KDSN Radio

What KDSN Radio does

KDSN Radio is a privately held local broadcast radio station headquartered in Denison, Iowa, operating two frequencies — KDSN AM 1530 (Country Music format, 500 watts daytime) and KDSN FM 104.9 branded as '105 FM The Hive' (Adult Contemporary format, 6,000 watts 24/7). Established in 1956 (AM) and 1968 (FM), the station was acquired by Crawford County Broadcasting Corp. in November 2018 and serves a 7-county region in West Central Iowa with a primary broadcast population of approximately 96,588 and total signal reach of 151,379. The station's content mix emphasizes local news, weather, high school and regional sports coverage (including Iowa Hawkeyes, Iowa State, and Kansas City Royals), agricultural market data via the Daily Farm Market Close Podcast, and community programming including a 40+ year daily Polka Party.

The business operates three core product lines: (1) AM/FM broadcast advertising with multi-tier pricing (annual bulk contracts, long-term contracts as low as $4.25 per audience, and saturation packages), (2) the KDSN Video Network — a wholly-owned streaming video subsidiary covering local high school sports and community events across 12+ school districts, and (3) online streaming via maindigitalstream.com. Revenue is generated entirely from local advertising sold to small and mid-sized businesses in the coverage area, with negotiated contract-based pricing rather than published rate cards. The station maintains active Facebook and Twitter community engagement channels and a content-rich website featuring news, obituaries, a community calendar, and trading post.

The organization is small (11-50 employees) with a management team of approximately seven known individuals including a Head of Sales, Business Manager, Program Director, Sports Director, Traffic & Event Manager, and on-air personalities. Operations are concentrated at a single headquarters at 1530 Ridge Road, Denison, Iowa, with no disclosed additional offices. Content distribution partnerships include ABC News for national content and Iowa Hawkeyes, Iowa State, and Kansas City Royals for sports rights.

Name

KDSN Radio

Legal name

Crawford County Broadcasting Corp.

Website

https://kdsnradio.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1956

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

KDSN Radio is a privately held local broadcast radio station in Denison, Iowa, operating AM 1530 and FM 104.9 with an affiliated video network, serving the 7-county West Central Iowa region through local advertising-supported news, sports, weather, and farm market programming.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Radio Broadcasting

NAICS

Radio Broadcasting Stations (51611), Radio and Television Broadcasting Stations (5161), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (5162)

SIC

Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

News Talk Radio & Current Affairs Stations (MPABAIAI)

Keywords

• Local radio broadcasting
• AM FM radio stations
• Community radio advertising
• Agricultural market news
• High school sports coverage

Headquarters

HQ city

Denison

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Radio Advertising: Local businesses purchase advertising time on KDSN AM and FM stations. Advertisers receive airtime spots with options for short-term contracts, long-term contracts, and saturation packages. The station offers various value-added advertising programs and creative marketing ideas for local businesses.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

KDSN Radio operates AM 1530 and FM 104.9 (branded "105 FM The Hive") radio stations broadcasting local news, weather, sports, farm market reports, music, and talk programming to Denison, Iowa and surrounding West Central Iowa communities. The station also runs the KDSN Video Network, a video streaming service covering local high school sports and community events across multiple school districts. Revenue is generated primarily through local radio advertising sales to area businesses.

Product overview

KDSN Radio operates as a local broadcast radio station with two radio stations (AM 1530 and FM 104.9) and a companion video network (KDSN TV). The AM station broadcasts country music and agricultural programming targeting audiences ages 21-70, while the FM station features Adult Contemporary/Oldies music targeting ages 18-65. The KDSN Video Network provides streaming video coverage of local high school sports and community events through partnerships with regional school districts. Together, these products serve the Denison, Iowa area and surrounding Crawford County communities with local news, sports, weather, farm markets, and entertainment content.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Hive: KDSN FM 104.9 branding as '105 FM The Hive' - Adult Contemporary format
• Mick in the Morning
• End of the Day with Kay
• Salute to Service
• Polka Party
• The Morning Scoop

Products and services

• KDSN AM 1530 AM radio station broadcasting at 1530 AM with 500 watts daytime signal, featuring Country Music format targeting audiences ages 21-70 with heavy farm markets programming. Established in 1956.
• KDSN FM 104.9 (The Hive) FM radio station broadcasting at 104.9 FM with 6,000 watts, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Features Adult Contemporary format targeting audiences ages 18-65 with a Lite Rock/Oldies blend. Branded as '105 FM The Hive'. Established in 1968.
• KDSN TV / KDSN Video Network Streaming video network featuring coverage of area high school sports, special events, and community activities. Includes channels for local school districts such as Ar-We-Va Rocket Media Productions, Boyer Valley BVTV, East Sac County Network, Logan-Magnolia LMAV, MVAOCOU RamCast, and Woodbine Tiger Vision.
• Daily Farm Market Close Podcast Daily agricultural market settlement podcast providing closing farm market information for corn, soybeans, cattle, and other commodities, targeted at the farming community in the KDSN broadcast area.

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Crawford County Broadcasting Corp.coreOthersParent company that acquired KDSN Radio in November 2018. Owns and operates both KDSN AM 1530 and KDSN FM 104.9 stations.
• Iowa Broadcasters Association (IBA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry association membership for Iowa radio broadcasters providing advocacy and professional development.
• Local School DistrictscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Denison-Schleswig, Ar-We-Va, Boyer Valley, East Sac County, Logan-Magnolia, MVAOCOU, Woodbine, CAM, Griswold, Riverside, Exira-EHK, and Atlantic school districts for video network coverage of school sports and activities.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Townsquare Media: Townsquare Media owns clusters of small/mid-market radio stations across the Midwest and operates digital/local ad platforms; directly comparable as a multi-station local radio group serving similar small-market geographies.
• iHeartMedia: iHeartMedia is the largest U.S. radio operator with hundreds of AM/FM stations plus iHeartRadio streaming; competes for the same small-market advertiser budgets in Iowa and operates national digital audio ad infrastructure KDSN lacks.
• Saga Communications: Saga Communications owns and operates radio stations in small and mid-sized markets across the Midwest and East Coast; comparable as a regional radio broadcaster with similar local content orientation.
• Cumulus Media: Cumulus Media operates a national footprint of AM/FM stations plus the Westwood One network; relevant as a large incumbent competing for the same advertiser dollars in regional and national categories KDSN cannot serve.

Regional players

• WNAX (Saga Communications): Saga Communications' WNAX 570 AM in Yankton, SD is a legacy farm-format broadcaster covering parts of western Iowa and eastern Nebraska — directly comparable in ag-focused news/talk programming though operating across a different state line.

Direct peers

• KCIM ( Carroll Broadcasting): Carroll Broadcasting operates KCIM AM 1380 and KIKD FM 100.5 serving Carroll, Iowa — a small-market radio duopoly in adjacent West Central Iowa with the same mix of local news, farm markets, and community content as KDSN.
• KMA Land (May Broadcasting): May Broadcasting operates KMA 960 AM and KMA-FM serving Shenandoah/southwest Iowa — a similar legacy Iowa AM/FM combination focused on farm markets, news, and regional sports.
• KICD (Iowa Great Lakes Broadcasting): Iowa Great Lakes Broadcasting operates KICD AM and KICD-FM in Spencer, Iowa — a comparable rural Iowa news/talk and country format station serving an agricultural community.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/hashtag/kdsnsports
• Facebookfacebook.com/pages/KDSN-Radio/189009627786164
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kdsn-radio

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries1 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 KDSN Radio