Radio operators pushing the FCC to loosen AM ownership caps have new data to point to. The Commission’s second-quarter totals show AM licenses falling again, adding urgency to broadcasters’ case that looser rules could give struggling stations a financial lifeline.
AM radio dropped to 4,300 licensed stations in the FCC’s second-quarter count, shedding 10 from the March 31 total and extending a decline that has now erased 83 stations over the past six quarters.
The losses land as broadcasters press the FCC for relief in the 2022 Quadrennial Review of ownership rules. Salem Media has called for complete elimination of AM ownership caps, while the National Religious Broadcasters, representing more than 1,100 Christian broadcasters, has taken a similar position, citing what it calls the band’s “well-documented technical, economic, and competitive challenges.”
The Christian Music Trade Association made the same request in May, arguing that removing AM caps would give operators the flexibility to spread costs across multiple signals in a market where technical disadvantages and revenue pressure have already thinned the ownership pool.
Not every filer agrees consolidation is the answer. NABOB has argued that eliminating ownership subcaps would do the opposite, warning it would undermine the Commission’s own AM revitalization efforts and accelerate the sale of minority-owned AM stations to larger competitors.
Commercial FM continued its own retreat, falling 14 stations to 6,560, marking a seventh consecutive quarter of contraction as ownership consolidation and limited new launches keep the band shrinking. Noncommercial FM remained the one consistent bright spot, adding 23 stations to reach 4,806, with Christian radio and faith-based networks continuing to account for the bulk of new educational FM licenses.
FM translators and boosters slipped to 8,846, down 8 from the first quarter. Low-power FM continued its growth from the 2023 filing window, adding 6 stations to reach 2,013. Combined, the FCC counted 15,666 licensed AM and FM stations as of June 30, down 1 from March 31 and the second straight quarterly dip in the overall total.
