Local Ownership and Radio Market Structure

The Telecommunications Act of 1996 changed the nature of radio markets. Recent policy recommendations from the Federal Communications Commission and the U.S. Congress have led to questions about localism in local radio markets. This study analyzes station ownership, the number of clusters, radio programming, and audience data from 32 radio markets and compares the information for the years 2000, 2004, 2007, and 2010. The results suggested a degree of stability for the types and size of radio owners, the market power of local radio clusters, and the number and type of formats.