Wbap News Talk 820

What Wbap News Talk 820 does

WBAP (820 AM / 93.3 FM) is a legacy commercial radio station operating in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex under a News/Talk format. The station was founded on May 2, 1922, making it one of the oldest continuously broadcasting stations in Texas, and it is wholly owned by Cumulus Media Inc. (NASDAQ: CMLS). WBAP's technical footprint is anchored by a 50,000-watt Class A clear-channel AM signal on 820 kHz with a non-directional antenna, providing the station's own materials describe as the greatest daytime coverage of any US radio station, with secondary coverage from Oklahoma City to Austin and nighttime reach across Southern, Central, and Midwestern states and Northern Mexico. The station broadcasts 24/7 with a schedule that combines local programming (e.g., WBAP Morning News with Ernie, Carla, and Hal Jay; Matt Locke Show; James Parker Show) with nationally syndicated conservative talk content (Mark Levin, Joe Pags, Red Eye Radio, Fox News Rundown).

WBAP generates revenue almost exclusively through advertising. The commercial model is sales-led and includes three revenue streams: traditional radio spot advertising sold against specific dayparts and syndicated programs, digital advertising inventory on the website and mobile apps, and program/event sponsorships. Pricing is quote-based rather than publicly listed, with sales handled through a dedicated team including a General Sales Manager and VP of Sales. Distribution is multi-channel: over-the-air AM/FM broadcast, live streaming via wbap.com, native iOS and Android apps, and on-demand podcasts. The studio operation is housed at 3090 Olive Street in Dallas's Victory Park district, with the transmitter located in Mansfield and the original license jurisdiction in Fort Worth.

The station's customer base is horizontally segmented into local/regional advertisers (primary) seeking DFW metro reach and national advertisers (secondary) using syndicated programs for multi-state exposure. No named customer logos were disclosed in the source material, consistent with the long-tail, SMB-heavy nature of local radio ad buying. WBAP is operated as part of Cumulus Media's Dallas cluster and benefits from shared corporate infrastructure including Nielsen measurement integration, but is not itself a standalone investment-grade entity — its strategic and financial outcomes are consolidated within the parent's publicly reported results.

Name

Wbap News Talk 820

Legal name

Cumulus Media Inc.

Website

https://wbap.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1922

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

WBAP (820 AM / 93.3 FM) is a Dallas-Fort Worth heritage News/Talk radio station owned by Cumulus Media, broadcasting since 1922 under a 50,000-watt clear-channel license and serving local and national advertisers through on-air spots, digital packages, sponsorships, streaming, and podcasts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Radio Broadcasting

NAICS

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

SIC

Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832)

akta.pro primary industry

News/Talk Radio Networks (MPABABAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Syndicated Radio Programming Networks (Shows & Features) (MPABABAJ), Talk/News/Sports Radio Networks & Syndication (MPAIAEAG)

Keywords

• News talk radio
• Radio advertising
• AM broadcast
• Talk programming
• Digital streaming

Headquarters

HQ city

Dallas

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Radio Advertising: Radio spots aired during programming slots across weekday and weekend schedules. Advertisers can target news/talk audiences during specific dayparts from morning shows (5am-9am) through evening programs like Mark Levin (5pm-8pm) and overnight programming.
2. Digital Advertising: Combined radio and digital advertising packages offered to advertisers. Campaigns can integrate on-air radio with website and digital platform advertising for multi-channel reach.
3. Sponsorship: Individual program sponsorships and promotional partnerships including contests, events like WeatherCon 2026 and America 250 & DX's Birthday Bash.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

WBAP is a news/talk radio station broadcasting at 820 AM and 93.3 FM from its Dallas studios, delivering 24/7 syndicated and original talk programming to the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. Its commercial offering is radio advertising spots, integrated radio+digital advertising packages, and program sponsorships sold to local, regional, and national advertisers. The station also distributes on-demand podcasts, live streaming, and local weather/traffic information via website and mobile apps.

Product overview

WBAP News Talk 820 is a legacy radio station offering a dual-platform broadcast portfolio consisting of AM News/Talk 820 AM (a 50,000-watt clear-channel station) and FM companion station 93.3 FM. The station provides 24/7 news/talk programming through scheduled shows including WBAP Morning News, Markley Van Camp & Robbins, and various syndicated programs. Digital services include on-demand podcasts, live streaming via mobile apps, real-time weather radar and traffic information, and integrated radio+digital advertising solutions. The station serves the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex from studios in Dallas with broadcast history dating back to 1922.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• WBAP News Talk 820 AM AM News/Talk radio station broadcasting at 820 kHz with 50,000 watts from Fort Worth, Texas, serving the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex as a Class A clear-channel station.
• WBAP 93.3 FM FM companion station broadcasting at 93.3 FM, providing news/talk programming to the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
• WBAP Morning News Weekday morning news program airing 5am-9am featuring Ernie, Carla, and Hal Jay covering local, state, and national news.
• Markley, Van Camp, & Robbins Weekday midday talk program airing 11am-2pm featuring Jamie Markley, David van Camp, and Scott Robbins.
• Mark Levin Show Weekday conservative talk program airing 5pm-8pm featuring syndicated host Mark Levin.
• The Joe Pags Show Weekday evening talk show airing 8pm-12am featuring syndicated host Joe Pags.
• WBAP Podcasts On-demand audio content including the Morning News Podcast, The James Parker Podcast, The Matt Locke Podcast, Impact Texas, The Car Pro Show, Travel with Hawkeye, and Laugh Out Loud with Markley, Van Camp & Robbins.
• Radio + Digital Advertising Integrated advertising solutions combining traditional AM/FM radio with digital marketing campaigns for advertisers seeking multi-channel reach to DFW and regional audiences.
• Program Sponsorships and Events Individual program sponsorships and promotional partnerships including contests and station events such as WeatherCon 2026 and America 250 & DX's Birthday Bash.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Cumulus Media Inc.coreOthersWBAP is owned and operated by Cumulus Media Inc., one of the largest radio broadcasting companies in the United States. Cumulus provides corporate infrastructure, advertising sales support, digital platforms, and operational resources. WBAP is part of Cumulus's Dallas cluster of stations.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• WABC Radio 770: WABC is a heritage news/talk AM station in New York owned by Red Apple Media (John Catsimatidis). Comparable to WBAP as a major-market conservative talk station with deep brand history, syndicated and local programming, and an advertising-driven business model.
• WOR Radio 710: WOR is a New York City-based news/talk AM station owned by iHeartMedia. It mirrors WBAP's clear-channel heritage, talk format, multi-decade operating history, and radio + digital advertising revenue model.
• KFI AM 640: KFI is a 50,000-watt clear-channel AM talk station in Los Angeles owned by iHeartMedia. It is a direct analog to WBAP: high-power AM talk format, major market, similar daypart structure with syndicated and local programming, and identical advertising-led revenue model.
• KRLD NewsRadio 1080: KRLD is a news/talk AM station serving the same Dallas-Fort Worth market as WBAP. Both compete directly for the same local news/talk audience and advertiser dollars in DFW, with KRLD also owned by Audacy (formerly Entercom/CBS Radio).
• WBBM Newsradio 780: WBBM is a major-market all-news AM radio station in Chicago owned by Audacy, with a comparable format, distribution model (AM + streaming + digital), and advertiser proposition to WBAP. It is one of the leading AM news/talk stations in a top-3 US market.
• WSB Radio 750: WSB is a 50,000-watt AM news/talk station in Atlanta owned by Cox Enterprises. It shares WBAP's profile: clear-channel heritage station, news/talk format, regional mega-coverage, and dominant market share position in a major Southeast metro.

Others

• Cumulus Media: Cumulus Media is WBAP's parent company and operates a portfolio of radio stations across the US. While not a true peer in market competition, it is directly comparable as a radio broadcasting operator with similar station-level economics.

Broad incumbents

• Salem Communications: Salem Communications (now Salem Media Group) operates a portfolio of conservative talk and news/talk radio stations nationwide. It overlaps WBAP in conservative talk format targeting and competes for syndicated programming talent and national advertisers.
• iHeartMedia: iHeartMedia is the largest US radio broadcaster and parent of multiple WBAP peers (KFI, WOR, etc.). It competes broadly with Cumulus for national ad budgets and represents the dominant scaled incumbent in the same operating segment.
• Audacy: Audacy operates major-market news/talk stations (KRLD, WBBM, etc.) that directly compete with WBAP in DFW and beyond. As a major US radio group, it competes for advertisers and audience share across overlapping formats.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/wbap247news
• Facebookfacebook.com/118175174903859
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wbap-news-talk-820

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

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 Wbap News Talk 820