News Talk 980 CKNW

What News Talk 980 CKNW does

News Talk 980 CKNW is an AM news/talk radio station broadcasting on 980 kHz from Vancouver, British Columbia, founded in 1994 and operating as a property within the Global News division of Corus Entertainment Inc. (TSX: CJR), a publicly-traded Canadian media conglomerate led by Doug Murphy. The station serves a mass-market consumer audience in Metro Vancouver and the Lower Mainland, producing news, talk, and current-affairs programming that is distributed across terrestrial AM radio, the globalnews.ca digital platform, a connected/streaming live feed, the Curiouscast podcast network, and a broad social-media footprint (X, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, Telegram, BlueSky). As part of Corus's integrated TV-radio-digital portfolio, CKNW shares newsroom resources, on-air talent pools, and corporate ad-sales infrastructure with sister Global Television stations and other Corus radio properties across British Columbia, Ontario, Alberta, Quebec, and Atlantic Canada.

The station's revenue model is anchored in broadcast advertising (local and national spot buys), supplemented by digital advertising on Global News web/mobile/social surfaces, podcast monetisation through Curiouscast, and an emerging affiliate/performance-commerce stream via the "The Curator" sub-brand that curates product recommendations. The business is monetised through a mass-audience, high-impression advertising model rather than subscription or enterprise contracts; no subscription pricing, enterprise customer logos, or B2B contract values are publicly disclosed. The station's competitive position is supported by a CRTC broadcasting licence (a regulated, finite asset), a 30-year brand in the Vancouver market, and the distribution and cross-promotion leverage of being embedded within a national media conglomerate.

Operationally, the station is governed as a division of Corus Entertainment rather than as a stand-alone corporate entity, meaning strategic capital allocation, M&A, and divestiture decisions are made at the conglomerate level. The provided source data contains no information on AI/ML capabilities, proprietary technology platforms, patents, named enterprise customers, or specific financial performance for CKNW or the Global News radio division, which limits standalone investment analysis.

Name

News Talk 980 CKNW

Legal name

Global News (division of Corus Entertainment Inc.)

Website

https://globalnews.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Radio Broadcasting

NAICS

Radio Broadcasting Stations (516110)

SIC

Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832)

akta.pro primary industry

News Talk Radio & Current Affairs Stations (MPABAIAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

News/Talk Radio Networks (MPABABAD)

Keywords

• News talk radio
• AM radio broadcasting
• Local news coverage
• Radio programming
• Podcast distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Core offering

News Talk 980 CKNW is a Vancouver-based AM news/talk radio station broadcasting on the 980 frequency under the Global News brand, delivering continuous local, national, and international news, talk programming, traffic, weather, sports, and lifestyle content to British Columbia audiences. The station distributes programming via traditional AM radio, the GlobalNews.ca digital platform, and the Curiouscast podcast network as part of Corus Entertainment's media portfolio.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Curator: A shopping and deals content section featuring curated product recommendations, lifestyle content, and affiliate marketing partnerships
• Focus Ontario

Products and services

• News Talk 980 CKNW AM Radio Broadcast Continuous AM 980 news/talk radio broadcast serving Metro Vancouver and British Columbia with local, national, and international news, talk shows, traffic, weather, sports, politics, money, and lifestyle content for adult listeners in the station's coverage area.
• GlobalNews.ca Digital News Platform Online news destination at globalnews.ca that distributes written articles, video, and live national streaming coverage of Canadian and world news, politics, money, health, entertainment, lifestyle, sports, and local BC content to digital readers.
• Curiouscast Podcast Network Curiouscast podcast network distributing on-demand audio programming from Global News and partner shows, accessible via curiouscast.ca and integrated podcast platforms for listeners seeking news and talk content on demand.
• Live National Video Stream Live video streaming of Global National and other Global News television programming accessible via globalnews.ca/live for viewers seeking real-time national news coverage.
• Breaking News Email and Smart-Speaker Alerts Subscription-based breaking news alerts delivered via email and connected devices including Alexa, allowing listeners and readers to receive push notifications of developing stories.

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Rogers Sports & Media: Rogers-owned media conglomerate running CityNews television, radio stations, and digital news properties across Canada. A broader incumbent competing with CKNW for audience and ad revenue in Canadian news media.
• Bell Media (CTV News / BNN): Bell Media's radio and television news properties are broader-incumbent competitors operating Canadian radio stations and 24-hour news television that compete with CKNW and Global News for news audiences and advertising budgets.

Emerging players

• SiriusXM Canada: Satellite and streaming audio service in Canada offering news, talk, and music channels. An emerging/alternative distribution competitor to terrestrial news/talk AM radio stations like CKNW, particularly for in-car and mobile listening.

Direct peers

• 770 CHQR: Calgary news/talk radio station also operated under Global News / Corus Entertainment. Direct comparable to CKNW in format (news/talk), ownership, and market positioning within the Corus Western Canada radio cluster.
• Newstalk 1010 (CFRB): Toronto-based news/talk radio station. Comparable to CKNW as a flagship AM news/talk outlet in a major Canadian market with similar format, audience demographics, and advertising model.
• 680 News (CFTR): Toronto all-news radio station. Comparable to CKNW for its format of continuous local news and information programming serving a major Canadian metropolitan market.
• 630 CHED: Edmonton news/talk radio station under Global News / Corus Entertainment. Direct comparable to CKNW as a sister news/talk station within the same Corus radio portfolio serving Western Canada.
• CityNews (Rogers): Rogers-owned news operation serving multiple Canadian cities. Comparable to CKNW/ Global News as a competing local/regional news brand with TV, radio, and digital surfaces reaching urban Canadian audiences.
• CBC Radio One: Canada's national public news/talk radio network. Directly comparable to CKNW as a primary Canadian news and current affairs radio broadcaster serving metropolitan audiences with news, talk, and information programming.

Others

• Curiouscast (Corus Podcasts): Corus Entertainment's podcast network. Comparable to CKNW as a sister-owned on-demand audio surface that extends the reach of Global News and CKNW content into podcasting, providing an adjacent distribution channel.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CKNW
• YouTubeyoutube.com/globalnews
• Facebookfacebook.com/cknw980
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/global-television
• Instagraminstagram.com/globalnews
• TikToktiktok.com/@globalnews.ca

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 News Talk 980 CKNW