Star 105 5 FM

Name

Star 105 5 FM

Legal name

Connoisseur Media

Website

https://star105.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Woodstock

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 Revenue: Local and regional businesses advertise on the station through on-air spots, sponsored content, and event partnerships. The station promotes local businesses and events as part of its community programming.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Star 105.5 FM (WZSR-FM) is a traditional FM radio station broadcasting at 105.5 MHz under a contemporary hit radio format, serving the Woodstock, McHenry County, and Northwest Suburban Chicago area. The station delivers on-air music and personality programming across weekday drive-time and midday/evening shows, weekend specialty programming, a Sunday public affairs program (NW Spectrum), local news/weather/traffic, and listener contests. The broadcast is complemented by online streaming through iHeart, TuneIn, and Audacy, plus a weekly Deal Drop gift-card program.

Product overview

Star 105.5 is a traditional FM radio station (WZSR-FM, 105.5 MHz) serving the Woodstock and McHenry County area in Illinois. The station operates as a contemporary hit radio format with a core product consisting of live on-air programming through multiple weekday shows (Joe & Tina Mornings, Jillian Bass, Hannah B, and XYZ with Erik Zachary) and extensive weekend programming including specialty shows like Gary the Bagel Guy's Throwback Party and Ron Mrowiec's weekend shifts. The station complements its broadcast offering with digital extensions including online streaming through iHeart, TuneIn, and Audacy platforms, a Deal Drop gift card promotion program, various listener contests and VIP club promotions, and community event support through its NW Spectrum public affairs program. The station is operated by Connoisseur Media following a 2025 FCC license transfer from Alpha Media.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Star 105.5 FM Radio Broadcasting (WZSR-FM) Traditional over-the-air FM radio broadcasting on 105.5 MHz delivering contemporary hit radio programming, local news, traffic, weather, community information, and celebrity entertainment to listeners in McHenry County and the Northwest suburbs of Chicago.
• Online Radio Streaming

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, major, regular and minor.

• Connoisseur MediacoreOthersStar 105.5 is owned and operated by Connoisseur Media, a multimedia company operating radio stations across the United States. The station is part of Connoisseur Media's network of radio properties.
• Live NationmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerLive Nation is a key partner for concert event promotions. Star 105.5 promotes Live Nation concerts including Train, Pitbull, Chris Brown, Usher, Kesha, Wu-Tang, Teddy Swims, Doja Cat, Niall Horan, and others through ticket giveaways and event coverage.
• Castle Subaru McHenryregularGTM or Marketing PartnerRegular sponsor for station events and contests. Castle Subaru hosts station personalities for live broadcasts and provides contest prizes including concert tickets.
• ASAP Garage Door RepairminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of the Saturday Night Throwback Party with Gary the Bagel Guy.
• The Bremer Team Keller Williams SuccessminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of Hollywood Quick Hits contest segment featuring celebrity birthdays.
• Black Diamond Plumbing and MechanicalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of the McHenry County Fair passes contest.
• iHeart RadiomajorTechnology or IntegrationOnline streaming platform partner providing digital broadcast access to Star 105.5 for listeners nationwide.
• TuneInmajorTechnology or IntegrationOnline streaming platform partner providing digital broadcast access to Star 105.5 for listeners.
• AudacymajorTechnology or IntegrationOnline streaming platform partner providing digital broadcast access to Star 105.5 for listeners.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• WKSC-FM 103.5 KISS FM: Chicago CHR station owned by iHeartMedia. Comparable in format (CHR), target demographic, and local advertiser value proposition, competing for the same pop-leaning suburban listener base.
• WLS-FM 94.7: Cumulus Media-owned Chicago CHR/Variety station. Direct format competitor in the Chicago DMA contesting the same advertiser dollars and audience segments as Star 105.5.
• WBBM-FM B96: Long-running Chicago Contemporary Hit Radio (CHR) station. Comparable format competitor for CHR/Top 40 listeners across the Chicago DMA, contesting the same advertiser and audience pool as Star 105.5.
• Connoisseur Media (sibling stations): Other Connoisseur Media-owned radio stations across the U.S. Most directly comparable for back-office, sales, and programming playbook benchmarking, since Star 105.5 now operates under the same parent platform.
• WTMX 101.9 The Mix: Chicago-market Hot AC/Variety hit radio station. Directly comparable as a CHR/Hot AC format competitor targeting overlapping adult demo listeners in the Chicago metro and suburban ring that Star 105.5 also serves.

Broad incumbents

• Cumulus Media: Large multi-station operator with suburban and secondary-market properties across the U.S. Comparable as a broad incumbent portfolio operator with similar cost-structure dynamics to a smaller chain like Connoisseur Media.
• iHeartMedia Chicago cluster: National multi-station operator running multiple Chicago-market stations plus the iHeart streaming app that also carries Star 105.5. Comparable as a broad incumbent with overlapping capabilities, larger scale, and digital reach that dwarfs a single suburban station.
• Hubbard Radio Chicago: Chicago-market radio group (including WTMX/WGCI-adjacent assets). Comparable as a regional incumbent operating multiple Chicago stations with shared sales and digital capabilities competing against single-station operators like Star 105.5.
• Audacy (Chicago cluster): Major U.S. radio operator running several Chicago-market stations and the Audacy streaming platform. Comparable as a broad incumbent in the same advertising and audio distribution ecosystem, also serving as Star 105.5's streaming partner.

Emerging players

• iHeartRadio (digital streaming): National digital streaming radio platform and audio app. Comparable as an emerging/distribution-side player that competes for audience listening time and ad dollars but also amplifies Star 105.5's reach via streaming carriage.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Star1055
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@STAR1055FM/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/star1055fm
• Instagraminstagram.com/Star105.5
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/star-105-5-fm

Compliance1 record

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 Star 105 5 FM