U.S. leading radio formats by number of stations 2021 | Statista (2024)

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    Jun 29, 2021

    Country music stations were most frequent radio formats in 2021, with 2,200 unique stations in the United States that year. Also popular were news and talk shows, with over 2,000 stations falling in this category.

    Leading radio formats in the United States as of June 2021, by number of stations

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    U.S. leading radio formats by number of stations 2021 | Statista (7)

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    Statistics on " Radio in the U.S. "

    Statistics on Radio in the U.S.

    Overview

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    Market leaders

    8

    Content & reach

    7

    Consumption

    5

    Advertising

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    Radio news

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    Digital radio

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    Further related statistics

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    U.S. leading radio formats by number of stations 2021 | Statista (2024)

    FAQs

    U.S. leading radio formats by number of stations 2021 | Statista? ›

    Country music stations were most frequent radio formats in 2021, with 2,200 unique stations in the United States that year. Also popular were news and talk shows, with over 2,000 stations falling in this category.

    Tell Me More
    Which radio format is the most popular in 2021? ›

    Country music stations were most frequent radio formats in 2021, with 2,200 unique stations in the United States that year. Also popular were news and talk shows, with over 2,000 stations falling in this category.

    Learn More
    What is currently the most popular radio format? ›

    However, some of the most popular radio formats include Top 40/Contemporary Hit Radio, Adult Contemporary, Country, and Rock. In the United States, there are 4,601 active AM radio stations, 6728 commercial FMs, and 4,122 educational FMs. AMs include 1,089 stations, the most dominant of which is News/Talk.

    Show Me More
    What is the most listened to radio station in the USA? ›

    The statistic shows the leading radio stations in the United States as of July 2017, by unique weekly listeners. According to the source, WLTW-FM in New York, marketed as 106.7 Lite fm, was the leading radio station in the United States, with over 5.01 million listeners.

    See Details
    Which one of the following radio formats has the most radio stations? ›

    There are 4,601 active AM radio stations broadcasting in the U.S., alongside 6,728 commercial FMs and 4,122 educational FMs, according to the FCC, as of Sept.

    Get More Info
    What are the 10 leading radio music formats in the US? ›

    The top 10 formats based on registered US stations in 2020 were:
    • Country - 2202.
    • Religion ( teaching variety) - 2039.
    • News/Talk - 2002.
    • Variety - 1287.
    • Contemporary Christian - 1265.
    • Spanish - 1221.
    • Classic hits - 1113.
    • Sports - 704.
    More items...
    Jan 31, 2021

    Know More
    What is the most popular radio format during drive time? ›

    For popular music-oriented stations, morning drive-time is typically dominated by the "morning zoo" genre of radio program, with the afternoon portion is often given over to music (often in commercial-free blocks, especially in markets with long commute times) and light entertainment features.

    Find Out More
    What is the most popular music format on US radio today ______? ›

    Country is the most popular radio format today. By law, nonprofit broadcasters are allocated 25 percent of all the broadcast frequencies in the United States today.

    Keep Reading
    What are the top 5 listened to radio stations in the USA? ›

    Top radio stations in USA
    • 101.1 The Beat - BigR.
    • 104.3 Jamz - Bates FM.
    • 108.1 JAMZ - BigR.
    • 100.7 The Mix - BigR.
    • 100.9 Star Country! - BigR.
    • 100.8 The Hawk!! - BigR.
    • 100.5 Classic Rock - BigR.
    • 96.3 VIP.

    Learn More Now
    What format is best for radio? ›

    A lossless audio file format is the best format for sound quality. These include FLAC, WAV, or AIFF. These types of files are considered “hi-res” because they are better or equal to CD-quality. The tradeoff is that these files will be very large.

    Find Out More

    What is USA longest running radio? ›

    The Grand Ole Opry is the longest-running live radio program in the world.

    See More
    Which radio station has the largest audience? ›

    Worldwide broadcasts
    • BBC World Service – 188 million weekly listeners, broadcasting in 32 languages as of 2009.
    • A State of Trance with Armin van Buuren has an estimated 40 million listeners across 84 countries.
    • American Top 40 with Ryan Seacrest has an estimated 20 million listeners worldwide.
    More items...

    Read More
    Who is the biggest radio host in America? ›

    Ryan Seacrest

    Ryan Seacrest is considered by many to be the top music presenter in US radio.

    Learn More Now
    What are the four different types of radio formats? ›

    The most popular formats and subformats cover a wide range of demographics, revealing radio's wide appeal.
    • Country. ...
    • News/Talk/Information. ...
    • Adult Contemporary. ...
    • Pop Contemporary Hit Radio. ...
    • Classic Rock. ...
    • Urban Contemporary. ...
    • Mexican Regional. ...
    • Other Popular Formats.

    Read The Full Story
    What is top 40 radio format? ›

    Top 40 also is an AM radio format that consists of music, trivial talk, news, and promotions including services, money, and goods given to listeners. Though Top 40 radio has undergone many changes in its 45-year history, it remains a viable format.

    See More
    Which radio format is the most popular according to Nielsen? ›

    According to Nielsen, AM/FM radio makes up the majority of the U.S. audio audience with a 93% monthly reach among adult Americans 18+. Those who only listen to digital audio and satellite represent only 6% of America.

    Explore More
    What is the most popular radio format in the United States quizlet? ›

    Country is the most popular radio format.

    Learn More Now
    What are the most listened to radio hours? ›

    During the work week, 7 AM is the top hour for national radio listening, followed by 3 PM and noon, and the curve's angled peaks highlight spikes during these key periods.

    Get More Info Here
    What was the most popular radio format in 2017 in the United States? ›

    Reaching Diverse Listeners by Format

    Of the top 20 formats in 2017, Country and News/Talk were the top two, securing 13.6% and 12.2% shares of audience, respectively (of all radio listening nationwide, 13.6% went to Country stations, and 12.2% went to News/Talk).

    Get More Info Here
    What are the three types of radio format? ›

    I. SPOKEN WORD
    • Announcements : These are specifically written clear messages to inform. ...
    • Radio talk : The radio talk probably is the oldest format on radio. ...
    • Radio interviews: ...
    • Radio discussions :- ...
    • Radio documentaries/features: ...
    • Radio drama: ...
    • Running commentaries : ...
    • Magazine programmes :
    More items...

    Get More Info

    What are the top 3 genres of music in America? ›

    Most Popular Music Genre In America

    However, some of the most popular genres in America include hip hop, R&B, pop, rock, and country.

    Read More
    What radio broadcast has the largest audience in American history? ›

    Louis and Schmeling's second fight is believed to have had the largest audience in history for a single radio broadcast. An estimated 70 million listeners tuned in, according to the Library of Congress, which selected it in 2005 for its National Recording Registry.

    Get More Info Here
    What are the best conservative radio stations? ›

    • 570 The Answer. ESPN Radio.
    • Red State Talk Radio Encore. NutriMedical Report.
    • Red State Talk Radio. The Uncooperative Radio Show.

    Read More
    Who owns the most radio stations in the US? ›

    With 855 stations, iHeartMedia is the largest radio station group owner in the United States, both by number of stations and by revenue. The 855 stations reach more than 110 million listeners every week, and 245 million every month.

    Tell Me More
    What's the highest quality audio format? ›

    Both WAV files and AIFF files represent the highest quality possible in the audio world – they are the files of choice for any mixing or mastering engineer looking to retain the highest quality possible. AIFF files were developed by Apple but also play on the Window's OS.

    See Details
    What is the most universal audio format? ›

    MP3. MP3 (MPEG-1 Audio Layer III) is the most popular of the lossy formats. MP3 files work on most devices, and the files can be as small as one-tenth the size of lossless files.

    Learn More Now
    Which format has better sound quality? ›

    WAV (Waveform Audio File) retains all the original data, which makes it the ideal format for sound engineers. “WAV has greater dynamic range and greater bit depth,” creative producer and sound mixer Lo Boutillette says of her preferred format. “It's the highest quality,” Berry agrees.

    View More
    What is the furthest radio broadcast? ›

    Signals have gone out about 303 trillion kilometers, well past the nearest star. Here's how to figure it out. Remember that Star Trek broadcasts are sent out as electromagnetic radiation and therefore travel at the speed of light.

    Get More Info
    What is the Grand Ole Opry's longest running radio show? ›

    List
    ProgrammeYearsLongest serving years
    Shipping Forecast9940 by Peter Jefferson
    Grand Ole Opry9767 by Jimmy Dickens
    Choral Evensong96
    The Daily Service9543 by All Souls Church, Langham Place
    35 more rows

    Show Me More
    What are the longest running radio stations? ›

    List of the 8 Oldest Radio Stations in History
    1. Roberto Landell de Moura. Year: 1893.
    2. Guglielmo Marconi. Year: 1895. ...
    3. Station BO. Year: 1906. ...
    4. 4. Lee de Forest. Year: 1907. ...
    5. KQW. Year: 1909. ...
    6. XWA. Year: 1914. Location: Montreal, Quebec. ...
    7. 2YU. Year: 1915. Location: Schenectady, New York. ...
    8. 9ZP. Year: 1916. Location: Pierre, South Dakota. ...

    View Details

    Who is the HIghest paid radio personality? ›

    The World's HIghest-Paid Radio Host

    The self-proclaimed “King of All Media” Howard Stern reigns supreme in the radio world. Howard Stern, on the third year of his eight-figure contract with SiriusXM, earned an estimated $90 million in our 12-month scoring period, before taxes and fees.

    View Details
    What percent of Americans still listen to the radio? ›

    That year, 83% of Americans ages 12 and older listened to terrestrial radio in a given week, down slightly from 89% in 2019, according to Nielsen Media Research data published by the Radio Advertising Bureau.

    Get More Info
    Who are the highest paid radio hosts? ›

    Regardless of their approach to wealth, all of these hosts have one thing in common: they are very successful when it comes to making money!
    • How Much Does the Average Radio Presenter Make? ...
    • Howard Stern – $90 million. ...
    • Oprah Winfrey – $75 million. ...
    • Rush Limbaugh – $70 million. ...
    • Sean Hannity – $60 million.
    More items...
    Jun 27, 2022

    Learn More Now
    How many Americans still listen to radio? ›

    1. More Americans listen to the radio than use Facebook each week.
    Radio Listeners 2021Radio Listeners 2020Radio Listeners 2019
    88% of Americans83% of Americans89% of Americans

    Get More Info Here
    What does AM in radio stand for? ›

    AM is short for amplitude modulation, which refers to the means of encoding the audio signal on the carrier frequency.

    Learn More
    What are the four letters of a radio station called? ›

    FM: The FM radio band was established on January 1, 1941, and from the beginning educational stations received standard unique four-letter call signs.

    Read On
    What format is radio Paradise? ›

    Radio Paradise
    Borrego Valley, San Diego County, California
    FormatAdult-oriented rock, pop, electronic, world, classic hits, country, oldies
    Ownership
    OwnerBill Goldsmith and Rebecca Goldsmith
    History
    9 more rows

    Find Out More
    What is the new format for 89X radio? ›

    89X flips to country format after 30-year rock run; 93.9 goes pop; 98.7 goes alternative. The long rock run has ended for 89X, on a transformative day across the local radio dial.

    Continue Reading
    What is 1116 radio? ›

    SEN 1116 (Sports Entertainment Network) is a AM radio station based in Melbourne, owned and operated by Pacific Star Network Limited, specializing in sports, news and talk. Top presenters: Andrew Maher.

    Get More Info
    Which radio format is the most prevalent and growing today? ›

    At a broad level, the news/talk format remains the most popular genre on the radio—a designation it's held for nearly a decade. And with the U.S. presidential election coming up next year, the appeal of news/talk will likely remain strong in 2020.

    Keep Reading

    Do radio stations prefer WAV or mp3? ›

    It is advisable to start with WAV file formats when you begin producing for broadcast. WAV file formats are uncompressed and often render the best sound quality.

    Discover More Details
    What is the best format for streaming radio? ›

    Mobile listeners love saving bandwidth - Try offering a 32 kbps AAC+ or Opus stream. AAC+ is only recommended for bitrates of 64 kbps and lower. Above that, regular AAC provides better quality.

    Discover More
    Do radio stations use WAV or mp3? ›

    WAV files for TV, radio, DVD or any other media requiring top uncompromised audio quality. WAV files are lossless, uncompressed, broadcast CD quality music files.

    Get More Info
    Which audio format has the best quality? ›

    WAV (Waveform Audio File) retains all the original data, which makes it the ideal format for sound engineers. “WAV has greater dynamic range and greater bit depth,” creative producer and sound mixer Lo Boutillette says of her preferred format. “It's the highest quality,” Berry agrees.

    View More
    Why is MP3 more popular than WAV? ›

    WAV test. For instance, a 25 MB WAV file could possibly be compressed to around a 3-4 MB MP3 file. MP3 files are incredibly widespread due to the fact that the compression usually does a very good job of retaining audio, but also reduces the file size so much.

    Tell Me More
    What audio format is better than WAV? ›

    MP3 files can have a bitrate that ranges from 90kbps to 320kbps, a huge difference from WAV files that generally have a bitrate of 1,411 kbps at 16 bit. This difference in bitrate alone shows the loss of quality when MP3s are compressed.

    Keep Reading
    What is the top selling genre of music in the United States? ›

    More Stories by Billboard

    Since 2017, R&B/hip-hop has been the dominant music genre on the United States Billboard charts, becoming bigger than pop and rock and coming to define modern popular music. And its reign hasn't let up since, with new smashes and superstars created every year.

    Learn More
    What is the preferred audio format? ›

    The best audio formats for sound quality are uncompressed or lossless compression files—think WAV, FLAC, and M4A. That's because these formats retain the original sound quality, though you'll have to put up with the fact these files will be large.

    View Details
    What are some of the popular music formats on radio stations? ›

    Urban contemporary (mostly rap, hip hop, soul, and contemporary R&B artists) Urban adult contemporary (Urban AC) – R&B (both newer and older), soul and sometimes gospel music, without hip hop and rap.

    Show Me More
    What audio format does radio broadcast use? ›

    Broadcast Wave Format (BWF) is an extension of the popular Microsoft WAV audio format and is the recording format of most file-based non-linear digital recorders used for motion picture, radio and television production.

    See Details

    Do professional DJs use MP3 or WAV? ›

    They tend to be cheaper to buy than WAVs (as they're smaller, so they take up less server space/delivery bandwidth on online stores), and are more universal – the MP3 is still “the” music format. A lot of DJs choose MP3 format because it's cheaper and takes up less space.

    Know More
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