580 CFRA

What 580 CFRA does

580 CFRA (branded "Newstalk 580 CFRA" and "Ottawa's News Talk Radio") is a local news/talk AM radio station broadcasting on the 580 AM frequency from studios at 87 George Street in downtown Ottawa, Ontario. The station serves the National Capital Region, delivering local Ottawa news, regional political coverage, traffic and weather updates, sports, community affairs, and talk radio programming. It is owned and operated by Bell Media, a wholly-owned subsidiary of BCE Inc. (TSX: BCE), rather than as a standalone commercial enterprise.

The station's technical foundation combines traditional over-the-air AM broadcast infrastructure with multi-platform digital distribution through the iHeartRadio streaming platform (iHeartMedia), which extends the station's reach across web, iOS and Android mobile applications, smart speakers (Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa), automotive platforms, and a dedicated YouTube channel for video clips and interviews. Content is organized into eight-plus branded shows including The Morning Rush with Bill Carroll, Ottawa Now with Kristy Cameron, Ottawa at Work with Patricia Boal, The Vassy Kapelos Show, Experts On Call, House Call with Dr. Barry Dworkin, Open House (Real Estate & Mortgage Show), and Shane Hewitt and The Nightshift, each available as live broadcasts and on-demand podcasts. Regional news content is supplied through a content partnership with CTV News.

The business model is traditional broadcast advertising: revenue is generated from commercials, sponsored segments, and promotional announcements aired during programming, rather than from any consumer-facing product or subscription. As a sub-scale operating unit within Bell Media's broader radio and television portfolio, 580 CFRA reports approximately 10 employees and consolidates its financials into BCE Inc. with no standalone revenue disclosure.

Name

580 CFRA

Legal name

Bell Media (operated by BCE Inc.)

Website

https://cfra.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

580 CFRA is Ottawa's news/talk AM radio station (580 AM), operated by Bell Media under BCE Inc., serving the National Capital Region with local news, political coverage, and talk programming distributed via AM broadcast, iHeartRadio streaming, podcasts, smart speakers, and YouTube.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

AM News/Talk Radio Broadcasting

NAICS

Radio Broadcasting Stations (516110), Radio Broadcasting Stations (51611)

SIC

Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832)

akta.pro primary industry

News Talk Radio & Current Affairs Stations (MPABAIAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

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

Keywords

• Am news talk radio
• Ottawa local broadcasting
• Radio advertising sales
• Podcast distribution
• Digital radio streaming

Headquarters

HQ city

Ottawa

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Radio Advertising: Traditional broadcast advertising model generating revenue through commercials, sponsored segments, and promotional announcements aired during programming.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

580 CFRA is Ottawa's news/talk radio station broadcasting on 580 AM, delivering local Ottawa news, regional political coverage, community affairs, traffic and weather updates, sports coverage, and talk programming through both traditional AM broadcast and the iHeartRadio digital platform. Programming is built around named shows such as The Morning Rush with Bill Carroll, Ottawa Now with Kristy Cameron, and Ottawa at Work with Patricia Boal, plus podcast extensions of each show.

Product overview

580 CFRA is Ottawa's News Talk Radio station (580 AM) operated by Bell Media as part of the iHeartRadio network. The station offers a portfolio of radio programming including live AM broadcasts and multiple podcast shows. The core product is the Newstalk 580 CFRA radio station, which streams through the iHeartRadio digital platform. The station's offerings include branded talk shows such as The Morning Rush with Bill Carroll, Ottawa Now with Kristy Cameron, Ottawa at Work with Patricia Boal, The Vassy Kapelos Show, Experts On Call, House Call with Dr. Barry Dworkin, Open House Real Estate Show, The Bennett Real Estate and Wealth Show, and Shane Hewitt and The Nightshift. Content is distributed via live radio, the iHeartRadio app (iOS, Android, web), and smart speaker integration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Newstalk 580 CFRA (AM Radio Broadcast) Ottawa's news/talk radio station broadcasting on 580 AM, delivering local Ottawa news, national news, talk shows, traffic and weather updates, sports, and community affairs to listeners in the National Capital Region.
• The Morning Rush with Bill Carroll Weekday morning news/talk show hosted by Bill Carroll covering Ottawa and national news, distributed as live AM broadcast and as an on-demand podcast via iHeartRadio.
• Ottawa Now with Kristy Cameron Afternoon news program hosted by Kristy Cameron providing Ottawa-area news updates and current events coverage, available as live broadcast and podcast.
• Ottawa at Work with Patricia Boal Business-focused talk show hosted by Patricia Boal covering Ottawa workplace and economic news, distributed as live broadcast and podcast.
• The Vassy Kapelos Show Political news program hosted by Vassy Kapelos covering federal and regional political affairs, distributed as live broadcast and podcast.
• Experts On Call Expert advice program featuring sound bites from medical and professional experts, distributed via iHeartRadio podcast.
• House Call with Dr. Barry Dworkin Medical advice show where Dr. Barry Dworkin provides health information to callers, distributed as live broadcast and podcast.
• Open House - The Real Estate & Mortgage Show Real estate and mortgage advice program broadcast on 580 CFRA and released as a podcast on iHeartRadio.
• Shane Hewitt and The Nightshift Late-night radio show hosted by Shane Hewitt featuring overnight programming, distributed as live broadcast and podcast.
• CFRA Live! Podcast featuring live broadcast sound bites and segments from CFRA's live programming.
• iHeartRadio Canada Digital Streaming Platform Digital streaming platform used to broadcast 580 CFRA's live signal and podcasts online, accessible via web, iOS app, Android app, smart speakers, and Google Assistant integration.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Bell MediacoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerBell Media is the parent company and broadcaster of 580 CFRA. The station operates under Bell Media's radio division, utilizing their infrastructure, sales teams, and corporate resources.
• iHeartRadio (Clear Channel/iHeartMedia)coreTechnology or IntegrationiHeartRadio is the digital streaming and content platform that 580 CFRA utilizes for online radio streaming, podcast distribution, mobile apps, and smart speaker integration.
• CTV NewscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCTV News serves as the news content partner for 580 CFRA, providing regional Ottawa news stories, breaking news coverage, and video content that appears on the station's website and digital platforms.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• 680 CJOB: Winnipeg-based news/talk radio station with similar format and audience focus on local news, political commentary, and talk shows. Direct peer operating in a different Canadian market with the same news/talk positioning.
• CityNews 570 (CKGL): Bell Media-owned news/talk station in Kitchener-Waterloo using iHeartRadio platform. Direct peer as another Bell Media iHeartRadio-distributed Canadian news/talk station with similar format and revenue approach.
• Newstalk 1010 (CFRB): Bell Media-owned news/talk AM radio station serving the Toronto market. Direct peer as both are Bell Media news/talk AM stations using the iHeartRadio platform with similar programming formats, host-driven shows, and advertising-driven revenue models.
• News Talk 770 (CHQR): Calgary-based news/talk radio station (Bell Media/iHeartRadio). Direct peer operating in another Canadian market with similar format, parent company relationship, and distribution platform.
• CBC Radio One Ottawa: Public broadcaster's Ottawa radio station offering local news, talk, and current affairs programming in the same market as 580 CFRA. Direct peer competing for Ottawa news/talk audience and regional advertising dollars.
• Global News Radio 980 CJME: Corus Entertainment's Regina news/talk station with similar local news and talk programming format. Direct peer operating in a different Canadian market with comparable news/talk positioning.
• 1310 News (CIWW): Ottawa-market news/talk radio station operated by Corus Entertainment. Direct peer competing for the same Ottawa news consumers with rolling news format and similar advertising model.

Broad incumbents

• Cumulus Media / Westwood One: Major US radio broadcaster with news/talk stations and syndicated content distribution. Broad incumbent in the same industry, operating news/talk radio at scale across multiple US markets with syndicated programming.
• iHeartMedia (US News/Talk stations): Largest US radio operator with extensive news/talk station portfolio and the platform that distributes 580 CFRA digitally. Broad incumbent operating in the same news/talk radio space with vastly larger scale and shared digital distribution infrastructure.

Others

• CTV News Ottawa: Bell Media-owned television and digital news operation that supplies news content to 580 CFRA. Ecosystem participant/partner rather than direct competitor, providing the regional news content that powers much of the station's news/talk programming.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCyQDU6M_NbrVvRseeUJ5bUg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/580-cfra

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 580 CFRA