Blackburn Media Inc

What Blackburn Media Inc does

Blackburn Media Inc. is a privately held, family-owned Canadian broadcasting company that operates 13 FM and AM radio stations across six markets in Southwestern and Midwestern Ontario: Chatham-Kent, Leamington, London, Sarnia, Windsor, and Wingham. Founded in 1852 as The London Free Press and now in its fifth generation of Blackburn family ownership, the company shifted focus to radio in 1992 after divesting its television assets, and rebranded from Blackburn Radio Inc. to Blackburn Media Inc. in 2021 to reflect its expansion into digital properties. Its core products are local radio programming (country, classic rock, contemporary hits, and news/talk formats) distributed over-the-air, via simulcast during the recent AM-to-FM transition of CFCO, online through station websites, and globally through the iHeartRadio app and smart speakers.

The company extends beyond broadcasting into a portfolio of digital media assets: five regional news portals operating under the Blackburn News brand (CKNewsToday.ca, SarniaNewsToday.ca, WindsorNewsToday.ca, CKNXToday.ca, and LondonNewsToday.ca), a digital marketing agency called Brand One Digital, and a Windsor-Essex podcast branded The 519 Podcast. Underlying technology consists of CRTC-licensed FM/AM transmission infrastructure, simulcast capabilities, online streaming, and third-party iHeartRadio platform integration. The technology stack is conventional broadcast plus web rather than proprietary or AI-driven; there are no disclosed APIs, SDKs, or machine learning components.

Blackburn's revenue model is advertising-based across three streams: (1) on-air radio advertising sales, the primary revenue stream, sold as custom packages including ad rotation across multiple stations, sponsorships, and station vehicle wraps; (2) digital and online marketing services including online ads, social media management packages, reach/revisit programs, and web design; and (3) professional marketing services such as creative production, community event sponsorships, contesting, and event management. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed; contracts are monthly, subject to credit approval and CRTC regulations, with new accounts requiring prepayment. Go-to-market is sales-led, executed through dedicated teams in each of the six regional market offices, targeting local small and medium-sized businesses seeking community-focused, multi-platform advertising.

Name

Blackburn Media Inc

Legal name

Blackburn Media Inc.

Website

https://blackburnmedia.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1852

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Blackburn Media Inc. is a family-owned Canadian broadcasting company operating 13 radio stations across six markets in Southwestern and Midwestern Ontario, selling on-air, digital, and multi-platform advertising solutions primarily to local small and medium-sized businesses.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Radio Broadcasting

NAICS

Radio Broadcasting Stations (516110), Radio Broadcasting Stations (51611), Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418), Media Buying Agencies (54183)

SIC

Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832)

akta.pro primary industry

Local Radio Station Groups (Owned & Operated/Station Chains) (MPABACAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Network-Affiliated Local Radio Stations (News/Talk/Sports Syndication Affiliates) (MPABACAF), Internet Radio & Streaming Broadcast Stations (Simulcast/Online-only) (MPAIAEAE), Radio Content Production & Studios (On-air Production, Imaging, Jingles) (MPAIAEAL)

Keywords

• Radio broadcasting
• Digital marketing
• Audio advertising
• Local news media
• Community radio

Headquarters

HQ city

New London

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Radio Advertising Sales: The primary revenue stream comes from selling advertising airtime across the company's 13 radio stations. Advertising packages are sold on-air, digitally, and online, with custom marketing solutions tailored to local business objectives. The company also offers station vehicle sponsorships and ad rotation programs across multiple stations.
2. Digital and Online Marketing Services: Revenue from providing digital advertising services including online ads, social media management packages, reach and revisit programs, and web design services for advertisers.
3. Marketing Solutions and Professional Services: Custom marketing campaigns and professional services including creative production, community event sponsorships, contesting, giveaways, and featured event management for local advertisers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Blackburn Media Inc owns and operates 13 radio stations across Southwestern and Midwestern Ontario delivering local news, talk, country, classic hits, and rock programming to markets including Chatham-Kent, Leamington, London, Sarnia, Windsor, and Wingham. The company sells radio advertising to local and regional businesses and complements its broadcast operations with Brand One Digital marketing services and the 519 Podcast.

Product overview

Blackburn Media Inc. is a family-owned Canadian broadcasting company operating 13 radio stations across six markets in Southwestern and Midwestern Ontario (Chatham-Kent, Leamington, London, Sarnia, Windsor, and Wingham), along with a suite of digital properties including five regional news portals under the 'Blackburn News Today' brand, a digital marketing agency (Brand One Digital), and a local podcast (The 519 Podcast). The portfolio spans traditional over-the-air radio (AM/FM), online streaming via iHeartRadio, and digital marketing services for advertisers. The core offering is local radio broadcast programming complemented by news content, digital marketing solutions, and community engagement tools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Blackburn News: Local news portal serving various Ontario communities including Chatham, Sarnia, Windsor, and Midwestern Ontario
• Brand One Digital
• The 519 Podcast

Products and services

• CFCO-FM Radio Station

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• iHeartRadiocoreTechnology or IntegrationBlackburn Media makes its radio stations available through the iHeartRadio platform, allowing listeners to access playlists, radio shows, and podcasts via the free iHeartRadio mobile app. This partnership extends the company's reach beyond traditional over-the-air broadcasting to digital and mobile platforms globally.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Vista Radio: Vista Radio is an independent Canadian broadcaster operating a network of community radio stations in smaller markets, directly comparable to Blackburn's strategy of owning multiple stations in secondary Ontario markets.
• Durham Radio Inc. Durham Radio operates multiple radio stations in Ontario markets with a similar independent, locally focused broadcasting model targeting local advertisers and community audiences, comparable to Blackburn's Southwestern Ontario footprint.
• Golden West Broadcasting: Golden West Broadcasting is a family-owned independent Canadian radio broadcaster operating multiple stations across Western Canada with a similar local-market advertising focus and community-oriented broadcasting model as Blackburn.
• Pattison Media: Pattison Media operates radio stations and digital properties across Western Canada and is comparable to Blackburn as a privately held multi-station Canadian broadcaster with bundled radio + digital advertising offerings for local advertisers.
• Evanov Radio Group: Evanov Radio Group operates a portfolio of Canadian radio stations across multiple provinces, closely comparable to Blackburn Media as a mid-sized independent Canadian radio operator serving local markets with multi-format station clusters.

Broad incumbents

• Corus Entertainment: Corus Entertainment is a major Canadian broadcaster operating radio stations, television networks, and digital media properties, comparable as a broad incumbent that competes with Blackburn for both listeners and local/regional advertising budgets.
• Cogeco Communications: Cogeco is a major Canadian communications company with cable, radio, and digital assets that overlaps with Blackburn in the Canadian radio advertising market as a larger incumbent competing for regional and national ad budgets.
• Bell Media: Bell Media operates Canada's largest radio network alongside television and digital properties, comparable as a broad incumbent that competes with Blackburn for national advertisers and has substantially greater scale and cross-platform bundling capabilities.
• Rogers Media: Rogers Media operates a portfolio of Canadian radio stations (formerly CHUM) along with television and digital media, comparable as a national broadcast incumbent that competes with Blackburn for both listeners in adjacent Ontario markets and advertiser spending.
• Stingray Group: Stingray Group is a larger Canadian media company with radio broadcasting and digital audio streaming assets, comparable as an incumbent player in the Canadian radio and digital audio advertising space though operating at significantly greater scale than Blackburn.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/Country929
• Instagraminstagram.com/country_929

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Blackburn Media Inc