WPKZ AM 1280 / 105.3 FM

Name

WPKZ AM 1280 / 105.3 FM

Legal name

Central Broadcasting Co., LLC

Website

https://wpkz.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1941

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

WPKZ AM 1280 / 105.3 FM (The K-Zone) is a privately-held local radio station in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, broadcasting news, talk, and sports programming to the Fitchburg, Leominster, and Central Massachusetts market via AM, FM, live streaming, and podcasts, funded by local SMB advertising sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Radio Broadcasting

NAICS

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

SIC

Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

News Talk Radio & Current Affairs Stations (MPABAIAI), Sports Radio Networks & Talk Stations (MPABAJAB)

Keywords

• Local radio broadcasting
• Community news talk
• Sports play-by-play
• Hometown radio station
• AM FM broadcast

Headquarters

HQ city

Fitchburg

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Advertising Sales: Local businesses purchase airtime advertisements and sponsorships. The station offers customized sponsorship packages including weather-specific sponsorships. Long-term advertiser relationships documented (50+ years with some clients).
2. Sponsorship: Program sponsorships and specific segment sponsorships (e.g., Wachusett Business Incubator, Red Sox Lunchbox) provide recurring sponsorship revenue.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

WPKZ AM 1280 / 105.3 FM (K-Zone) is a local radio station broadcasting news, talk, and sports programming across the Fitchburg, Leominster, and North County / Central Massachusetts region via AM 1280, FM translator 105.3, and live online streaming. The station combines locally produced shows (Morning Kommute, Lunchbox, Hometown Sports, The Hank-Zone, Scholastic Sports Zone) with syndicated network programming (Dan Patrick, Howie Carr, America in the Morning, Fox Sports Radio) and on-demand podcasts. Revenue is generated primarily through direct sales of on-air advertising and program sponsorships to local businesses.

Product overview

WPKZ AM 1280/105.3 FM, known as K-Zone, is a local radio station platform comprising its main dual-frequency broadcast (AM 1280 and FM 105.3) supplemented by original locally-produced programs (K-Zone Morning Kommute, K-Zone Lunchbox, K-Zone Hometown Sports, The Hank-Zone), syndicated national programming (America in the Morning, The Dan Patrick Show, The Howie Carr Show, Fox Sports Radio, The Money Pit, Garden America, Real Estate Today), and a podcast distribution service via SoundCloud. The station positions itself as a hometown news and sports radio station focused on community talk and live game broadcasts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• WPKZ AM 1280 / 105.3 FM (K-Zone) Radio Broadcast Local radio broadcast delivered via AM 1280, FM translator 105.3, and live internet streaming. Provides news, talk, sports, weather, and traffic programming to Fitchburg, Leominster, and North County / Central Massachusetts listeners.
• K-Zone Morning Kommute Weekday morning show airing 6:42–9am featuring local news, sports, traffic, weather, and interviews with mayors, elected representatives, and community leaders; hosted by Sherman Whitman.
• K-Zone Lunchbox Weekday midday community programming (12–1pm) featuring rotating themed shows including Red Sox Lunchbox, Wachusett Business Incubator, Hank Stolz Experience, Community Lunch Hour, Howie's Business Spotlight, High School Sports Lunchbox, and Rockin' the 'Burg.
• The Hank-Zone Regional news talk show airing Tuesday–Thursday 1–3pm, hosted by Hank Stolz, featuring politically balanced coverage of Worcester and Central Massachusetts news.
• K-Zone Hometown Sports Local sports broadcasting featuring Boston professional games, high school sports (Fitchburg Red Raiders, Leominster Blue Devils, St. Bernard's), and Fitchburg State Athletics. Includes award-winning play-by-play team covering MIAA State Super Bowl Championships from Gillette Stadium and Fitchburg State University.
• WPKZ Podcasts On-demand podcast versions of WPKZ radio shows hosted on SoundCloud (soundcloud.com/kzoneradio), enabling listeners to access programming at their convenience.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2014 Massachusetts Broadcasters Association (MBA) Award winner for play-by-play
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• John Morrison (Wachusett Dirt Dawgs)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009John Morrison, local businessman and former owner of the Wachusett Dirt Dawgs (wooden bat baseball team), purchased the station in August 2015. He changed the station name to 'The K-Zone' and continues local ownership focused on hometown radio.
• Boston Red SoxcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1967Long-standing partnership with Boston Red Sox baseball team dating back to 1967. The station served as Yankees affiliate for one year but the Red Sox returned and the tradition continued. Red Sox games are broadcast live on WPKZ.
• Wachusett Chamber of CommerceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFeatured partner on podcasts page, supporting local business community and radio programming.
• Nashoba Valley ChamberminorGTM or Marketing PartnerChamber partner featured on podcasts page for regional business promotion.
• North Central Mass ChamberminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional chamber partnership supporting economic development and local business radio content.
• Wachusett Business Incubator (WBI)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerMonthly programming on K-Zone Lunchbox (1st Monday of each month). WBI serves as catalyst for regional economic development with training, mentorship, and strategic support for local businesses.
• Fitchburg State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBroadcast partnership for Fitchburg State Falcons athletics. The station covers football and other sports, and has broadcast MIAA State Super Bowl Championships from Fitchburg State University.
• Local High Schools (Leominster, Fitchburg, St. Bernard's)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBroadcasting partnership with area high schools for football, basketball, hockey and other sports. Includes the historic Fitchburg-Leominster Thanksgiving Day Classic and MIAA State Championship broadcasts.
• Sentinel & EnterpriseminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal newspaper partner providing news content and community calendar information featured on WPKZ local news section.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• WAPJ / Worcester Public Radio: Worcester-area community radio station. Comparable as a non-commercial/community radio operator serving overlapping Central Massachusetts listeners, though non-commercial and thus not a direct ad-market competitor.

Direct peers

• WTAG: Worcester, MA-based news/talk AM radio station owned by iHeartMedia. Directly comparable as a regional Central Massachusetts news/talk radio competitor serving an overlapping Worcester-area audience with syndicated talk programming.
• WCRN AM 830: Worcester-area AM radio station focused on ethnic and talk programming. Comparable as a nearby regional AM broadcaster that competes for Central Massachusetts advertisers and listeners (WPKZ's Sherman Whitman previously worked at WCRN).

Broad incumbents

• Beasley Media Group: Mid-size U.S. radio broadcaster with stations in multiple markets including New England. Comparable as a regional radio operator pursuing similar local news/talk and sports programming strategies.
• Salem Communications: U.S. radio broadcaster specializing in news/talk and Christian programming. Comparable to WPKZ's news/talk format and syndicated talk show strategy (e.g., Howie Carr, Dan Patrick affiliations).
• Cumulus Media: Major U.S. radio broadcaster with stations across New England. Comparable as a large-scale radio operator competing for the same local/regional advertiser relationships and syndicated programming affiliations as WPKZ.
• WBZ NewsRadio 1030: Boston's flagship news/talk AM station, owned by Audacy/CBS. Comparable as a higher-power news/talk format AM broadcaster in the broader New England market, offering syndicated talk content but at much larger scale and reach than WPKZ.
• WEEI Sports Radio: Boston-based sports talk radio network owned by Audacy. Comparable for WPKZ's sports broadcasting operations, especially given WPKZ's Red Sox and local high school sports coverage, though WEEI operates at a much larger regional scale.
• iHeartMedia: Largest U.S. radio broadcaster with extensive AM/FM station portfolio including WTAG in Worcester. Comparable as a multi-station radio operator and ad-sales platform that competes for the same regional advertiser budgets as WPKZ.
• Townsquare Media: Multi-market U.S. radio operator with small and mid-market stations. Comparable as a portfolio operator that competes for local SMB advertising in similar-sized markets and provides a benchmark for small-market station valuations.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/wpkzradio
• Facebookfacebook.com/WPKZRadio
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wpkz-am-1280-105.3-fm

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 WPKZ AM 1280 / 105.3 FM