“How many radio stations are there in the United States?” Here’s your latest update.
Including AMs as well as commercial, noncom and low-power FMs, there are 15,367 as of June 30, according to the Federal Communications Commission. If you don’t like to include LPFMs in the total (the FCC lists them separately), the number is 14,503 U.S. radio stations.
The breakdown is 4,786 AMs, 6,494 commercial FMs, 3,223 non-commercial FMs and 864 LPFMs.
That compares to 4,790 AMs, 6,483 commercial FMs, 3,180 non-commercial FMs and 865 LPFMs at the end of the first quarter of this year.
By further comparison, five years ago at this time there were fewer licensed AMs (4,759), commercial FMs (6,213) and non-commercial FMs (2,585). The numbers of licensed low-power FMs has grown; five years ago at this time there were 498, according to the FCC.
FM translators and boosters total 6,168 for the quarter that just ended.
