KNBR Radio
KNBR Radio is the San Francisco Bay Area's sports talk station, broadcasting on 680 AM and 1050 AM as "The Sports Leader" with flagship coverage of the 49ers, Giants, Warriors, Stanford, and SJ Earthquakes, plus podcasts, mobile apps, and digital streaming owned by Cumulus Media.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1922
- HeadquartersAtlanta, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What KNBR Radio does
KNBR Radio is a sports talk radio station operating in the San Francisco Bay Area, broadcasting on 680 AM and 1050 AM under the brand "The Sports Leader." Founded in 1922, the station delivers live sports play-by-play, talk programming, and personality-driven shows catering to Bay Area fans of the San Francisco 49ers, San Francisco Giants, Golden State Warriors, Stanford athletics, and San Jose Earthquakes. Its content portfolio extends beyond live AM broadcasts into on-demand distribution via iOS and Android mobile apps, a podcast lineup (Murph & Markus, Papa & Silver, Dirty Work, Sportsphone, Dubs OT, Niners Nightly), and the thesportsleader.com digital property built on the SoCast publishing platform. The station is owned by Cumulus Media (NASDAQ: CWMK) and is headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area with a listed employee count of 1-10.
The business model is free-to-listen and advertising-supported, monetizing its audience through local and Cumulus-sold advertising inventory across live broadcasts, digital streams, podcasts, and on-demand content. Distribution is multi-channel by design: over-the-air AM broadcast, mobile applications, the website, and podcast syndication. The station leverages flagship team broadcast rights and long-tenured on-air personalities as primary content anchors, with digital extensions serving as reach-extension and audience-development tools rather than standalone revenue lines.
Operating as a subsidiary within a national broadcast group, KNBR benefits from shared corporate infrastructure (ad sales, syndication, programming support) while functioning as a single-market local content brand. The combination of regulatory broadcast licensing, decades of brand heritage, and embedded local sports team relationships forms the core of its competitive position; however, the underlying AM broadcast medium is structurally declining, and the digital properties described appear to be adaptive rather than transformative.
KNBR Radio firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- KNBR Radio
- Legal name
- KNBR
- Website
- https://knbr.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1922
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- KNBR Radio is the San Francisco Bay Area's sports talk station, broadcasting on 680 AM and 1050 AM as "The Sports Leader" with flagship coverage of the 49ers, Giants, Warriors, Stanford, and SJ Earthquakes, plus podcasts, mobile apps, and digital streaming owned by Cumulus Media.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
KNBR Radio industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Sports Radio Broadcasting
- NAICS
- Radio Broadcasting Stations (51611), Radio Broadcasting Stations (516110)
- SIC
- Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sports Radio Networks & Talk Stations (MPABAJAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Radio Program Syndication (Talk, Music, Sports) (MPABAMAE), News/Talk Radio Networks (MPABABAD), Sports Digital Audio Broadcasts (Live Radio, Play-by-Play, Podcasts) (MPAKAOAG), Internet Radio & Streaming Broadcast Stations (Simulcast/Online-only) (MPAIAEAE)
Keywords
Where KNBR Radio is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Atlanta
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
KNBR Radio business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Advertising Revenue: KNBR generates revenue through advertising sales, featuring sponsorships and ads across its radio broadcasts, website, and podcast content. The station operates with commercial break programming typical of traditional sports radio.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels5 records
KNBR Radio product offering
Product offeringCore offering
KNBR Radio operates a sports talk radio station on AM 680 and AM 1050 in the San Francisco Bay Area, delivering live play-by-play coverage of local teams (49ers, Giants, Warriors, Stanford Football, SJ Earthquakes), daily sports talk programming with expert hosts, and on-demand podcasts distributed via its website TheSportsLeader.com, mobile applications, and major podcast platforms. The station is free to listen to and monetizes its audience through advertising and sponsorships across broadcast, digital streaming, and podcast inventory.
Product overview
KNBR Radio is a traditional sports radio broadcasting company operating KNBR AM 680 and KNBR 1050 AM stations in the San Francisco Bay Area. The company offers a digital platform at TheSportsLeader.com featuring live radio streaming, on-demand podcasts, and sports news coverage. Key programming includes live shows (The Murph & Markus Show, Papa & Silver, Dirty Work, Sportsphone, Niners Nightly, Dubs OT, Just Dubs), mobile applications for iOS and Android, and comprehensive coverage of local teams including the San Francisco 49ers, San Francisco Giants, Golden State Warriors, Stanford Football, and SJ Earthquakes.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- KNBR AM 680 Radio Station
Companies that use KNBR Radio
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
KNBR Radio technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
KNBR Radio partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators1 record
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights3 records
KNBR Radio competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Bleacher Report: Digital-first sports media brand with strong social and audio distribution. Comparable to KNBR as a Bay Area sports content competitor that captures the same fan attention and digital ad spend.
- The Athletic: Subscription-based sports journalism platform with deep local team coverage including the Bay Area. Comparable to KNBR as a sports content competitor targeting loyal local fan audiences.
Broad incumbents
- SiriusXM: Subscription satellite and streaming audio service with dedicated sports talk channels and play-by-play rights. Comparable to KNBR as a sports audio distributor competing for in-car and on-demand listening share.
- Audacy: Major US radio broadcaster with sports talk stations and podcast networks. Comparable to KNBR as a multi-format radio competitor that monetizes sports audio inventory and podcast distribution.
- iHeartMedia: Largest US radio broadcaster with extensive sports audio including Fox Sports Radio. Comparable to KNBR in radio operations, ad sales scale, podcast distribution, and AM/FM broadcast infrastructure.
- Fox Sports Radio: iHeartMedia-operated national sports talk radio network with syndicated programming. Comparable to KNBR as a sports talk format competitor targeting national sports audiences and ad budgets.
- Cumulus Media: KNBR's parent company and one of the largest US radio operators. Comparable as both an operational peer (multi-format radio broadcaster) and a strategic counterparty whose capital and ad-sales infrastructure support KNBR.
- ESPN Radio: National sports radio network offering talk programming and live play-by-play across hundreds of affiliates. Comparable to KNBR as a sports talk and live sports audio competitor for sports fans and advertising dollars.
Direct peers
- WFAN 660 AM / 101.9 FM: New York City's flagship sports talk radio station, also a Cumulus Media property. Comparable to KNBR as a major-market, multi-platform sports radio brand with a deep daily show lineup and cross-platform distribution.
Regional players
- 95.7 The Game (KGMZ-FM): Bay Area sports radio competitor on FM, also owned by Cumulus Media. Directly competes with KNBR for the same Bay Area sports fan audience and advertising spend under the same parent.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
KNBR Radio social profiles
Digital presenceKNBR Radio financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
KNBR Radio leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
KNBR Radio funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
KNBR Radio M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about KNBR Radio
What does KNBR Radio do?
KNBR Radio operates a sports talk radio station on AM 680 and AM 1050 in the San Francisco Bay Area, delivering live play-by-play coverage of local teams (49ers, Giants, Warriors, Stanford Football, SJ Earthquakes), daily sports talk programming with expert hosts, and on-demand podcasts distributed via its website TheSportsLeader.com, mobile applications, and major podcast platforms. The station is free to listen to and monetizes its audience through advertising and sponsorships across broadcast, digital streaming, and podcast inventory.
Is KNBR Radio a public or private company?
KNBR Radio is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was KNBR Radio founded?
KNBR Radio was founded in 1922. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is KNBR Radio based?
KNBR Radio is headquartered in Atlanta, United States, in the North America region.
How does KNBR Radio make money?
One revenue line is on record: advertising Revenue.
Who are KNBR Radio's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Bleacher Report and The Athletic. Broad incumbents are SiriusXM, Audacy, iHeartMedia, Fox Sports Radio, Cumulus Media and ESPN Radio. WFAN 660 AM / 101.9 FM is listed as a direct peer. 95.7 The Game (KGMZ-FM) is listed as a regional player.
Does KNBR Radio have an API?
No public API is recorded for KNBR Radio.
What industry is KNBR Radio in?
KNBR Radio's product category is Sports Radio Broadcasting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPABAJAB, Sports Radio Networks & Talk Stations, with a secondary code of MPABAMAE, Radio Program Syndication (Talk, Music, Sports). Its NAICS code is 51611 and its SIC code is 4832.