AM 560 The Answer

What AM 560 The Answer does

AM 560 The Answer (legal entity: WIND-AM) is a Chicago-market conservative talk radio station owned and operated by Salem Media Group (NASDAQ: SALM), a publicly traded diversified media company. Founded in 2004, the station broadcasts on the 560 kHz AM frequency and serves the Chicago metropolitan area with a combination of nationally syndicated conservative talk talent (Sean Hannity, Mike Gallagher, Hugh Hewitt, Larry Elder, Charlie Kirk, Dennis Prager, Jay Sekulow) and locally produced programming (Chicago's Morning Answer, The Real Story, Shaun Thompson Show).

The station's core technology is conventional AM broadcast infrastructure integrated with Salem's digital platform stack, including the OMNY podcast hosting system, native iOS and Android mobile applications, an Amazon Alexa voice skill ('The Answer Chicago'), website live streaming, and Salem News Channel video distribution. It maintains FCC regulatory compliance with a maintained Public File. Operational headcount is 11-50 employees under a management team led by Regional VP & GM John Gallagher, with Program Director (Marcus Brown), Operations Manager (Eric Thomas), and Chief Engineer (Josh Sigstad) handling programming, day-to-day operations, and broadcast engineering respectively.

AM 560 The Answer monetizes primarily through radio advertising sold via Salem Surround, Salem Media's bundled broadcast-and-digital multimedia marketing solution for local and national advertisers targeting the Chicago conservative audience. Secondary engagement mechanisms include the free Answer Advantage fan club (contests, discounts, member polls), multiple opt-in email newsletters (The Trump Report, conservative cartoons, 4 O'Clock Funnies, podcast insider), live events (annual Shaunfest, cruises, sweepstakes), and a teespring merchandise store. Pricing for advertising is not publicly disclosed and is handled through direct sales led by Regional VP & GM John Gallagher.

Name

AM 560 The Answer

Legal name

WIND-AM

Website

https://560theanswer.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

AM 560 The Answer is a Chicago-market conservative talk radio station (WIND-AM, 560 kHz) operated by Salem Media Group, broadcasting syndicated and local programming and monetizing through advertising on AM, mobile, Alexa, and podcast channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Talk Radio Broadcasting

NAICS

Radio Broadcasting Stations (516110), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (5162)

SIC

Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832)

akta.pro primary industry

News Talk Radio & Current Affairs Stations (MPABAIAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Talk/News/Sports Radio Networks & Syndication (MPAIAEAG), Internet Radio & Streaming Broadcast Stations (Simulcast/Online-only) (MPAIAEAE)

Keywords

• Conservative talk radio
• Radio broadcasting
• Political commentary programming
• Radio advertising sales
• Podcast distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Elk Grove Village

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Radio Advertising: The station's primary revenue stream comes from selling advertising slots to local and national businesses. The Salem Surround team provides comprehensive multimedia marketing solutions combining broadcast and digital advertising.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

AM 560 The Answer is a Chicago-area conservative talk radio station that broadcasts news, political commentary, and opinion programming 24/7 on AM 560 WIND, supported by syndicated national conservative hosts and locally produced Chicago content. The station distributes its programming across over-the-air AM radio, web live streaming, iOS/Android mobile apps, an Amazon Alexa skill, and major podcast platforms, and sells integrated broadcast and digital advertising to local and national advertisers through the Salem Surround sales team.

Product overview

AM 560 The Answer is a conservative talk radio station broadcasting on AM 560 WIND in Chicago, operated by Salem Media Group. The station operates as a platform-plus-modules architecture centered on live radio broadcasting augmented by digital distribution channels. Core offerings include the live AM 560 broadcast with syndicated hosts (Mike Gallagher, Hugh Hewitt, Sean Hannity, Larry Elder, Charlie Kirk) and local programming (Chicago's Morning Answer, The Real Story, Shaun Thompson Show); mobile apps for iPhone and Android; an Amazon Alexa skill for voice-controlled listening; and extensive podcast distribution via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and iHeart. The station layers additional engagement modules including The Answer Advantage free membership program with contests, discounts, and exclusive content; digital news aggregation from conservative outlets; community features like polls, surveys, and games; and email newsletter subscriptions covering news, comedy, and financial topics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• AM 560 The Answer - Live Radio Broadcast (WIND-AM) Live conservative talk radio broadcast on the AM 560 WIND frequency serving the Chicago metropolitan area, featuring locally produced shows (Chicago's Morning Answer, The Real Story, Shaun Thompson Show) and nationally syndicated conservative hosts (Mike Gallagher, Sean Hannity, Hugh Hewitt, Larry Elder, Charlie Kirk, Dennis Prager, Jay Sekulow, Dan Proft, Scott Jennings). Targeted at adult listeners in the Chicago metro seeking conservative news, political commentary, and opinion programming.
• AM 560 The Answer Mobile App (iOS and Android) Native mobile application available on Apple's App Store and Google Play that delivers the live AM 560 broadcast stream and access to podcast recordings of previous shows for Chicago-area conservative listeners and on-the-go digital audiences.
• Amazon Alexa Skill (The Answer Chicago) Voice-activated Alexa skill that streams the live AM 560 The Answer broadcast on Amazon Echo devices, targeted at listeners who want hands-free access to conservative talk radio content in their homes.
• Podcast Content Library On-demand podcast distribution of AM 560's programming including Mike Gallagher, Dennis Prager, Hugh Hewitt, Sean Hannity, Charlie Kirk, Larry Elder, Scott Jennings, Alex Marlow, and local Chicago shows, delivered via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, and other podcast directories. Targeted at listeners who want time-shifted access to conservative talk content.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Salem Media GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAM 560 The Answer is owned and operated by Salem Media Group, a major conservative media company. Salem Media provides syndicated programming, technical infrastructure, advertising sales support, and digital platform resources. The station operates within Salem's Chicago cluster under Salem Surround for integrated marketing solutions.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Salem Media Group: Parent company of AM 560 The Answer and the largest US operator of conservative-talk and Christian radio stations. Salem provides syndicated programming, digital infrastructure, and ad-sales support to the station, and operates similar-format stations nationwide.
• Audacy: Operator of WBBM Newsradio and other major-market news/talk stations via the former CBS Radio portfolio. Competes for Chicago-market AM advertising revenue and digital audio ad inventory.
• iHeartMedia: Largest US radio operator and owner of iHeartRadio, the largest podcast and streaming audio platform. Competes for both AM broadcast ad dollars and digital audio ad inventory at national scale.
• Cumulus Media: Major US radio operator with news/talk and conservative-leaning stations in multiple markets (including Westwood One syndication). Competes with AM 560 in syndication, audience reach, and national ad sales.

Direct peers

• WGN 720 AM: Chicago's flagship AM news/talk station owned by Nexstar Media Group. Competes for the same Chicago AM listener and the same local/regional advertising dollars, with a broader format but overlapping news and talk dayparts.
• WBBM Newsradio 780: Chicago's all-news AM station, part of Audacy. Competes head-to-head for Chicago news-adjacent advertisers and audience attention; complementary to AM 560 in the same AM news/talk ad market.
• WLS 890 AM: Chicago-market AM station that previously ran a conservative-talk format comparable to AM 560 before its 2018 format shift. Continues to compete in the Chicago AM news/talk advertising market with overlapping audience pools.
• WYLL 1160 AM: Salem Media Group's other Chicago-market AM station, focused on Christian conservative programming. It is the closest sibling property — same parent, same broadcast market, same digital distribution infrastructure — making it the most directly comparable operating asset.

Others

• Premiere Networks: iHeartMedia-owned radio syndicator that distributes many nationally prominent conservative hosts (including Sean Hannity). Functions as a B2B syndication peer/complement to Salem's syndication infrastructure for AM 560.
• Townhall Media: Conservative digital news publisher whose headlines (Townhall, Red State, Hot Air, PJ Media) are aggregated on AM 560's news page. Functions as a content partner rather than direct competitor, but operates in the same conservative media ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/am560theanswer
• Facebookfacebook.com/AM560TheAnswer

Compliance1 record

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 AM 560 The Answer