Single Website Hub or Multiple Station Websites?

If you own or manage several radio stations, you might wonder whether to combine all your stations into one website or keep separate websites for each. Increasingly, we have found that more radio groups are taking advantage of this.  Both approaches have their pros and cons, and the best choice ultimately depends on your goals, audience, budget, and other relevant factors. Let’s explore the advantages and disadvantages of each strategy using up-to-date insights, so you can make the most of your multi-station online presence.

Let’s break down the big items to consider when making this decision.

Cost Factors

Maintaining a single website for multiple stations can be cost-effective. You only have one site design to develop and one hosting plan to pay for, which can significantly cut down expenses compared to running many sites. All your content lives under one roof, simplifying technical needs and reducing duplicate work.

By contrast, multiple websites mean separate domain registrations, separate hosting, possibly different designs or templates—costs add up for each. More sites can also mean higher development and maintenance expenses. Unless you have a strong business case (and budget) for each individual station site, weigh whether the extra cost delivers a return. Bottom line: one site is generally cheaper, while multiple sites give you more outlets to monetize if each site attracts its own advertisers. Whichever route you choose, make sure it delivers a solid ROI.

Time and Maintenance

Along with cost, think about your time and staffing resources. With a single consolidated website, your team has just one platform to update. This simplicity can save a lot of time. It’s easier to post an article or update a schedule once than to repeat the same task across several sites. Managing one website streamlines content updates, maintenance, and performance tracking—great if you have a small digital team.

On the other hand, running multiple station websites can become a time sink. You might end up duplicating work—contests, news stories, or promotions—on three or four different websites. Unless you have a dedicated digital content manager for each site, a single person maintaining many sites can get overwhelmed. Before choosing multiple sites, ask if you truly have the team and time to keep each one fresh and engaging.

Brand Identity and User Experience

Branding is a double-edged sword in this decision. A single combined website can create a unified brand identity for your radio group. All your stations sit under one umbrella, which can reinforce a consistent look and message. It also makes cross-promotion easier—listeners of one station might discover your other stations more readily. Using one domain name across all stations is simpler for people to remember (and for talent to plug on-air).

However, a single site also means a broader audience with diverse tastes using the same website. This can dilute the personal touch for each station. Listeners often feel strong loyalty to their favorite station and expect a website that reflects that station’s unique personality. If everything is merged, a die-hard rock fan might land on a homepage dominated by news or pop content and feel less at home.

By contrast, separate websites let each station’s personality shine. You can design each site’s layout, color scheme, navigation, and content to perfectly match that station’s format and vibe. This kind of tailoring creates a more personalized, engaging experience for each audience. If you do combine sites, invest in clear navigation by station, visible sub-branding, and content filters so fans still feel “this is my place.”

SEO Considerations

A single website consolidates your content and backlinks on a single domain. That can build strong overall authority and simplifies your SEO strategy—especially if you’re publishing frequent local news or updates that keep the site fresh.

The tradeoff is that one site may not serve every station-specific search equally well. Queries like “best classic rock radio in [your town]” or “[Station Name] live stream” may be easier to win with a dedicated station site that’s tightly optimized around that format and brand.

With multiple websites, you can target a wider range of keywords with precision. Each station site can go hard after its own format and local terms, and you may capture more total search real estate across multiple domains. The catch is effort: you’re splitting content and link equity, and you must avoid duplicate content when sharing stories across sites. Each site needs its own authority-building strategy.

Advertising and Revenue Opportunities

Websites should serve listeners and generate revenue. On a combined site, the total number of station-specific pages and sponsorship slots is usually smaller than what multiple standalone sites offer. Advertisers who prefer one station’s audience may be less excited about sponsoring an “all-in-one” site where their message isn’t surrounded by that station’s branding and content.

With separate sites, ad placements and sponsorships can stay more contextually relevant to the audience—often better for performance and easier to pitch. That said, a single well-trafficked site (especially a strong local news hub) can deliver higher total impressions. Know your traffic patterns, your sales team’s strengths, and your clients’ expectations, then structure inventory accordingly.

Single Website or Multiple Websites? How to Choose

• Goals: Are you trying to increase overall reach and cross-promotion (favoring one site) or dominate each format locally (favoring separate sites)? Define success metrics—traffic, streaming, revenue—and pick the structure that supports them.
• Audience: Do listeners overlap across stations, or are they distinct? Overlap supports consolidation; distinct audiences prefer dedicated spaces.
• Branding & UX: How important is a unified brand versus unique station identities? Regardless of the route you choose, prioritize simple navigation and clarity.
• SEO Strategy: What keywords matter most, and what are competitors doing? One site concentrates authority; multiple sites specialize. Choose the approach you can realistically optimize and maintain.
• Budget & Resources: Consolidation is typically more cost-effective and easier to maintain. Multiple sites require more design, content, and ongoing management.
• Monetization & Sales: Can your sellers tailor proposals for multiple sites, or is a unified inventory simpler to pitch and fulfill?

Don’t let budget alone dictate the choice. It’s tempting to go with one site because it’s cheaper, but that could cost you in missed opportunities if it’s not right for your audience or strategy. Conversely, don’t split into multiple sites just because it feels right—ensure you can staff and sustain it.

Tip: If You Combine, Focus on Content

If you decide to merge your stations into one website, make the main hub a content-rich news or information site rather than a corporate marketing brochure. Regular visitors will stay longer if they immediately see fresh, relevant content (such as local news, weather, sports, and events) that affects them.

Many multi-station groups succeed with this approach. For inspiration, check out:

• Ad Astra Radio – Your Hometown Radio Stations & Local News Source – adastraradio.com
• Enid Live – local news hub for multiple stations – enidlive.com
• Everett Post – news and events for a cluster of stations – everettpost.com
• Deltaplex News – regional news for stations in the Arkansas Delta – deltaplexnews.com
• My Hometown Today – community news serving several stations – myhometowntoday.com
• Sierra Daily News – daily news site for stations in Sierra County – sierradailynews.com

Conclusion and Call to Action

Choosing between one website or multiple station websites isn’t easy—and there may not be a perfect answer. Combining sites is more affordable and less time-consuming. Still, the former programmer and marketing person in me loves how each station has its own personality that deserves to be preserved and celebrated. Separate sites let you tailor content and features to each audience for deeper engagement. A single site gives you efficiency and a unified brand that can supercharge cross-promotion.

We’re here to support you no matter which path you take. We’ve seen the successes and pitfalls of both approaches and can help you craft the best online strategy for your stations. Ready to chat about what fits your cluster? Take your first steps here. Let’s build an online presence that keeps listeners coming back and hits your revenue goals.