WSI
Business & Professional Services · Marketing & Advertising
- Active units
- 148
- Royalty
- $500 / yr
Franchised, year-end 2023
Annual flat fee
About WSI
WSIL News is a trusted and respected news brand providing up-to-date coverage on breaking news, weather, and live video in Carbondale, Marion, Harrisburg, Southern Illinois, Western Kentucky, and Southeast Missouri. With a focus on local politics, crime, health, education, and sports, WSIL News ensures that you are well-informed about the events and issues that matter to your community. In addition to comprehensive news coverage, WSIL News also offers a range of valuable services. Stay informed about election results, consumer watch, crime, courts, and tornado recovery. Get the latest health updates through their medical minute feature. Tune in to News 3 This Morning for news and weather updates to start your day. Access live streaming video and download the WSIL-TV News 3 app to stay connected wherever you are. Stay ahead of the weather with WSIL News' weather project tornado, closings and delays, interactive radar, and weather academy. Enjoy sports coverage with the scoreboard and high school sports updates. Explore features like GiveSI, community calendar, contests, and job squad. Plus, find engaging video content on demand, recipes, cars, TV apps, and more. WSIL News is committed to providing informative and reliable news and services to keep you informed and engaged with your community.
Key terms
- Franchise fee
$65k
- Young Entrepreneur Scholarship Program
Waiver of the initial franchise fee for qualified applicants; as of this disclosure, none granted in the U.S.
- Brand fund
300.0% of Net Sales
- Veteran discount
10.0% off franchise fee — 10% discount off the initial franchise fee for qualified veterans under VetFran
Brand Percentile Rankings
Rankings compare brands in the same operating year. Fee and investment figures come from the FDD (2025 filing); filings on file: 2024, 2025.
Growth
- Total locations154
Franchised units open at year-end
- New openings18
Gross new units opened during the calendar year
- 1-year unit growth rate4.1%
Net unit growth versus prior year
- 3-year unit CAGR-1.9%
Compound annual growth rate of unit count over the trailing 3 years
- Unit growth ratio6.0×
Cumulative opens / closures through year-end
Unit economics
- Annual unit volume (Median)—
Per FDD Item 19 disclosure
- Annual unit volume (25th percentile)—
Per FDD Item 19 disclosure
- Annual unit volume (75th percentile)—
Per FDD Item 19 disclosure
- 1-year Median AUV growth rate—
Year-over-year change in median AUV
- Store-level EBITDA Margin—
Median unit-level EBITDA / AUV
Investment profile
- Estimated initial investment$93k
Midpoint of estimated initial investment range
↓ Lower is better - Time to open75 months
Midpoint of average time from agreement to opening
↓ Lower is better - Royalty rate—
Percent of net sales paid to the franchisor
- Sales-to-investment ratio—
Median AUV / estimated initial investment midpoint
- Cash-on-cash returns—
Median unit-level EBITDA / estimated initial investment midpoint. Steady-state estimate; year 1 returns will be lower as the unit ramps to median volumes.
Franchisee healthLocked
- Unit closure ratio
- Transfer vs. closure ratio
- Percent multi-unit franchisees
- Litigation rate
- EBITDA multiple on sales & transfers
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Location footprint
Showing 140 of 152 mapped locations
Sources
Financial and operating figures are sourced from the brand's Franchise Disclosure Documents. Brand percentile rankings are based on comparisons to other brands that include the same metrics in their Franchise Disclosure Documents.