DC Radio: WTOP Moving Operations This Year

WTOP's glass-enclosed nerve center is moving two miles north and into Maryland, according to Bethesda Magazine.

News radio station WTOP 103.5 FM is moving its Washington, D.C., headquarters to Chevy Chase in December or January, General Manager Joel Oxley confirmed this week.

Oxley said the broadcaster requires more space to accommodate its growing staff.  Terms of a new lease were not disclosed. The move will take place in December or January, according to the report. WTOP will take more than 30,000 square feet on the fifth floor of the building.

“We have grown tremendously over the years by serving the D.C. region with a 24/7 news, traffic and weather operation,” Oxley said. “Whether it is in digital, federal or broadcasting, our moving to a bigger space, with completely new state-of-the-art technology, will only help us grow more.”

WTOP’s new offices will be based at 5425 Wisconsin Ave. between Clyde’s of Chevy Chase and Giant Food on Wisconsin Circle near the intersection of Wisconsin and Western avenues—a dividing line between Maryland and the District.

More than 200 employees will occupy more than 30,000 square feet on the building’s fifth floor, and the number of employees is expected to grow, Oxley said.

WTOP is owned by Hubbard Broadcasting. Since 1989, the company has been based on Idaho Avenue in the Cathedral Commons area of Northwest Washington, 2 miles away from its new home.

The Hubbard Radio LLC-owned station posted $67.5 million in revenue in 2016, making it the largest radio operation in Greater Washington based on revenue. WAMU is the next largest with 2016 revenue of $23.37 million, according to Washington Business Journal research. WTOP is typically one of the biggest revenue-generating radio stations in the country.