Chicago Radio: CBS Radio Places Three In Top 5 Billing Stations

All-News WBBM 780 AM/WCFS 105.9 FM saw revenue fall last year, but held its position as the top-billing Chicago radio station, and the only local outlet among the top 10 stations nationwide, according to The Chicago Tribune.

The CBS-owned news radio station took in $42 million in over-the-air revenue last year, an 8 percent decline, according to media research firm BIA/Kelsey. Closing ground was Hubbard Radio’s adult contemporary station WTMX-FM 101.9, The Mix, which was up 10 percent to $37.5 million.

Overall, the Chicago radio market declined by 1.8  percent to $470.5 million in over-the air revenue, according to BIA/Kelsey. Nationally, radio revenue was essentially flat at $14.3 billion.

Tribune Co.’s WGN-AM 720, a legacy news/talk station which retooled its programming last summer under new general manager Jimmy de Castro, ranked third in Chicago with $29.2 million in revenue, a 3.3 percent decline.

Rod Zimmerman

CBS Radio had three of the top five billing stations in Chicago, with hit music station, WBBM-FM 96.3 (B96) and sports talk station WSCR-AM 670 (The Score) rounding out the list, according to BIA/Kelsey.

All-news WBBM is ranked 10th in revenues among all U.S. stations.

“Our cluster is as strong as there is in the country,” said Rod Zimmerman, CBS Radio Chicago's senior vice president and market manager. “We’re well-positioned and we like our lineup of stations”

Here are the Top 5 Chicago radio stations in revenue for 2013, according to BIA/Kelsey:

• News WBBM-AM with revenue of  $42 million, down $3.7 million from 2012
• AC WTMX-FM with revenue of $37.5 million, up $3.4 million from 2012
• Talk WGN-AM  with revenue of $29.2, down $1 million from 2012
• Top 40 WBBM-FM with revenue of  $25.3 million, down $.5 million from 2012
• Sports WSCR-AM with revenue of $24.8 million, up $1.9 million from 2012