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- Visualizing U.S. Radio Station Counts Since the Year 2000
The FCC’s station counts for AM, FM commercial and noncommercial, FM translators and boosters and LPFMs since 2000. Click to enlarge. In a time-series plot, let’s take a look at the latest station total report from the FCC, which reflects recent trends: Commercial AM and FM radio facilities are seeing gradual declines, while noncommercial FM totals continue to climb. NCE FMs continue to set new highs. As of the commission’s March 31 report, there are 4,783 of these stations, which is up 28 stations from December. But as you can see from our 26-year chart, at turn of the century, there were only around 2,000 noncommercial FM stations. Not all religious stations are noncommercial, of course, but many of them are, and the continued increase in noncom totals also reflects the prominence in the U.S. of such networks. The NCE FM total once again outpaces the total number of AM stations in the U.S., which dropped by 32 since December to 4,310. That is the lowest the total yet for the senior band in the commission’s dataset, which tracks numbers dating back to September 1990. AM’s decline, as we can see, is gradual, but also continuous, since about 2010. The drop in the number of AM stations is perhaps more publicized, but the number of commercial band FM stations has been in a decline, too. The total number of such stations fell by 12 from December to 6,574, which is down from an overall peak of 6,772 commercial FM stations reached in December 2019. Still, that’s quite a bit higher than the commercial FM total of 5,892 in 2000. FM translators and boosters dipped slightly in March, falling from 8,867 to 8,854. These totals peaked at 8,951 in June 2022. LPFMs, meanwhile, increased by 13 to 2,007. Our chart shows low-power FM totals peaking just before COVID-19 hit. [Related: “Here’s How FCC Station Totals Have Changed in 10 Years”] The post Visualizing U.S. Radio Station Counts Since the Year 2000 appeared first on Radio World. [TheTopNews] Read More.1 hour ago - Rumor Fact(ory): DistroKid explores $2B sale
We learn from a variety of second-hand sources that DistroKid, an open-to-anyone digital music distribution service, is exploring a $2B sale. Prospective suitors are not identified, and this appears to be exploratory. Continue Reading → [TheTopNews] Read More.2 hours ago - Cook Political Shifts Four Senate Races Toward Democrats, Key Race Now a Toss-Up
(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) Jessica Taylor, the Senate and governors editor for The Cook Political Report, dropped the political forecaster’s latest analysis on the state of the 2026 U.S. Senate races and offered some dire news for Republicans hoping to keep their slim majority. Cook Political shifted four Senate races toward the Democrats: an open seat in North Carolina, Sen. Jon Ossoff’s (D-GA) reelection bid in Georgia, the open race in Ohio, and Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-NE) reelection bid in Nebraska. Both the Georgia and North Carolina races shifted from “toss up” to “lean D,” while the key Ohio race moved from “lean R” to “toss up.” Ricketts’s race moved from “solid R” to “ likely R” – leaving the seat firmly in likely GOP hands. “With an increasingly sour national environment for Republicans, the Senate battlefield is shifting in Democrats’ favor. But due to the difficulty of the map, winning back a majority still remains a tall order. The GOP remain the narrowing favorites to retain the upper chamber. However, that outlook could change in the coming months,” wrote Taylor in her analysis on the shifts. As of right now, the Democrats would have to win all the seats leaning their direction, and the three toss-up races – Maine, Michigan, and Ohio – to get to a 50-50 split in the Senate. A split would still leave the GOP with the majority as Vice President JD Vance would have the tie-breaking vote. In Cook’s race standings, Alaska is the only “lean R” state the Democrats could possibly take to win an outright majority. Iowa, Nebraska, and Texas are in the “likely R” column and appear out of reach as of now. Read Taylor’s full breakdown here.The post Cook Political Shifts Four Senate Races Toward Democrats, Key Race Now a Toss-Up first appeared on Mediaite. [TheTopNews] Read More.2 hours ago - BE Brings Transmitter, AudioVault Updates to NAB
Broadcast Electronics will demonstrate its latest AudioVault automation user experience enhancement and a software-powered FM transmitter at the NAB Show. “We are excited to bring new software and hardware products to NAB – our first under new local ownership – that enable stations to cost-effectively deliver content to their listeners,” said Rich Redmond, BE’s president and CEO, in a release. A new look and feel AudioVAault AV-xI software With a redesigned look and feel, AudioVault AV-xI was released last fall and offers a layout framework with scalable docking positions. Users can drag and drop up to 18 AudioVault gadgets on a single screen. BE said that the layout offers playback engines for streams, HD Radio channels or multiple stations on one workstation. Its built-in browser allows access to features such as news, weather or artist bios. AV-xI also includes a revamped CloudVault, which supports centralized and distributed content and control, either on-premise or hosted. It provides integration with HLS streaming to a CDN or with an Orban 5950 processor. CloudVault also includes a file distribution framework that provides real-time synchronization of content, commercials and logs between the cloud and edge playout devices. BE said that the CloudVault solution is also suitable for disaster recovery, backup and off-premises operations. AV-xI also features TRE+ integration, matching a station’s visual content with audio across RDS, HD Radio and streaming platforms. Software-powered transmitter The BE STX 1k transmitter will be demonstrated at the NAB Show. The BE STX 1k FM transmitter is a new, 1 kW compact 2RU footprint model that includes LDMOS RF device and switching power supply technology. It uses BE’s TX direct-to-channel digital exciter. There are optional upgrades available to transmit on digital HD Radio or DRM+ modes. Control and monitoring can be done through an HTML5 GUI that supports SNMPv3 connectivity. The STX 1k uses a software-defined processing engine, which integrates with BE tools such as its declipper, delossifier, advanced dynamics and a composite clipper that delivers audio quality and loudness for “even the most demanding markets,” according to BE. The MicroMPX option allows for STL capability over IP networks, with error correction and transmission over multiple networks. Optional GPS synchronization coupled with single-frequency network software allows for operation in an SFN or on-channel booster. NAB Show Booth: C1646 [For more coverage of the convention see our NAB Show page.] The post BE Brings Transmitter, AudioVault Updates to NAB appeared… [TheTopNews] Read More.2 hours ago - House Ethics Committee Launches Investigation Into Eric Swalwell After Sexual Mi...
The House Ethics Committee launched an investigation into Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) on Monday after the progressive lawmaker was accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women last week, including one former staffer who said he raped her. Committee chairman Rep. Michael Guest (R-MS) and ranking member Rep. Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA) announced the probe in a joint statement. The committee is examining whether Swalwell “violated the Code of Official Conduct or any law, rule, regulation, or other applicable standard of conduct in the performance of his duties or the discharge of his responsibilities, with respect to allegations that he may have engaged in sexual misconduct, including towards an employee working under his supervision.” The statement added, “the mere fact that it is investigating these allegations, and publicly disclosing its review, does not itself indicate that any violation has occurred.” Rep. Eric Swalwell D-CA now faces a formal House Ethics Committee investigation, 'with respect to allegations that he may have engaged in sexual misconduct, including towards an employee working under his supervision.' pic.twitter.com/WT5kxygRJF — Jamie Dupree (@jamiedupree) April 13, 2026 The investigation comes three days after a former staffer accused Swalwell of raping her twice in a report from the San Francisco Chronicle. CNN reported later on April 10 that multiple women had accused Swalwell of sexual misconduct, including the woman mentioned in the Chronicle report, who said he raped her in 2019 and another time during a trip to New York City in 2024; the Manhattan District Attorney’s office on April 11 announced it was launching a probe into the 2024 rape accusation. “I remember the next day, I can see flashes of that evening, of him on top of me, me pushing him off, him grabbing me. It was a lot more aggressive — it was aggressive,” the accuser told CNN’s Pamela Brown about one of the alleged rapes. Her face was kept in the dark on camera. “Did you say no?” Brown asked her. “Yes, I said no. In the flash that I can recall, I was pushing him off of me saying ‘no,’” the accuser said. Swalwell told the Chronicle, “These allegations are false and come on the eve of an election against the frontrunner for governor.” The lawmaker announced on Sunday night he was suspending his campaign to become California’s next governor following the accusations. “I am suspending my campaign for Governor,” Swalwell posted on X. “To my family, staff, friends,… [TheTopNews] Read More.3 hours ago - Awkward Moment as Trump Asks DoorDash Driver If Men Should Play in Women’s Spo...It was an awkward moment at the White House on Monday as President Donald Trump asked a DoorDash driver what she thinks about men playing in women’s sports. It came during a photo op with Arkansas DoorDash employee Sharon Simmons over Trump’s no-tax-on-tips policy in the Big Beautiful Bill. Trump took the opportunity to rip into Democrats, claiming that the party is in favor of open borders, rigged elections, and transgender females competing in women’s sports. Expecting some backup, Trump then turned to Simmons and asked, “Do you think that men should play in women’s sports?” But Simmons shut it down, saying, “I really don’t have an opinion on that.” “You don’t? I’ll bet you do,” Trump retorted. “No, I’m here about no tax on tips,” she added. DoorDash put out a statement on the delivery, which had been pre-orchestrated, “For Sharon, the moment was personal. A grandmother of ten, she started dashing in 2022 to earn income while keeping control of her schedule. Since then, she’s completed more than 14,000 deliveries, and like millions of Dashers, is now keeping more of what she earns in tips.” Watch above via Fox News.The post Awkward Moment as Trump Asks DoorDash Driver If Men Should Play in Women’s Sports: ‘I’m Here About No Tax on Tips’ first appeared on Mediaite. [TheTopNews] Read More.3 hours ago
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