Frequently Asked Questions About Broadcasting

How many radio and TV stations are there in the United States? Click here for a chart maintained by the Federal Communications Commission.
Where can I learn about TV ratings? Nielsen is the leading provider of television audience measurement.
How much time do Americans spend watching TV?

Nielsen reports that Americans spend an average of four hours and 35 minutes a day watching live television.  Source: The Nielsen Company, The Cross-Platform Report, Quarter 4 2011.

Nielsen also reports that Americans spend more than 33 hours each week watching traditional television. This increases to more than 46 hours each week among African-Americans. Hispanics spend less time watching traditional television, averaging only 28 hours each week. 

Source: The Nielsen Company, The Cross-Platform Report, Quarter 4 2011.
How many TV households are there? In 2012, Nielsen estimates 114.7 million TV homes in the US. A majority of all homes in the U.S. (96.7 percent) have a TV.
How many over-the-air viewers are in the U.S.?

According to a study by Gfk Media, nearly 54 million people or 17.8 percent of all U.S. households with TVs rely solely on broadcast-only reception to watch their television programming.

Gfk’s study also found that some minority groups are more dependent on broadcast reception than the general population, including 28 percent of Asian households, 23 percent of African-American households and 26 percent of Latino homes. In all, minorities make up 44 percent of all broadcast-only homes. 

Where can I find a list of television market rankings?

Each year Nielsen ranks designated market areas (DMAs) based on the number of TV households in the market.

Visit Television Bureau of Advertising’s (TVB) website for a list of Nielsen TV household DMA rankings. TVB also provides a list of Hispanic, African-American and Asian-American TV household DMA rankings.
Where can I find a list of the top ranked television shows?

TVB’s website provides a weekly update of program ratings and rankings. During the 2011-12 television season, 96 percent of the highest rated shows were on broadcast television. Source: TVB’s TV Basics, June 2012

Each week Nielsen posts on their website the top 10 broadcast and cable television shows for the week.

TV by the Numbers is another resource that provides daily and weekly updates for broadcast and cable television shows.
Where can I learn about TV ratings and the V-chip? The TV Parental Guidelines Monitoring Board Web site has explanatory documents available, as well as links to additional resources for parents and for broadcasters.

NAB and several media partners maintain a Web site that provides tools for parents to help guide their children's TV viewing. So does the Federal Communications Commission.
Where can I learn about radio ratings? Arbitron is the leading provider of radio audience measurement.
How many people listen to radio?

Radio reaches 93 percent of Americans age 12 or older every week. This equates to more than 242 million Americans.
Source: Radio Advertising Bureau’s (RAB) Radio Fact Sheet, June 2012

Radio also reaches 94 percent of African-Americans and 95 percent of Hispanics each week.

Source: Arbitron’s Black Radio Today 2011; Hispanic Radio Today 2011
How much time do people spend listening to radio?

RAB reports that Americans spend an average of two hours each weekday listening to radio.

Americans spend an average of 14 hours and 46 minutes listening to radio each week.

Both African-Americans (15 hours and 30 minutes) and Hispanics (14 hours and 51 minutes) spend more time listening to radio each week.
Source: RAB's Radio Fact Sheet, March 2012
Where can I find a list of local radio market rankings?

Visit Arbitron’s website for a list of radio market rankings
What is HD Radio?

Go to Ibiquity's website for an introduction to HD Radio.
How many HD radio stations are in the U.S.?

As of July 2012, Ibiquity reports 3,438 HD radio stations broadcasting in the US. For a complete listing of HD radio stations in the US, click here.

Where can I get financial data for a television or radio market?

Financial:
NAB produces the Television Financial Report, an annual report containing average revenue and expense data for commercial television stations, and The Television Industry: Market-by-Market Review. Click here to order these and other NAB reports.

BIA also offers financial information about local television and radio stations across the country.

Advertising:
The Television Bureau of Advertising provides information on television advertising.

Visit the Radio Advertising Bureau for more information on radio advertising.

Advertising Age also provides top-line ad revenue data for the media industry.
Where can I find a list of international radio and television stations? CIA World Factbook maintains a list for radio and television.
I am looking for a PSA I heard/saw on the radio/TV. Do you have it? NAB's Public Service Initiatives department keeps a searchable archive of PSAs. Visit www.NABSpotCenter.org.

Older PSAs may be found at the Library of American Broadcasting in College Park, Md.
Where can I learn about broadcasters' community service initiatives and nonprofit partnerships? The NAB maintains a website dedicated to illustrating community service activities offered by local broadcasters.
Where can I find information about the Emergency Alert System (EAS)? Visit the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau.
Where can I find a breakdown of frequency allocation in the U.S.? You're in luck, thanks to NTIA. Click here.
How can I get information on careers in radio and television?

NABEF maintains a Broadcast Career Link on their website. Additional information can be found at the Broadcast Education Association website.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics also publishes descriptions of careers online, including the following earnings information.

In addition, RTDNA/Hofstra University conducts an annual survey that includes information on news staffing and profitability.
Where can I get salary information for the broadcasting industry?

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes descriptions of careers online, including some earnings information. Use the links below to access salary information for the broadcasting industry.   
How do I purchase or start a broadcasting station? The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has published a report titled How to Apply for a Broadcast Station. For more information, to visit the FCC's Web site.
Where can I find information on women and minorities in broadcasting?

The RTDNA/Hofstra University Annual Survey includes diversity data detailing information on women and minorities in broadcasting.

You can also visit the NAB Education Foundation to learn more about opportunities for women and minorities in broadcasting.
How many women and minorities are broadcast owners? The FCC keeps data on women broadcast owners. The FCC also maintains data on minority broadcast owners.
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