WXBQ

What WXBQ does

WXBQ (96.9 FM), branded 'Twenty-Four Carrot Country', is a country music radio station serving the Tri-Cities region spanning Tennessee, Virginia, Kentucky, and North Carolina. Founded in 1946 and headquartered in Bristol, Virginia, the station is owned and operated by Bristol Broadcasting Company, Inc. Its core product is a continuous FM broadcast at 96.9 MHz featuring a multi-daypart programming lineup: the Morning Air Show (co-hosted by Steve Stroud and Program Director Nikki Thomas), the Marcus 'Puddin' Brooks midday show (weekdays 10am-3pm), and the Drake Stevens evening show (weeknights 3-7pm), plus syndicated programs such as Country Countdown USA and Retro Country USA.

The station's technology stack is conventional for over-the-air radio: an FCC-licensed FM transmitter at 96.9 MHz, paired with a website (969wxbq.com) that delivers live streaming through an AmperWave Player, recently-played track listings, and a song-request form. Beyond the broadcast signal, WXBQ operates a portfolio of community-oriented products and services including the 24 Carrot Club listener loyalty program, the Traffic Hotline powered by Precision Electrical, Closings & Delays listings, and recurring contests such as the Birthday Bonanza and the annual Great American Giveaway (culminating July 4 at Freedom Hall Civic Center). The station also participates in live event programming including the Twilight Alive summer concert series and the WXBQ Country Cares benefit concert.

WXBQ generates revenue primarily through on-air advertising from local and national advertisers targeting its Tri-Cities listener base, supplemented by event sponsorships (PepsiCo, Food City, Tommie's Plumbing), concert-related ticket and sponsorship revenue, and promotional partnerships with regional media outlets (The Johnson City Press, 11 Connects/WJHL-TV, ABC Tri-Cities, Six Rivers Media). Advertising pricing is not publicly disclosed. The station has no app, no public API/SDK, no disclosed funding, and operates as a privately held single-format broadcaster with 51-100 employees. Its competitive positioning is anchored by long-tenured on-air talent — the Morning Air Show and Nikki Thomas have collectively won multiple CMA and ACM Personality/Station of the Year awards — establishing WXBQ as the Tri-Cities #1 morning show.

Name

WXBQ

Legal name

Bristol Broadcasting Company, Inc.

Website

https://969wxbq.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1946

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

WXBQ is a country music FM radio station at 96.9 MHz serving the Tri-Cities region (Tennessee, Virginia, Kentucky, North Carolina), broadcasting local news, contests, and events from Bristol, Virginia under Bristol Broadcasting Company, Inc.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Country Radio Broadcasting

NAICS

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

SIC

Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPAIAEAA

Commercial Terrestrial Radio Broadcasting (AM/FM)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Music & Audio (Recording, Publishing, Streaming)/Radio & Audio Broadcasting (Terrestrial, Satellite, Digital Radio)

SECONDARYMPAIAEAE

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

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Music & Audio (Recording, Publishing, Streaming)/Radio & Audio Broadcasting (Terrestrial, Satellite, Digital Radio)

Keywords

• Country radio broadcasting
• FM radio station
• Radio advertising
• Live audio streaming
• Local radio programming

Headquarters

HQ city

Bristol

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: WXBQ generates revenue through on-air advertising and sponsorships. The station airs commercials from local and national advertisers targeting its listener base in the Tri-Cities region.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

WXBQ is a country music FM radio station broadcasting at 96.9 MHz in the Tri-Cities region, serving listeners across Tennessee, Virginia, Kentucky, and North Carolina since 1946. The station delivers country music programming, on-air personalities, contests, local community information, and event coverage through FM broadcast and online streaming, with revenue generated primarily from advertising sales to local and regional businesses.

Product overview

96.9 WXBQ is a country music radio station owned by Bristol Broadcasting Company, Inc., operating at 96.9 FM frequency in the Tri-Cities region (Bristol, Virginia/Tennessee area). The station operates as a multi-platform broadcast entity offering traditional FM radio programming alongside digital streaming services. Core offerings include live radio broadcasts across multiple dayparts (Morning Air Show hosted by Steve Stroud and Nikki Thomas, Marcus 'Puddin' Brooks midday show, Drake Stevens evening show), online streaming via Listen Live, recently played tracking, song request submission, and the 24 Carrot Club loyalty program. The station also runs community-focused services including the Traffic Hotline, Closings & Delays listings, and various contests such as the Great American Giveaway and Birthday Bonanza, plus event programming like the Twilight Alive concert series and WXBQ Country Cares benefit concerts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• The Morning Air Show has been chosen twice for CMA and twice for ACM Personalities of the Year
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• PepsiCO Beverages North AmericacoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of the Great American Giveaway contest. PepsiCO provides prizes including $1,000 in Pepsi products as Second Prize and serves as a promotional partner for the event.
• Food City (KVA T Food Stores)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor and promotional partner for the Great American Giveaway. Provides venue for live remote broadcasts and contributes the Grand Prize of $10,000 in groceries and $3,000 in gas gift cards.
• Freedom Hall Civic CenterminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPromotional partner providing the venue for the Great American Giveaway Contest Finale event on July 4, 2026 in Johnson City, Tennessee.
• The Johnson City PressminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPromotional partner for the Great American Giveaway, providing media coverage and promotion for the contest.
• 11 Connects (WJHL-TV)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPromotional partner for the Great American Giveaway, providing cross-promotional media support.
• ABC Tri-CitiesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPromotional partner for the Great American Giveaway, providing cross-promotional media support.
• Six Rivers MediaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPromotional partner for the Great American Giveaway, providing cross-promotional media support.
• Tommie's PlumbingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of WXBQ's Birthday Bonanza contest, providing coffee gift cards for birthday winners.
• Precision ElectricalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPowers WXBQ's Traffic Hotline (1-844-WRECK-12), providing traffic reporting infrastructure for the station.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• WIVK-FM: WIVK is a long-running country FM radio station in Knoxville, Tennessee — a neighboring Tennessee market to WXBQ's Tri-Cities footprint. It competes for country-music listeners and regional ad dollars in overlapping East Tennessee geographies, with similar format, daypart structure, and listener-engagement approach.
• WUSY-FM (US 101): WUSY is a country FM radio station serving Chattanooga and the surrounding tri-state area. It is a closely comparable direct competitor to WXBQ in format, audience target (country listeners in a mid-sized Southeastern market), and advertising-driven revenue model.
• Bristol Broadcasting Company (sister stations): Bristol Broadcasting Company, Inc. is the parent of WXBQ and operates additional radio stations in the Tri-Cities market. Sister stations share the same ownership, sales infrastructure, and community footprint, making them the closest operating peers in terms of business model and overhead.
• WQDR-FM: WQDR is a country FM station in Raleigh, North Carolina — one of the four states in WXBQ's broadcast coverage area. Comparable in format, audience, and ad-driven revenue model to a regional country powerhouse in the Carolinas.
• WSOC-FM (103.7 Charlotte): WSOC-FM is a country FM station in Charlotte, North Carolina, serving the Carolinas portion of WXBQ's geographic reach. Comparable in format, daypart programming, and advertising-supported model as a regional country incumbent.

Broad incumbents

• Pandora: Pandora is a leading internet radio and streaming audio service with strong country-format penetration. It competes with WXBQ for listener attention and ad budgets in digital audio, especially in the Tri-Cities region where streaming is increasingly competitive.
• Cumulus Media: Cumulus Media operates a large portfolio of country FM stations across the U.S., including in Southeastern markets overlapping WXBQ's footprint. Comparable as a country radio incumbent but with national reach, larger sales infrastructure, and a more developed digital audio business.
• Spotify: Spotify is the largest global music streaming platform and a structural competitor to traditional FM radio for audience time and ad-supported listening. Comparable to WXBQ as a country-music content distributor but with a vastly larger, on-demand, digitally enabled product.
• iHeartMedia: iHeartMedia is the largest U.S. radio broadcaster and operates hundreds of country FM stations nationally, including in markets adjacent to WXBQ. It competes broadly for digital and on-air ad budgets across the country format, though it is not a single-market specialist like WXBQ.
• Audacy, Inc. Audacy is a major U.S. radio operator with multiple country FM stations and a significant digital audio and podcasting platform. Comparable to WXBQ as a country-format broadcaster competing for ad dollars, but operating at national scale with a substantial on-demand digital product.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/969wxbq
• Xx.com/969WXBQ

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 WXBQ