Industry · SBA lending record
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.
How this industry compares
defaulted within 7 yearsDefault 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 yearTrouble 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 smallest loan → Check the numbers work →
SBA 504 in Radio Stations
504 FOIA record504 is rarely used here — only 25 504 loans to radio stations since 2010, because the program is built for owner-occupied real estate and heavy equipment rather than general business use. If you are buying owner-occupied property in this line of work it can still be the cheaper deal — see how 504 works or find a CDC.