The FCC has released its broadcast station totals for the first quarter of 2025, reflecting the three-month period ending March 31. The biggest takeaway?
A huge surge in noncommercial FM radio stations, the result of a recent FCC action designed to bring new educational stations to the FM band, skewed the numbers.
While the number of noncommercial FMs at the end of 2024 grew by 100 from September 30, the total surged even more during the first three months of 2025.
And, that did not come at the expense of most commercially licensed FM radio stations.
Meanwhile, some 16 AM radio stations disappeared, and this is tied to various media reports of companies turning in the licenses of poorly performing facilities.
By comparison, there was much less volatility with the number of licensed broadcast TV stations at the end of Q1 2025, repeating the previous sequential quarter.
Lastly, it is notable that the number of FM translators grew, as the totals had been on the decline 2024.
BROADCAST STATION TOTALS AS OF MARCH 31, 2025
(Compared to December 31, 2024)
TOTAL BROADCAST STATIONS: 33,524 (up 151)
All comparisons below to the end of Q4 2024
AM STATIONS 4367 (minus 16)
FM COMMERCIAL 6621 (minus 4)
FM EDUCATIONAL 4477 (plus 157)
TOTAL 15,622 (plus 137)
UHF COMMERCIAL TV 1028 (minus 1)
VHF COMMERCIAL TV 356 (unchanged)
UHF EDUCATIONAL TV 269 (plus 1)
VHF EDUCATIONAL TV 114 (unchanged)
TOTAL 1,767 (unchanged)
CLASS A UHF STATIONS 351 (up 2)
CLASS A VHF STATIONS 32 (unchanged)
FM TRANSLATORS & BOOSTERS 8,891 (plus 11)
(up from 7813 as of June 30, 2018)
UHF TRANSLATORS 2,460 (up 7)
VHF TRANSLATORS 639 (up 1)
UHF LOW POWER TV 1496 (down 9)
VHF LOW POWER TV 290 (down 6)
LOW POWER FM 1,976 (up 8)
