Radio Stations NAICS 516110

Mar 20, 2026 - CBS News Shuts Down Radio Service

• CBS News Radio will be shut down on May 22. The organization's origins trace back to the founding of the CBS network in 1927. The shutdown will affect more than 700 affiliate stations, CBS News president Tom Cibrowski said. CBS came under the control of David Ellison, the son of tech billionaire Larry Ellison, after he took over Paramount as part of a wider merger with his Hollywood studio Skydance in 2025.
• The total number of US radio stations increased by 201 in 2025 but the growth did not come from commercial radio, according to Inside Radio. The increase was driven almost entirely by noncommercial FM and low-power services while AM and commercial FM station counts continued decreasing. The largest contributor to the increase in the total number of stations was noncommercial FM, which increased by 278 stations over the year. Noncommercial FM radio stations broadcast educational, cultural, or public service programming without accepting typical commercial advertisements, relying instead on listener donations, grants, and corporate sponsorships for funding, often operating in the reserved 88.1 to 91.9 MHz band. Educational and community licensees continue to add signals through new construction permits and license transfers, reinforcing a long-running shift in spectrum growth away from purely commercial users. The number of commercial FM stations decreased by 36 and the number of commercial AM stations decreased by 41.

• 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.
• Radio industry employment decreased slightly and average wages for nonsupervisory employees increased slightly during the first eight months of 2025, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Radio stations moderately increased their prices significantly during the first nine months of 2025, according to the BLS. Radio station sales are forecast to grow at a 4.36% compounded annual rate from 2025 to 2029, comparable to the growth of the overall economy, according to Inforum and the Interindustry Economic Research Fund, Inc.