It was originally anticipated in early October, but the shutdown of the federal government resulted in a pause of all non-essential efforts at the FCC, which furloughed more than 1,000 individuals over the funding squabble on Capitol Hill.
Now, the Commission has released its quarterly station totals. The big takeaway: commercial AM and FM stations declined in number once again.
With the AM Radio in Every Vehicle Act still stalled in Congress, despite the hype and push for a vote from the NAB and key radio broadcasting companies that stand to benefit (such as iHeartMedia), kHz-band stations declined by 17 between July 1 and September 30.
At the same time, there are 8 fewer commercially licensed FM radio stations, a sign that core advertising challenges and the lure of a non-secular buyer remains strong as the first half of the decade nears its conclusion. Noncommercial FM radio stations surged by 41.
For broadcast TV, a rise in UHF stations was seen; conversions from VHF facilities is a part of that growth.
There was also increased activity in Class A stations, thanks to a provision allowing some low-power TV facilities to change from LPTVs to Class A in status.
Lastly, the FM translator and booster boom appears to have waned, while the total remains 1,000 ahead of June 2018.
BROADCAST STATION TOTALS AS OF SEPTEMBER 30, 2025
(Compared to June 30, 2025)
TOTAL BROADCAST STATIONS: 33,551 (up 19)
All comparisons below to the end of Q2 2025
AM STATIONS 4343 (minus 17)
FM COMMERCIAL 6594 (minus 8)
FM EDUCATIONAL 4730 (plus 41)
TOTAL 15,667 (plus 16)
UHF COMMERCIAL TV 1037 (plus 8)
VHF COMMERCIAL TV 352 (minus 3)
UHF EDUCATIONAL TV 269 (unchanged)
VHF EDUCATIONAL TV 118 (plus 4)
TOTAL 1,776 (plus 9)
CLASS A UHF STATIONS 361 (plus 10)
CLASS A VHF STATIONS 36 (plus 4)
FM TRANSLATORS & BOOSTERS 8,871 (minus 9)
(up from 7,813 as of June 30, 2018)
UHF TRANSLATORS 2,467 (up 5)
VHF TRANSLATORS 629 (down 3)
UHF LOW POWER TV 1483 (down 11)
VHF LOW POWER TV 276 (down 10)
LOW POWER FM 1,985 (up 8)
