Hubbard Broadcasting


Hubbard Broadcasting, Inc. is an American television and radio broadcasting corporation based in St. Paul, Minnesota. It was founded by Stanley E. Hubbard.
The corporation has broadcast outlets scattered across Minnesota, Wisconsin, New York, and New Mexico, but the flagship stations are KSTP radio, KSTP-FM and KSTP-TV, which serve the Twin Cities region of Minnesota and western Wisconsin.

History

KSTP has its origins in the Twin Cities radio station WAMD, which started broadcasting live dance music from a local ballroom on February 13, 1925 with Stanley E. Hubbard as owner and station director. It was the first radio station to be completely supported by income generated by advertisements.
In 1928, WAMD merged with KFOY radio in St. Paul to become KSTP, which was advertised as being operated by the National Battery Broadcasting Co. Hubbard became the merged station's general manager, and bought controlling interest in 1941. Ten years later, in 1938, Hubbard bought the first television camera available from RCA. Following the television blackout brought on by World War II, KSTP started television broadcasts in 1948.
KSTP is still Hubbard's flagship, although there are now three different stations that carry that name. KSTP-AM broadcasts a sports radio format, and KSTP-FM broadcasts adult contemporary music; KSTP-TV is affiliated with ABC.
After the Federal Communications Commission relaxed rules about television station ownership, Hubbard bought a second television station in the Twin Cities. Originally affiliated with the Home Shopping Network when it started operations in 1994, KVBM was bought by Hubbard and became general-entertainment independent station KSTC-TV in 2000. It has been used as an alternate outlet for ABC network programming when KSTP-TV is broadcasting coverage of Vikings football games or other special shows, including severe-weather coverage.
Aside from terrestrial broadcast stations, other current ventures include the film network ReelzChannel, the arts network Ovation, and the Hubbard Radio Network, which is used to distribute KSTP's local talk shows to subscribing radio stations in Minnesota and Wisconsin. The cable channels are run through subsidiary company Hubbard Media Group.
In 1981, Hubbard Broadcasting started U.S. Satellite Broadcasting, and later was instrumental in the development and launching of the first digital satellite system for television in 1994. The new satellite could deliver 175 channels to a tiny, 18 inch dish. USSB's development partner, Hughes Electronics, launched their own subscription satellite service called DirecTV. The two services did not compete against each other, and were often marketed together to subscribers by retailers and in advertisements until DirecTV's 1998 acquisition of USSB.
Hubbard was also instrumental in the development of mobile satellite news vehicles. In 1983, Hubbard-owned Conus Communications and Florida-based Hubcom built the first Satellite News Gathering mobile vehicle which allowed for much easier live news coverage for network and local television news operations.
Hubbard Broadcasting also operated a 24 Hour News station titled All News Channel which featured longtime KSTP anchor Stan Turner. The news channel lasted from 1991 until it folded in September 2002.
Hubbard Broadcasting also owned the now-closed Bound to be Read bookstores in St. Paul, Albuquerque, and Key Largo.
As of October 2007, it is engaged in a fevered battle with NABET union repping employees of WNYT in Albany, New York.
On January 19, 2011, it was announced that Hubbard will purchase 17 radio stations in Cincinnati, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and St. Louis from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints subsidiary Bonneville International for $505 million. The sale closed on April 29, 2011.
On February 25, 2013, Hubbard announced that it would purchase MyNetworkTV station WNYA to form a duopoly with WNYT, pending FCC approval. No financial details were announced.
On July 16, 2013, Hubbard announced that it had agreed to purchase 10 stations from Ohio-based Sandusky Radio for $85.5 million.
Hubbard announced on November 13, 2014 that it would purchase the sixteen stations owned by Omni Broadcasting. The Omni stations are all located in central and northern Minnesota.
On September 26, 2018, Hubbard announced that it agreed to purchase six stations owned by Alpha Media in West Palm Beach Florida. The stations include Urban AC 102.3 WMBX, Country 103.1 WIRK, Adult Contemporary 107.9 WEAT, Hot Adult Contemporary 97.9 WRMF, News/Talk 850 WFTL and Sports/Talk 640 WMEN. The purchase price was disclosed on November 14, 2018 for $88 Million.
Hubbard Broadcasting took over production of Country Top 40 in January 2020 after the death of the program's founder Bob Kingsley. Fitz, a mononymous host with several syndicated country radio programs to his credit, took over as the program's host.

Hubbard-owned stations

Stations are arranged in alphabetical order by state and city of license.
All of the assets are owned by the Stanley S. Hubbard Revocable Trust, and administered by Hubbard Broadcasting, Inc.
Note:
MarketStationOwned SinceCurrent Format
PhoenixKDUS-10602013Sports radio
PhoenixKAZG-14402013Oldies
PhoenixKDKB-93.32013Alternative rock
PhoenixKUPD-97.92013Active rock
PhoenixKSLX-FM-100.72013Classic rock
Washington, D.C.WBQH-10502011Regional Mexican
Washington, D.C.WFED-15002011Federal news/talk
Washington, D.C.WWFD-8202011Freeform
Washington, D.C.WTOP-FM-103.52011News
Washington, D.C.WTLP-103.9
2011News
Washington, D.C.WWWT-FM-107.7
2011News
ChicagoWDRV-97.12011Classic rock
ChicagoWWDV-96.9
2011Classic rock
ChicagoWSHE-FM-100.32011Adult contemporary
ChicagoWTMX-101.92011Hot adult contemporary
Alexandria, MinnesotaKULO-94.32015Oldies
Alexandria, MinnesotaKIKV-FM-100.72015Country
Bemidji, MinnesotaKBUN-14502015Sports radio
Bemidji, MinnesotaKKZY-95.52015Adult contemporary
Bemidji, MinnesotaKLLZ-FM-99.12015Classic rock
Bemidji, MinnesotaKBHP-101.12015Country
Bemidji, MinnesotaKBUN-FM-104.52015Sports radio
Brainerd-Baxter, MinnesotaKVBR-13402015Business news/talk
Brainerd-Baxter, MinnesotaKLIZ-13802015Sports radio
Brainerd-Baxter, MinnesotaKBLB-93.32015Country
Brainerd-Baxter, MinnesotaKUAL-FM-103.52015Oldies
Brainerd-Baxter, MinnesotaWJJY-FM-106.72015Adult contemporary
Brainerd-Baxter, MinnesotaKLIZ-FM-107.52015Classic rock
Minneapolis - Saint PaulKSTP-1500 **1928Sports radio
Minneapolis - Saint PaulKSTP-FM-94.5 **1966Hot adult contemporary
Minneapolis - Saint PaulKTMY-107.12000Female-oriented Talk
Wadena-Staples, MinnesotaKWAD-9202015Classic country
Wadena-Staples, MinnesotaKNSP-14302015Sports radio
Wadena-Staples, MinnesotaKKWS-105.92015Country
St. LouisKPNT-105.72018Alternative
St. LouisKSHE-94.72018Mainstream Rock
St. LouisWARH-106.52011Adult hits
St. LouisWIL-FM-92.32011Country
St. LouisWXOS-101.12011Sports radio
CincinnatiWKRQ-101.92011Adult Top 40
CincinnatiWREW-94.92011Rhythmic AC
CincinnatiWUBE-FM-105.12011Country
CincinnatiWYGY-97.32011Country Top 40
SeattleKIXI-8802013Adult standards
SeattleKKNW-11502013Brokered programming
SeattleKQMV-92.52013Contemporary hit radio
SeattleKNUC-98.92013Country Top 40
SeattleKRWM-106.92013Adult contemporary
West Palm BeachWMEN-6402018Sports radio
West Palm BeachWFTL-8502018News Talk
West Palm BeachWRMF-97.92018Adult Top 40
West Palm BeachWMBX-102.32018Urban Adult Contemporary
West Palm BeachWIRK-103.12018Country
West Palm BeachWEAT-107.92018Adult Contemporary

Cable channels (through Hubbard Media Group division)

Television stations

City of license / MarketStationChannel
TV 		Years ownedCurrent ownership status
St. Petersburg - TampaWTOG **44 1968–1996The CW affiliate owned by CBS Corporation
Silver City, New MexicoKOBG-TV **
6 2000–2011defunct, went dark in 2011

Hubbard also owned a partial stake in KWK-TV, channel 4, in St. Louis during the mid-1950s.

Radio stations

MarketStation/
Frequency		Years ownedCurrent ownership
AlbuquerqueKOB 7701957–1986KKOB, owned by Cumulus Media
AlbuquerqueKOB-FM 93.31957–1986KKOB-FM, owned by Cumulus Media
Winter Haven, FLWGTO 5401964–1986WFLF, owned by iHeartMedia
New Richmond, WIWIXK 15902000–2012owned by Hmong Radio Broadcast, LLC

Cable channels