WGNS Radio

What WGNS Radio does

WGNS Radio is a privately held, full-service AM radio station broadcasting on 1450 AM from its headquarters at 306 South Church Street in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Founded in 1947, the station serves Rutherford County and surrounding Middle Tennessee communities (including Smyrna and La Vergne) with a hyper-local content mix: breaking news, MTSU Blue Raiders athletics, prep sports, weather, obituaries, public notices, and community recognition programming such as Emergency Responder of the Week, Volunteer of the Week, Good Neighbor of the Day, and Educator of the Month. The station has 11–50 employees and operates as an independent local media business with no parent company or institutional investor evidenced in the source data.

The core technology stack is traditional AM/FM broadcasting supplemented by internet streaming on wgnsradio.com, a YouTube Live channel (@NewsRadioWGNS), an on-demand podcast portfolio (Wake Up Crew, Rutherford Roundup, Action Line, Roundtable, Rick Burgess Show, Ramsey Show, All Sports Talk, Coast to Coast, and others), an SMS text alert service, and an email newsletter. There is no proprietary technology, no mobile app, and no disclosed AI/ML capabilities. Distribution runs across broadcast, web, video, podcast, and push-notification channels.

WGNS generates revenue primarily through local advertising and sponsorships sold to Rutherford County businesses. The station offers program sponsorships, website banner ads, and on-air promotional mentions. Revenue is concentrated in a single Mid-Tennessee market and a single revenue stream (advertising), with no public pricing, no subscription product, and no syndication. Core partnerships include Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) for athletics coverage and Rutherford County Emergency Services for first-responder recognition content, with local restaurants (Demos', Toot's) sponsoring community recognition segments.

Name

WGNS Radio

Legal name

WGNS Radio

Website

https://wgnsradio.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1947

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

WGNS Radio is an independently owned AM radio station (1450 AM) in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, delivering local news, sports, weather, and community programming to Rutherford County listeners via broadcast, streaming, podcast, and YouTube, funded by local advertising.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Radio Broadcasting

NAICS

Radio Broadcasting Stations (51611)

SIC

Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832)

akta.pro primary industry

Commercial Terrestrial Radio Broadcasting (AM/FM) (MPAIAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Network-Affiliated Local Radio Stations (News/Talk/Sports Syndication Affiliates) (MPABACAF), Internet Radio & Streaming Broadcast Stations (Simulcast/Online-only) (MPAIAEAE), Local News & Weather Stations (MPABACAJ)

Keywords

• Local radio broadcasting
• Community news coverage
• Am radio station
• Regional sports broadcasting
• Local advertising sales

Headquarters

HQ city

Murfreesboro

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. Advertising and Sponsorships: WGNS Radio generates revenue primarily through local advertising sold to businesses in the Rutherford County area. The station offers various advertising packages and sponsorships including program sponsorships, banner ads on the website, and promotional mentions during broadcasts.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

WGNS Radio is a local AM radio station broadcasting on 1450 AM from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, delivering hyper-local news, MTSU and prep sports, weather, and community programming to Rutherford County listeners. The station operates a complementary digital platform with on-demand podcasts, internet streaming, YouTube Live, SMS text alerts, and an email newsletter. Revenue is generated primarily through local advertising packages, program sponsorships, and banner ads sold to businesses in the Murfreesboro and surrounding communities.

Product overview

WGNS Radio is a traditional local AM radio station serving Rutherford County and Middle Tennessee. The station operates as a unified broadcast platform offering live radio programming alongside a portfolio of digital content services including podcasts, news delivery, sports coverage, weather updates, and community-focused features. The digital presence complements the core broadcast with on-demand podcasts, text and email alert subscriptions, an events calendar, and community features like Emergency Responder salutes and volunteer recognition programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• WGNS Radio Broadcast Local AM radio station broadcasting news, sports, weather, and community content on 1450 AM to Rutherford County and surrounding areas in Middle Tennessee for local listeners.
• Podcasts

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Demos' RestaurantminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal restaurant sponsor of the Emergency Responder of the Week program, providing dinner recognition for honorees.
• Toot's RestaurantsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal restaurant chain providing gift cards for Volunteer of the Week nominees and community recognition programs.
• Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for MTSU Sports coverage including football, basketball, and athletic news through the Go Blue Raiders website integration.
• Rutherford County Emergency ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing collaboration featuring Emergency Responder of the Week, recognizing paramedics, firefighters, police officers, and dispatchers.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Beasley Media Group: Owns and operates radio stations in mid-sized U.S. markets, with a focus on local programming and community engagement. Comparable in operating local radio stations and selling local advertising.
• WSM Radio (650 AM): Legendary Nashville-based AM news/talk and country music radio station serving Middle Tennessee. Direct competitor for audience share and regional advertising dollars in the same geographic market as WGNS.
• Salem Communications: Multi-station operator focused on news/talk and Christian formats in mid-sized U.S. markets. Comparable business model of local advertising-funded talk-formatted radio stations targeting community audiences.
• Townsquare Media: Operates a portfolio of local radio stations in small and mid-sized U.S. markets, with a similar focus on hyper-local content and local advertising. Comparable local radio station operator business model.
• Lotus Communications: Privately held owner of local radio stations in small and mid-sized U.S. markets. Comparable independent local broadcaster model with similar reliance on local ad revenue.
• Bonneville International: Family-owned operator of local radio stations in markets including Salt Lake City, San Francisco, and Seattle. Comparable local radio business with community-focused content and local advertising model.

Broad incumbents

• iHeartMedia: Largest U.S. radio broadcaster with hundreds of stations plus the iHeartRadio streaming platform. Broad incumbent competitor that sells local and national advertising and competes in the same audio ad market.
• Cumulus Media: Major U.S. radio broadcaster with stations across the country including in Nashville-area markets. Broad incumbent that competes for local advertisers and audience with overlapping news/talk and music formats.
• Audacy: Large multi-market U.S. radio operator with stations in major Tennessee markets. Broad incumbent with overlapping sales channels into Middle Tennessee and digital distribution (Audacy app) competing with WGNS streaming.
• Cox Media Group: Operates radio and TV stations in multiple U.S. markets. Broad incumbent competitor in the local broadcast advertising category with overlapping audio and digital content offerings.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@NewsRadioWGNS/live
• Xx.com/WGNSRadio
• Facebookfacebook.com/WGNSradio
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wgns

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 WGNS Radio