KBJR-TV

What KBJR-TV does

KBJR-TV is a local broadcast television station headquartered at 246 South Lake Avenue in Duluth, Minnesota, operating under the consumer-facing "Northern News Now" brand. It serves the Northland region, covering Duluth, the Twin Ports, the Iron Range, Northwest Wisconsin and adjacent communities. The station was founded in 2002 as part of Gray Television's Gray Local Media division and was rebranded to Northern News Now while retaining its KBJR-TV call letters.

The station operates a multi-channel broadcast platform anchored by NBC (channel 6.1) and CBS (subchannel 6.2, branded CBS 3 Duluth), supplemented by MyNetworkTV (6.3) and The CW (3.1), plus digital subchannels carrying Justice Network, LAFF TV, Court TV, Court TV Mystery and Quest. Its technology stack combines traditional over-the-air broadcasting with NextGen TV (ATSC 3.0), live OTT streaming, iOS and Android mobile applications, and an interactive First Alert Weather system that includes radar, map room, alert room and weather camera feeds. Editorial franchises include NNN Investigates, First Alert Weather, Holding on to History, Laura Lee's Kitchen, "Your Town" features and a "Let's Talk Sports" podcast.

KBJR-TV's revenue model is two-stream: traditional broadcast television advertising sold across news, sports and entertainment programming, and digital advertising sold through its website, apps and streaming inventory. In 2026 it extended this with the Northern News Now+ (NNN+) paid subscription tier, offering ad-free and exclusive content. The customer base is broadly split between a general local audience (consuming news, weather and sports) and local businesses purchasing advertising reach, with regulatory and partnership relationships maintained with Gray Television at the corporate level and NBC, CBS, MyNetworkTV and CW at the network level.

Name

KBJR-TV

Legal name

Gray Television

Website

https://kbjr6.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Short description

KBJR-TV is a Duluth-based local broadcast television station (Northern News Now brand) owned by Gray Television, serving the Northland region with NBC, CBS, MyNetworkTV and CW affiliates plus digital streaming, mobile apps, First Alert Weather and the new NNN+ subscription tier.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Broadcast Television

NAICS

Television Broadcasting Stations (51612)

SIC

Television Broadcasting Stations (4833)

akta.pro primary industry

Network-Affiliated Local TV Stations (ABC/CBS/NBC/FOX/CW/Telemundo/Univision, etc.) (MPABACAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Local/Regional News Channels (MPABAIAD)

Keywords

• Local broadcast television
• News programming
• Weather forecasting
• Digital advertising
• Live streaming

Headquarters

HQ city

Duluth

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Television Advertising: Traditional broadcast advertising including commercials during news programming, sports coverage, and entertainment content
2. Digital Advertising: Online advertising opportunities through website, mobile apps, and streaming platforms as mentioned in Digital Advertising page

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

KBJR-TV (Northern News Now) is a local broadcast television station serving the Northland region of Minnesota and Northwest Wisconsin, operating NBC, CBS, MyNetworkTV, and CW affiliated channels. The station delivers local news, weather forecasting (First Alert Weather), sports coverage, and community programming through over-the-air broadcast, digital streaming, mobile apps, and the Northern News Now website. Revenue is generated primarily through traditional broadcast television advertising and digital advertising sales.

Product overview

KBJR-TV operates as a multi-platform local media company under the Northern News Now brand, combining broadcast television (KBJR 6 NBC, CBS 3 Duluth, My 9 Network, CW) with a comprehensive digital ecosystem. The core product is the Northern News Now website and mobile apps, which deliver local news, sports, and weather content. First Alert Weather provides severe weather coverage, while NNN Investigates powers investigative journalism. Premium offerings include Northern News Now+ (ad-free/subscription tier) and NextGen TV (ATSC 3.0 broadcast technology). Live streaming and interactive radar round out the digital services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Northern News Now

Quantifiable outcome

• Provides live captioned newscasts: 6-7 a.m. and 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. Mon-Fri

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NBC (National Broadcasting Company)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNetwork affiliation agreement for NBC programming on channel 6.1. KBJR serves as the NBC affiliate for the Duluth market.
• CBS (Columbia Broadcasting System)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNetwork affiliation for CBS programming on subchannel 6.2, branded as CBS 3 Duluth.
• MyNetworkTVminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNetwork affiliation on subchannel 6.3 for MyNetworkTV programming.
• The CW NetworkminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCW network affiliate on channel 3.1 providing entertainment programming.
• State of MinnesotaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerState partnership for closed captioning and audio description services for select newscasts, breaking events, and special events.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• KDLH-TV: Local CBS-affiliated broadcaster in the Duluth market, formerly competing standalone CBS 3. Competes head-to-head with KBJR's CBS 3 Duluth subchannel for news viewers and ad revenue in the same DMA.
• WDIO-TV: ABC affiliate serving the Duluth/Northland market on channel 10/13. Directly competes with KBJR for the same regional viewers, advertisers, and news audience across broadcast and digital.
• Hearst Television: Privately held broadcast group owning ~30 NBC/ABC/CBS affiliates across US markets. Comparable in operating multi-platform local news stations with similar network affiliations and digital subscription extensions.
• Tegna Inc. Large US local broadcast group with stations across mid-sized markets. Comparable business model of operating network-affiliated stations with associated digital/streaming platforms and local ad sales.
• E.W. Scripps Company: US broadcast group operating local ABC/NBC/CBS/FOX stations plus national networks. Closely comparable small/mid-market broadcast station operator with digital and streaming extensions analogous to Northern News Now.
• Sinclair Broadcast Group: Major US local broadcast TV operator owning/operating ~185 stations across multiple DMAs. Closest pure-play comparable to KBJR's owner in station ownership, network affiliations, ATSC 3.0 rollout, and local news operations.

Broad incumbents

• Gray Television: Parent company of KBJR-TV and one of the largest US local broadcast groups (NYSE: GTN). Operates a national portfolio of NBC/CBS/ABC/Fox affiliates with shared news, sales, and NextGen TV infrastructure that KBJR benefits from.
• Nexstar Media Group: Largest US television broadcaster with ~200 stations following the Tribune transaction. Provides a top-down scale benchmark for affiliate economics, retransmission fees, and NextGen TV investment similar to KBJR's.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kbjr-tv

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 KBJR-TV