KFSM Channel 5

What KFSM Channel 5 does

KFSM Channel 5, branded as 5NEWS, is a CBS-affiliated local television station licensed to Fayetteville, Arkansas, and serving the Northwest Arkansas and River Valley region. The station is owned and operated by TEGNA Inc., a publicly traded media company on the NYSE, and operates under the 5NEWS, 5newsonline.com, and Channel 5 trade identities. Its core product is the over-the-air KFSM-TV broadcast, supplemented by the 5NEWS+ streaming service available on Roku, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire TV, the 5newsonline.com digital hub, and a portfolio of owned content verticals including 5OUTDOORS, Around the Corner (food), Weekend Guide, and the UnNatural State of Crime podcast. Sports programming centers on University of Arkansas Razorbacks coverage and high school football features such as Football Friday Night, Sweetest Play, and Athlete of the Week, with podcast content distributed through the Locked On Podcast Network.

The underlying technology stack is conventional broadcast and digital media infrastructure: linear over-the-air transmission, OTT streaming apps on third-party device platforms, a Tegna-hosted content management and asset delivery system (assets hosted on media.tegna-media.com), and standard social/newsletter distribution channels. No proprietary AI/ML systems, APIs, SDKs, or data products are disclosed. Content verticals are produced in-house with shared TEGNA operational support.

The business model is advertising-driven across two streams: traditional broadcast advertising sold through an "Advertise With Us" program targeting local SMBs, and digital advertising through 5newsonline.com including display and sponsored content. The station is free-to-air and free-to-stream, so it does not collect viewer subscription revenue; income is generated entirely from advertisers seeking access to the Northwest Arkansas/River Valley audience. Customer segmentation is horizontal, targeting the general local public, with no disclosed enterprise advertisers, named accounts, or revenue concentration data.

Name

KFSM Channel 5

Legal name

KFSM-TV

Website

https://kfsm.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

KFSM Channel 5 (5NEWS) is a CBS-affiliated local television station serving Northwest Arkansas and the River Valley. Owned by TEGNA Inc., it delivers local news, weather, sports, and community content via over-the-air broadcast, 5NEWS+ streaming, and digital platforms.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Broadcast Television

NAICS

Television Broadcasting Stations (516120), Television Broadcasting Stations (51612), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (5162)

SIC

Television Broadcasting Stations (4833)

akta.pro primary industry

Local News & Weather Stations (MPABACAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

News OTT & Live News Streaming Channels (MPABAHAK)

Keywords

• Local television broadcasting
• Broadcast news station
• Digital news streaming
• Local weather coverage
• Regional sports coverage

Headquarters

HQ city

Springdale

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Advertising: Local television advertising revenue generated through commercials aired during news broadcasts and programming. The station operates an 'Advertise With Us' program for local businesses.
2. Digital Advertising: Online advertising through 5newsonline.com including display ads, sponsored content, and digital marketing services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

KFSM Channel 5 (5NEWS) is a CBS-affiliated local television station that produces and broadcasts local news, weather forecasts, sports coverage (including University of Arkansas Razorbacks and high school football), and community-focused content for Northwest Arkansas and the River Valley region. The broadcast is complemented by the 5NEWS+ free streaming app available on Roku, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire TV, and by the 5newsonline.com website, which hosts on-demand video, weather radar, podcasts, and topic-specific verticals such as 5OUTDOORS, Football Friday Night, and Around the Corner.

Product overview

KFSM Channel 5 (5NEWS) operates as a local broadcast television station with a multi-platform content strategy. The core offering is the 5NEWS TV broadcast serving Northwest Arkansas and River Valley, supplemented by the 5NEWS+ streaming service available on Roku, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire TV. The company also produces multiple content verticals including 5OUTDOORS (outdoor recreation), specialty sports features (Football Friday Night, Sweetest Play, Athlete of the Week), food features (Around the Corner), and the true crime podcast UnNatural State of Crime. The portfolio includes both traditional broadcast and digital streaming products distributed across TV, web, and mobile platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 5NEWS (KFSM-TV) Local Television Broadcast

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• TEGNAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKFSM-TV is owned and operated by TEGNA, a media company that provides operational support, technology infrastructure, and national content partnerships. The station operates under the TEGNA corporate umbrella alongside other local stations nationwide.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• KNWA-TV: NBC-affiliated local station serving the same Northwest Arkansas/River Valley DMA; competes head-to-head with KFSM for local news viewers, sports rights, and regional ad budgets.
• KHBS/KHOG-TV (40/29): ABC affiliate in the same Fayetteville/Fort Smith DMA operated by Hearst; directly competes with KFSM for local news and advertising share in Northwest Arkansas.
• KFTA-TV (Nexstar): Fox-affiliated local station in the same DMA; competes with KFSM for primetime viewers and local sports/news advertising.

Broad incumbents

• TEGNA Inc. Parent company and operator of KFSM; portfolio comparison set includes other TEGNA stations like WFAA (Dallas), KING (Seattle), and WUSA (Washington DC), which share the same operating playbook and ad-tech stack.
• Nexstar Media Group: Largest U.S. local TV station group; operates competing affiliates in adjacent DMAs and at scale comparable to TEGNA's footprint, providing a direct strategic benchmark for local broadcast economics.
• Sinclair Broadcast Group: Major U.S. broadcast group with similar affiliate-station business model; comparable in scale and ad-revenue dependence on local markets.
• Gray Television: Mid-market local TV station operator with a portfolio of CBS, NBC, and ABC affiliates; comparable mid-DMA strategy and digital expansion (Gray Digital Media) relevant to KFSM's growth path.

Emerging players

• Locked On Podcast Network: Sports podcast network whose content KFSM distributes; relevant as a comparable digital-audio expansion model and a partner in the broader OTT/podcast monetization thesis.
• Nexstar's 'The Hill' / NewsNation: National local-broadcast-rooted news brands pursuing digital/OTT distribution; relevant as a model for scaling local news content beyond the DMA.

Others

• Roku: Distribution platform for 5NEWS+; structurally important partner whose FAST channel strategy intersects with local broadcasters' OTT push.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 KFSM Channel 5