KCBS Radio

What KCBS Radio does

KCBS Radio is an all-news AM radio station operating on AM 740 in the Los Angeles metropolitan area, serving listeners across Los Angeles, Orange County, and Inland Empire. Founded in 1940 and operated by CBS Broadcasting Inc., the station is part of the CBS News and Stations group within Paramount Global, the publicly traded media conglomerate. KCBS Radio delivers continuous local, national, and international news coverage alongside weather, traffic, sports (Dodgers, Lakers, Rams, Chargers, Angels, Kings, Clippers), and community information for Southern California audiences.

The station's underlying technology consists of conventional AM radio broadcast infrastructure augmented with digital streaming capabilities, integrated into the broader CBS News content management and distribution system. Content is distributed across multiple channels: AM 740 broadcast, the CBS News Los Angeles website (cbsnews.com/losangeles/), the CBS News mobile application, major social media platforms (Twitter/X, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok), podcast distribution (notably the Sports Central Podcast), and email newsletters. Sub-brands such as NEXT Weather, CBS LA Cares, CBS News California Investigates, The Desk, and Sports Central represent the station's editorial vertical extensions.

KCBS Radio generates revenue through broadcast advertising — commercial spots, sponsorships, and promotional partnerships sold to local, regional, and national advertisers targeting the Los Angeles audience. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. The station does not monetize directly from listeners, who are the audience rather than paying customers. As a CBS owned-and-operated station within Paramount Global, KCBS Radio's strategic and financial outcomes are ultimately dictated by the parent conglomerate's portfolio decisions, including the recently contested Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger attempt. The station's competitive position is anchored by its FCC broadcast license, the CBS News brand, and multi-platform distribution, while its growth prospects are constrained by secular decline in AM radio listenership and ongoing industry-wide migration to digital and on-demand audio formats.

Name

KCBS Radio

Legal name

CBS Broadcasting Inc.

Website

https://kcbs.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1940

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

KCBS Radio is an all-news AM radio station (AM 740) serving the Los Angeles metropolitan area, delivering local, national, and international news, weather, sports, and traffic coverage. It operates as a CBS owned-and-operated station within Paramount Global.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

News Radio Broadcasting

NAICS

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

SIC

Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPABAIAI

News Talk Radio & Current Affairs Stations

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Broadcasting (TV & Radio)/Broadcast News & Current Affairs Channels

SECONDARYMPABACAF

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

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Broadcasting (TV & Radio)/Local Broadcast Stations & Affiliates (TV & Radio)

SECONDARYMPABABAD

News/Talk Radio Networks

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Broadcasting (TV & Radio)/Broadcast Radio Networks

Keywords

• News radio broadcasting
• AM radio station
• Digital news streaming
• Broadcast advertising
• Local news coverage

Headquarters

HQ city

Newark

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. Broadcast Advertising: Traditional radio advertising revenue from local, regional, and national advertisers targeting the Los Angeles metropolitan area audience. The station generates revenue through commercial spots, sponsorships, and promotional partnerships within its news, weather, sports, and entertainment programming.

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

KCBS Radio operates an all-news radio station on AM 740, broadcasting 24/7 local, national, and international news, weather, traffic, and sports coverage to the Los Angeles, Orange County, and Inland Empire markets. The station extends its content across digital streaming, mobile app, podcasts, social media, and an email newsletter, distributing CBS-branded journalism across multiple consumer touchpoints.

Product overview

KCBS Radio (CBS Los Angeles) is a local television news station operated by CBS News, providing local news coverage, weather forecasting, sports reporting, and entertainment news for the Los Angeles metropolitan area through broadcast television and online platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NEXT Weather: Weather forecasting brand used by CBS Los Angeles for local weather coverage.
• CBS LA Cares
• CBS News California Investigates
• The Desk
• Sports Central

Products and services

• KCBS All-News AM 740 Broadcast 24/7 all-news spoken-word radio programming on AM 740 serving Los Angeles, Orange County, and Inland Empire with local, national, and international news, weather, traffic, and sports coverage. Targeted at general-consumer listeners and commuters in the Southern California DMA.
• KCBS Digital Streaming Online/digital audio stream of the KCBS Radio all-news broadcast, extending the AM 740 signal to listeners via web and connected devices. Targeted at consumers seeking the same news content outside the AM broadcast footprint.
• KCBS Mobile App Mobile application providing live stream and on-demand access to KCBS Radio news content on smartphones and tablets. Targeted at consumer listeners on the go.
• Sports Central Podcast Podcast focused on sports coverage distributed via major podcast platforms. Targeted at sports-listening consumers in the Southern California market.
• CBS LA Newsletter Email newsletter delivering KCBS Radio/CBS Los Angeles news and headlines to subscribed consumers. Targeted at consumer readers who prefer email/newsletter content delivery.
• KCBS / CBS Los Angeles Broadcast Advertising Inventory Commercial advertising inventory across KCBS Radio's AM 740 broadcast, digital stream, mobile app, social, newsletter, and podcasts, sold to advertisers seeking access to the LA-metro news audience. Targeted at media buyers, agencies, brands, and political/issue campaigns.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• ParamountcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKCBS Radio is part of CBS News and Stations, a division of Paramount Global. The station operates under the CBS News umbrella with access to Paramount's content library, distribution networks, and corporate resources.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• NPR Member Stations (LAist / KPCC): LAist (formerly KPCC) is the NPR member station serving the Los Angeles market. Competes with KCBS for local LA news audiences, especially among news-talk listeners, with a public-broadcasting funding model rather than advertising.
• KYW Newsradio 1060: Philadelphia all-news station operated by Audacy. Comparable format and target listener (general-audience metro listeners seeking continuous local news and traffic), with broadcast advertising as primary revenue.
• KNX News 97.1 FM: Operated by Audacy, KNX is the other flagship all-news radio station in the Los Angeles market. Directly comparable on format (continuous local news, traffic, weather), target audience (LA metro listeners), and business model (broadcast advertising).
• WBBM Newsradio 780 & 105.9 FM: Chicago's all-news radio station, also owned-and-operated by CBS Broadcasting Inc. Sister-station relationship and identical all-news format make it the closest CBS-network analog to KCBS.
• WINS (1010 WINS): New York City's premier all-news radio station, operated by Audacy. Shares the same all-news format, 24/7 local news/traffic/weather positioning, and broadcast-advertising revenue model as KCBS — a direct category peer in the largest U.S. DMA.
• WCBS 880 Newsradio: New York all-news radio station also under CBS Broadcasting Inc. Same format, same parent, same distribution model — a true CBS O&O radio peer to KCBS.
• WTOP News: Washington D.C. area all-news station, widely regarded as the highest-billing radio station in the U.S. Direct comparable on all-news format and broadcast-advertising model in a major U.S. DMA.

Broad incumbents

• iHeartMedia: Largest U.S. radio broadcaster and owner of competing Los Angeles stations including KFI and KIIS. Operates broadly across formats and geographies; competes with KCBS for LA market ad revenue and digital audio share.
• Audacy: Major U.S. radio broadcaster that owns direct competitors KNX (LA) and WINS (NYC). Same all-news format and advertising-driven business model; competes head-to-head with KCBS in its home market.

Regional players

• KFI AM 640: Los Angeles-based talk radio station operated by iHeartMedia. Same geography and broadcast-advertising model as KCBS, but talk-format rather than all-news — competes for the same LA ad dollars and listener share.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cbslosangeles
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCkH1uDkyuO9sVjSqdqBygOg
• Facebookfacebook.com/kcbsradio
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kcbs-radio
• Instagraminstagram.com/KCALNews

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 KCBS Radio