KLBJ-AM

What KLBJ-AM does

KLBJ-AM (dba NewsRadio KLBJ) is a heritage AM news/talk radio station in Austin, Texas, founded in 1938 and operating at 590 AM with an FM simulcast at 99.7 FM. The station serves Austin and the broader Central Texas market with a mix of local programming (The Todd and Oz Show, The Mark, Melynda and Ed Show) and syndicated national content from Fox News personalities (Brian Kilmeade, Clay Travis and Buck Sexton, Will Cain, Jimmy Failla), Coast to Coast AM, and Kim Komando, alongside sports coverage and paid specialty shows in financial services, retirement, and lifestyle verticals.

The underlying technology is conventional broadcast infrastructure paired with a digital distribution layer: live audio streaming via the newsradioklbj.com website, native iOS and Android mobile applications, and a portfolio of branded on-demand podcasts (KLBJ Flash Briefing, Give 'em The Business, The Todd and Oz Podcast, The Mark, Melynda and Ed Show Podcast). Multi-platform social distribution (Facebook, Twitter/X, YouTube) and email newsletter capture support audience engagement, but there is no proprietary AI, no software platform, and no SaaS component.

KLBJ-AM is privately held under Waterloo Media, a local Austin media operator that also runs the Blues on the Green concert series. Monetization is exclusively advertising-based: spot sales and sponsorships during broadcasts plus paid program slots (e.g., Retire Smart Austin, Wealth Radio with REAP Financial). Pricing is quote-based via an 'Advertise' page and is not publicly disclosed. The station runs with a very lean 5-person team and competes in the Austin local news/talk market against other heritage outlets; its growth strategy is expressed through digital extensions rather than geographic or vertical expansion.

Name

KLBJ-AM

Legal name

KLBJ-AM

Website

https://klbjam.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1938

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

KLBJ-AM is a heritage Austin, Texas news/talk radio station broadcasting at 590 AM (with 99.7 FM simulcast), serving Central Texas listeners with local and Fox News syndicated content distributed via stream, mobile apps, and podcasts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local News / Talk Radio Broadcasting

NAICS

Radio Broadcasting Stations (516110), Radio Broadcasting Stations (51611), Radio and Television Broadcasting Stations (5161)

SIC

Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832)

akta.pro primary industry

Local News & Weather Stations (MPABACAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Internet Radio & Streaming Broadcast Stations (Simulcast/Online-only) (MPAIAEAE)

Keywords

• News talk radio
• AM radio broadcasting
• Local news coverage
• Radio advertising sales
• Podcast on-demand

Headquarters

HQ city

Austin

HQ country

United States

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. Advertising and Sponsorships: Revenue generated through selling advertising spots and sponsorships during radio broadcasts. The station has an 'Advertise' page indicating commercial advertising is a primary revenue stream. Programming includes sponsored shows and paid content slots such as 'Purity Products' and financial advisory shows like 'Retire Smart Austin' and 'Wealth Radio with REAP Financial'.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

KLBJ-AM is a heritage Austin, Texas news/talk radio station that broadcasts news, sports, weather, financial, and lifestyle programming at 590 AM with an FM simulcast at 99.7 FM. Its primary product is free listener programming distributed over the air and through website streaming, a mobile app, and on-demand podcasts, monetized through on-air advertising and sponsored segments such as Retire Smart Austin and Wealth Radio with REAP Financial.

Product overview

KLBJ-AM is a traditional AM news radio station operating at 590 AM in Austin, Texas, offering a unified portfolio of live broadcast programming and digital media products. The station delivers news content through its core AM radio broadcast (590 AM), a dedicated mobile application (News Radio App) for live listening, and multiple branded podcast offerings including the KLBJ Flash Briefing, Give 'em The Business Podcast, The Todd and Oz Show Podcast, and The Mark, Melynda and Ed Show Podcast. The station also features extensive on-demand content through its multimedia platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Waterloo MediacoreOthersKLBJ-AM is owned and operated by Waterloo Media, a media company based in Austin, Texas. The station operates under the Waterloo Media umbrella which includes multiple radio stations and media properties. Waterloo Media also produces 'Blues on the Green' community events.
• Speak Up AustinminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity partnership linking KLBJ-AM listeners to Speak Up Austin initiative, a local civic engagement platform. Listed under the 'Connect' section of the station website as a community resource for listener engagement.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Cumulus Media: Major U.S. radio operator and owner of WBAP among many others. Comparable to KLBJ-AM and its parent as a large-scale radio broadcaster running news/talk AM properties in Texas and nationally, with similar ad-sales infrastructure economics.
• iHeartMedia: The largest U.S. radio operator, owning thousands of stations including KTRH and WOAI. Comparable as a portfolio operator running news/talk AM stations in major Texas markets — a direct structural peer to Waterloo Media's ownership of KLBJ-AM.
• Townsquare Media: Mid-size U.S. radio operator focused on mid-sized and secondary markets with a mix of news/talk and music formats, plus digital and event assets. Comparable to Waterloo Media's portfolio approach to operating KLBJ-AM within a cluster of Austin properties.
• Audacy: Large U.S. radio operator with significant news/talk and sports properties, including digital streaming and podcast distribution at scale. Broadly comparable to the KLBJ-AM multi-platform distribution model (AM + streaming + podcast + app).

Others

• Emmis Communications: U.S. radio broadcaster and owner of local Austin FM properties such as KGSR. Comparable to Waterloo Media/KLBJ-AM as a competing Austin-area radio operator with overlapping advertising sales territory and audience.

Direct peers

• WBAP 820 AM: A legacy news/talk AM station in the Dallas-Fort Worth market, owned by Cumulus Media. Comparable to KLBJ-AM as a Texas-based AM news/talk format broadcaster with syndicated conservative-leaning programming and strong local news identity.
• KTRH 740 AM: iHeartMedia-owned news/talk AM station in Houston, Texas. Directly comparable to KLBJ-AM as a major-market Texas AM news/talk property with conservative syndicated programming and traffic/weather focus.
• WOAI 1200 AM: iHeartMedia-owned news/talk AM station in San Antonio, Texas. Closely comparable to KLBJ-AM in format (news/talk on AM), Texas geography, and syndicated conservative talk programming combined with local coverage.

Emerging players

• Salem Communications: Radio operator focused heavily on news/talk and Christian/conservative formats, including AM properties. Comparable to KLBJ-AM as an AM-centric news/talk operator targeting similar ideological audiences and ad categories.

Regional players

• KUT 90.5 (Austin NPR affiliate): Public radio station in Austin, Texas, covering local and national news. Comparable to KLBJ-AM as a competing source of Austin-area news audio, though differentiated by public/noncommercial funding and news/talk vs. news/talk+music format.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/NewsRadioKLBJ
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCYxmLkWDtYhl3kthRamLsWw
• Facebookfacebook.com/NewsRadioKLBJ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/klbj-am

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 KLBJ-AM