State of the Radio Industry: 2025

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(By Curtis LeGeyt) The beginning of 2025 has already reinforced an undeniable truth: America’s local radio stations are more than sources of news and entertainment – they are lifelines for the communities they serve.

From delivering critical emergency information to providing a trusted community connection, these stations remain indispensable. Yet, the challenges they face demand bold and immediate action.

AM radio’s value has never been clearer than during moments of crisis. During the devastating wildfires in California, when power outages and cellular disruptions left millions cut off, local radio stations became an essential connection for real-time evacuation updates and life-saving instructions. In a fragmented media landscape, radio stands out as a trusted constant, connecting urban and rural areas where other systems fail.

For these reasons, the AM Radio For Every Vehicle Act is a top legislative priority of the NAB. AM radio connects with over 82 million listeners every month, delivering programming that reflects the unique needs of every community it serves. More than 125 supporters, including AARP, Native Public Media, and the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters, have endorsed the legislation. In the last session of Congress, the bill garnered significant bipartisan support, with 63 Senate cosponsors, 271 House cosponsors, and overwhelming passage through both the Senate and House commerce committees.

This level of commitment reflects the importance of ensuring AM radio remains available when it’s needed most. 

Knowing what’s at stake if local stations’ capacity to serve our communities is threatened, NAB is also fighting outdated media ownership rules that stifle our ability to grow, innovate, and deliver trusted information. These decades-old regulations limit radio stations’ reach and restrict their ability to invest in their local service, expand their programming, and better serve diverse audiences, even as the demand for community-focused content continues to grow.

In contrast, the unregulated Big Tech platforms operate without limits, creating an uneven playing field with rules that don’t reflect today’s competitive media landscape, where local stations compete with global tech giants for advertising dollars and content rights. Without modernization of these rules, local stations risk losing the ability to sustain the public service they provide. Updating ownership rules isn’t just about fairness and competition; it’s about ensuring that local radio remains the trusted voice that communities rely on every day.

NAB also remains focused on several other critical issues facing radio broadcasters, including efforts to prevent a performance royalty on local radio. Last Congress, the majority of the House of Representatives and 25 senators once again supported the Local Radio Freedom Act, sending a strong message to those who want to impose more fees on local radio simply for airing music. We will remain vigilant in protecting advertising deductibility rules to ensure businesses can continue to invest in local radio advertising. And while many stations are harnessing the efficiencies of artificial intelligence to better serve their listeners, we also want to be mindful that these tools can be used by bad actors to distort or manipulate our content and on-air talent in ways that could hurt the trust we’ve built with our audiences. NAB is advocating for responsible policies that safeguard our content and business models at both the federal and state levels. 

America’s local radio stations are irreplaceable lifelines. At NAB, we remain steadfast in our commitment to protect and strengthen these essential services for generations to come. They are not just vital to our democracy and safety – they are the heart of the communities they serve.

Curtis LeGeyt is the President and CEO of the National Association of Broadcasters. He serves as the chief advocate for America’s free, local radio broadcasters.

3 COMMENTS

  1. Failure to get the AM.for every vehicle act passed in the last Congress was a epic failure and illustrates that the NAB’s political clout ain’t w hat it used to be.

  2. Remember when LeGeyt took a bow at last year’s NAB and said, “We got it done” regarding AM radio? Now we’re talking about “outdated ownership rules.” More deregulation is NOT the answer.

    Want to “fix” the industry? The fish rots from the head down. Start there and sweep the top.

  3. I am 100% in favor of the “AM for every radio act”. Yes…rules set decades ago hinder radio and make it serve the public with 1 arm tied behind its microphone. That said radio hasn’t exactly helped its cause. Far too any stations operate in a world fulfilling Robert Palmer’s line from his “Addicted To Love” hit song…”the lights are on but you’re not home”. Radio has reinvented itself numerous times and can do so again. IMHO it will do so when the bean counters leave the room and actual owner/operators take back the beloved medium!

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