greater scale.
• Audacy: Major US radio operator (formerly Entercom/CBS Radio) running news/talk and sports talk formats nationally, including CBS Sports Radio syndication. Comparable as a multi-format incumbent competing for the same talk-radio ad dollars.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/TalkRadio967
• Xx.com/mayhemam

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Talk Radio 96.7