Multiple Country Radio Stations Disrupted by Ransomware Attack

Multiple country music radio stations owned by the Cox Media Group are being affected by a potential ransomware attack that occurred on Thursday, June 3rd. Though the radio stations are still able to broadcast, the live feeds on their websites and streaming networks have been disabled, and some stations are unable to update programing or compose news or talk segments due to the cyber attack.

Cox Media Group currently owns a total of 57 radio stations in 20 individual markets, including eight country music stations, all of which are currently not servicing digital feeds from their stations, Saving Country Music can confirm. Cox also owns 31 local television affiliates, many of whom are also experiencing difficulties due to the attack.

The country radio affiliates affected in the attack include:

  • WWKA 92.3 – Orlando, FL
  • WNGC 106.1 – Athens, GA
  • KWEN 95.5 – Tulsa, OK
  • WHKO 99.1 – Dayton, OH
  • KKBQ 92.9 – Houston/Galveston, TX
  • KTHT 97.1 – Houston/Galveston, TX (Classic country)
  • KKYX 680 AM – San Antonio, TX (Classic country)
  • KCYY 100.3 – San Antonio, TX

Though some of Cox Media’s television stations had returned to normal programming by Thursday evening, many of the company’s radio station streams were still being affected, despite the physical websites remaining online.

The potential ransomware attack comes after the Colonial Pipeline Ransomware cyber attack that occurred on May 7th, shutting down gas supplies to large swaths of the eastern United States. Then earlier this week, meat packer JBS suffered a ransomware attack that had the company shutting down their processing plants across the country. They began returning to normal operations on Wednesday.

Cox Media Group has not publicly addressed the potential cyber attack, and did respond to questions by the time of this report.

© 2023 Saving Country Music