SBA loans for radio stations

330 SBA 7(a) loans since 2010. What they were for, how big, how long, and how often they went wrong.

Loans made

330

2010 onward

Typical loan

$221k

median approved

Typical term

10 yr

Default rate

0.5%

all industries 2.1%

Against other industries

defaulted within 7 years

Radio Stations

0.5%

Full-Service Restaurants

3.2%

Offices of Lawyers

2.2%

All Other Specialty Trade Contract

3.4%

Offices of Dentists

1.7%

All SBA 7(a) loans

2.1%

Default rate is not a judgement on the industry. It tells you how a lender will price your risk, and how much cushion you should build in.

When borrowers got into trouble

share of failures by year

Year 2

Year 3

Year 4

13%

Year 5

13%

Year 6+

56%

Trouble rarely arrives in year one. It arrives when the opening cash is gone — which is an argument for borrowing more working capital, not less.

What this means for your application

A typical loan here runs $221k over 10 years. If you are asking for far more than that, expect harder questions and a longer file. If far less, check which lenders will even take it — many won't go below $150,000.

Find lenders by minimum loan → Check the numbers work →

Source SBA 7(a) FOIA, NAICS 515 Released 2026-06-30 Loans 330

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