The FCC just released its quarterly list of the total number of licensed broadcast stations and the total number of radio stations in the United States remains about the same as it has for the past few quarters, with a grand total of 15,442 licensed full power radio stations.
For the quarter ending March 31, 2015, the number of AM stations decreased by 3, the number of FM commercial stations increased by 7, and the number of FM educational stations increased by 6.
The big news this quarter is the increase in the number of licensed low power FM (LPFM) stations. By the end of March, 2015, there were 87 more LPFM stations than there were at the end of December, 2014. At the same time, the number of FM translators and boosters increased by 63 this quarter.
Here’s a run-down of the count:
As of March 31, 2015:
AM Stations: 4,702 (down from 4,705 in 12/14 )
FM Commercial Stations: 6,659 (up from 6,652 in 12/14)
FM Educational Stations: 4,081 (up from 4,075 in 12/14)
Total Radio Stations: 15,442 (up from 15,432 in 12/14)
Not included in Total Radio Stations:
FM Translators and Boosters: 6312 (up from 6,249 in 12/14)
Low power FM (LPFM): 1029 (up from 942 in 12/14)
To see more quarterly statistics about the total number of radio stations in the United States, take a look at all of our station count reports here.
