The WTOP “Glass-Enclosed Nerve Center”

Morning Anchor Mike Moss

From Steve Hendrix, The Washington Post

WTOP (103.5 FM), Washington’s most popular and lucrative radio station, recently made news itself when the FCC approved its sale to a new owner.

The station was the jewel in a $500 million deal involving 17 stations bought by Minneapolis-based Hubbard Broadcasting.

But the only change may be the name on the license. Hubbard says it has no plans to mess with success.

WTOP (website) has sat alone at the top of Washington radio ratings since July 2009. It dominates the coveted rush-hour peaks, both a.m. and p.m. And in March, it overtook top-40 powerhouse KIIS in Los Angeles as the biggest revenue-generating station in the country, sucking $57 million from advertisers in a region that is barely a top-10 market.

“We plan to change absolutely nothing,” says Ginny Morris, Hubbard’s president.

That will be a relief to Jakaitis and the 102 other reporters, editors and producers who staff Washington’s biggest radio newsroom. But it comes as no surprise to industry analysts.

WTOP reporter Kristi King prepares a report. For 20 years King has covered general assignments for WTOP, 12 years of those during the 4 a.m. to noon shift. "I love my job and feel blessed to do this," she says despite the fact that she has to go to bed at 7 p.m. every night to get up at 2 a.m. Astrid Riecken / For The Washington Post


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