Radio Stations NAICS 516210, 516110

Mar 13, 2025 - FCC Launches "Massive" Deregulation Initiative

• Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Brendan Carr has launched what the Federal Communications Commission says is a “massive” new deregulatory initiative, according to Inside Radio. The goal is to eliminate any rules or policies that have prevented businesses from investing in modernizing their technology, according to a recent Commission rulemaking proposal. Carr says that the effort is needed to alleviate unnecessary regulatory burdens and fulfill President Trump’s pledge to unleash a new wave of economic opportunity for US business by ending what President Trump views as regulatory onslaught from Washington. Carr said in February that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) had not yet been at the FCC but he has created an internal agency task force that is looking for places where cuts beyond just what’s written in the rulebook can be made. “My expectation is that the DOGE team itself will interact with the FCC at some point here in the not-too-distant future. And frankly, I very much welcome the direction that we are going in terms of being efficient,” Carr said after the Commission’s February meeting.
• Digital advertising and marketing services now account for 20% of radio industry revenue, according to Inside Radio. Digital now accounts for nearly two-thirds of total media spending in the US, increasing 8% year-over-year in 2024 and reaching $107 billion for the first eight months of the year. Telecom, professional services, and financial products & services were the top three spenders on radio in 2024.

• Radio stations are airing less local news, according to a Radio Television Digital News Association survey. The median amount of weekday local news decreased 8 minutes year over year in 2023. The average dropped more than 20 minutes, roughly back to where it was two years earlier. Commercial stations experienced a decrease in average minutes aired, whereas non-commercial stations saw an increase in average minutes aired but a slight decrease in median minutes.
• Radio industry employment increased slightly during the first month of 2025, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Radio stations moderately increased their prices during 2024, according to the BLS. Radio station sales are forecast to grow at a 3.64% compounded annual rate from 2024 to 2028, slower than the growth of the overall economy, according to Inforum and the Interindustry Economic Research Fund, Inc.