BIA Unveils Top 10 Radio Owners By Revenue

According to a just released report from BIA, the top revenue-producing radio group owners in 2023 are consistent with those from the previous year. Here are the key highlights:

🠊iHeartMedia: They continue to hold the top position as the highest billing radio station owner. With 870 owned stations across 151 markets, they generated an impressive $2.15 billion in revenue. Notably, four of BIA’s top 10 stations based on over-the-air revenue are affiliated with iHeartMedia. These include CHR powerhouses like KIIS-FM in Los Angeles, “Z100” WHTZ in New York, as well as New York’s adult contemporary station “Lite 106.7” WLTW and L.A.'s hot AC station “104.3 MyFM” KBIG.

🠊Audacy and Cumulus Media: These two companies maintain their positions in the top three. Audacy, billing $1.29 billion, has four stations in the top 10, including New York news stations WINS-AM-FM and WCBS-FM, as well as sports station WFAN-AM-FM. Cumulus Media, however, experienced a 22% decline in revenue compared to 2022, dropping from $493 million to $413.9 million.

🠊Hubbard Radio: Ranked fourth, Hubbard Radio’s 54 stations in 10 markets include their flagship station, Washington, D.C.'s news station WTOP. WTOP alone contributes $66.3 million, making up 26.7% of the company’s 2023 revenue. Hubbard continues to be a significant player in the industry.

🠊Beasley Media Group: They claim the fifth spot, with their station “The Sports Hub” WBZ-FM in Boston accounting for 14.1% of Beasley’s total revenue.

🠊Urban One and Alpha Media: Urban One saw a 0.5% gain, moving up from eighth to sixth place. Privately-owned Alpha Media also broke into the top 10, pushing Salem Media Group out of the ranking.

🠊Cox Media Group, Townsquare Media, and TelevisaUnivision: These companies round out the top 10 radio owners for 2023. TelevisaUnivision, the top-billing Spanish-language broadcaster in the U.S., is responsible for half of the top 10 billing Spanish-language stations.

It’s worth noting that 2023 was a non-political year in most markets, which may explain some of the revenue decreases compared to 2022.