Report updated Apr 17, 2026
News 9 WAOW
For residents of Central Wisconsin, specifically the Wausau, Stevens Point, and Northwoods areas, who require timely local news, weather, and sports updates.
News 9 WAOW is an established news app that is completely free. With a 4.4/5 rating from 269 reviews, it shows polarized user reception.
What is News 9 WAOW?
Current Momentum
v3.1
Performance improvement and bug fixes.
Active Nemesis
7 News - WSAW
By Gray Television Group
Other Rivals
7-Day Rank Pulse 🇺🇸
NewsNo ranking data
Rating Pulse 🇺🇸
What makes this app unique?
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What Are The Key Features?
Localized weather tracking, interactive radar, and severe weather alerts for the community
Dedicated coverage of Wisconsin sports including Badgers, Packers, Brewers, and local high school athletics
Access to live broadcast news and on-demand video content
How much does it cost?
- Free to download and use
The app serves as a digital extension of the broadcast station, monetized primarily through advertising and brand engagement rather than direct user subscriptions.
Who Built It?
Allen Media Broadcasting
Providing hyper-local news and high-precision weather tracking to regional communities through integrated broadcast partnerships.
Portfolio
13
Apps
What other apps does Allen Media Broadcasting make?
Explore the full Allen Media Broadcasting report
Portfolio breakdown, audience, momentum, and every app published by Allen Media Broadcasting.
What do users think recently?
Analysis in progress, available soon
View the full user-sentiment analysis
Mood gauge, ratings & review-volume history, every praise / complaint / request, and sentiment over time.
What is the competitive landscape for News 9 WAOW?
How's The News Market?
Market outlook for this category
Available very soon
The rivals identified
The outtake for News 9 WAOW
Strengths to defend, gaps to attack
Core Strengths
- High iOS rating (4.38) indicating platform stability
- Strong regional sports focus (HS athletics + Pro)
- Distinctive '9 StormTrack' weather branding
Critical Frictions
- Lower install base/rating count compared to primary nemesis WSAW
- Recent updates limited to maintenance (bug fixes) rather than new features
- Basic personalization features compared to AI-driven competitors
Growth Levers
- Hyper-local expansion into Northwoods sub-markets
- Interactive community-driven sports reporting
- Leveraging high rating for aggressive user acquisition
Market Threats
- Aggregators (NewsBreak/SmartNews) cannibalizing direct traffic
- WSAW's dual-network (CBS/FOX) content advantage
- Gannett's (Wausau Daily Herald) depth in investigative reporting
What are the next best moves?
Prioritize High School Sports feature expansion
This is a cited differentiator in the feature analysis and a key area where WAOW can win against national aggregators like NewsBreak.
Launch a 'Rate Us' campaign to close the engagement gap
Nemesis WSAW has ~2x the rating volume; increasing WAOW's volume will improve App Store visibility and social proof.
Audit weather radar latency vs. WSAW's First Alert
Weather is the primary differentiator; any performance lag here directly threatens the '9 StormTrack' brand value.
Feature Gaps vs Competitors
- Dual-network content integration (CBS/FOX available in WSAW)
- Long-form investigative journalism (available in Wausau Daily Herald)
- AI-driven personalized news feed (available in NewsBreak and SmartNews)
- Offline reading capabilities (available in SmartNews)
Key Takeaways
WAOW is a technically stable, well-regarded local app that is currently in maintenance mode. To avoid being commoditized by aggregators, the PM must pivot from 'standard' news delivery to 'exclusive' community features, specifically by deepening the high school sports and hyper-local weather moats where competitors are generic.
Where Is It Heading?
Stable
v3.1 update (Oct 2025) focused only on performance/bug fixes — maintenance mode, not growth mode.
Maintains a high 4.38 rating — indicates strong core user satisfaction and reliability.