New York Talker WABC Leads America’s Top 10 AM Stations.

Since Red Apple Media took over the ownership of New York talk station WABC (770) in 2020, it’s become the top-ranked AM-exclusive outlet in the market. Now it tops Inside Radio’s TOP 10 ranking of U.S. stations heard only on the AM band within their markets, based on persons 6+ cume delivery during Nielsen’s winter 2025 wave (January-to-March three-month average) as compiled by ACT 1 systems. The station’s cume reached 418,500 during the first three months of the year.

WABC, which flipped to talk in 1982 following two decades as New York radio’s primary top 40 station, offers a wide variety of locally-originated programming including 10-year morning host Sid Rosenberg and PM drive’s “Cats & Cosby” — with station owner John Catsimatidis and Rita Cosby — not to mention one of the key personalities of WABC’s “Musicradio” era, “Cousin Brucie” Morrow, heard weekends. WABC’s success helped make it an NAB Marconi Award Legendary Station of the Year finalist in 2025.

Along with WABC, iHeartMedia’s KFI (640) Los Angeles also passes the 400,000-cume mark. KFI’s been in the format for 38 years, 33 of them with Bill Handel hosting mornings. Also, a Marconi finalist last year for News/Talk Station of the Year, it’s one of five iHeartMedia stations in AM’s top 10.

Placing third is a Marconi winner for Spanish Station of the Year, Hemisphere Media Group news/talk WKAQ-AM San Juan (580). Puerto Rico’s first radio station, signing on in 1922, features longtime morning host Rubén Sánchez.

Ranked fourth is iHeartMedia’s “Newsradio 740” KTRH, which has broadcast in Houston since 1929 and includes among its on-air alumni Texas-born former “CBS Evening News” anchor Dan Rather. Rounding out the top five is the only all-news station in the top 10, Audacy’s “Newsradio 950” WWJ Detroit, which began as a radio news service in 1920.

Seven of these stations include issues-based talk shows, including two more from iHeartMedia: sixth-ranked “NewsRadio 1030” WBZ-AM Boston, a Marconi Legendary Station and News/Talk Station of the Year winner where Dan Rea has hosted “NightSide” since 2007; and at ninth, “The Voice of New York,” WOR (710), featuring a market mainstay since the 1970s, weekday host Mark Simone. Coming in seventh is another Marconi News/Talk Station of the Year winner, Nexstar Media Group’s WGN (720) Chicago, where mornings are hosted by 55-year Windy City radio veteran Bob Sirott.

The remaining two of AM’s top 10 are sports stations: iHeartMedia’s “LA Sports” KLAC (570) Los Angeles, flagship of the reigning World Series Champion Dodgers and the NBA’s Clippers; and Bonneville’s “Seattle Sports” KIRO-AM (710), which has been the flagship of the NFL’s Seahawks since their debut season in 1976, and of Major League Baseball’s Mariners since 2009.