According to the most recent estimates, WTOP (FM), the all news station in Washington, D.C., was the highest billing station in 2010. BIA/Kelsey estimates the station billed more than $57 million, providing news and information to its local market in a year with significant political and economic news to report. KIIS (FM), a CHR station in Los Angeles, was second with $54 million. No other station billed more than $50 million in 2010.
The table below shows the top 10 billing stations throughout the entire U.S.
* Note that there is a pending deal of WTOP (FM) sold by Bonneville to Hubbard Broadcasting
Of the top 10 billing radio stations, five are AM stations, and seven have either a news, talk or sports format. The audiences of such programming are very attractive to national and local advertisers, and thus, these stations can generate substantial revenues.
Most of these stations have long histories of generating substantial revenues as nine of the 10 were in the top 10 for 2009. The only new station breaking the top 10 was WFAN (AM), which was right out of the top 10 at 12 for 2009 and has been in the top 10 in previous years. WGN (AM), the News/Talk station in Chicago, slipped out of the top 10 this year to 11, only slightly behind No. 10, KROQ (FM).