Regardless of having tons of music streaming platforms, Americans like me still haven’t forgotten how to appreciate a radio.
Just the other day, my husband and I were reminiscing about our teenage years, when we used to hang out with friends in the parking lot, blasting music on the car stereo. The sheer amount of adrenaline I experienced during those times was euphoric.
The conversation went on, comparing current radio trends to the old ones and how far America has come. That’s when I got into a heated debate with him over which radio station is the most popular in the United States.
I argued that it was Kiss FM with their iconic rock music, but he was fixated on WFMU. Well, he and I both are competitive, so I knew what entailed after that. Three hours of internet hunting and several ounces of coffee later, neither he nor I was correct.
But I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed reading about all the radio stations with him. Both my husband and I got to know about a lot of new stuff, and I decided to share it with y’all.
Hey guys! It’s me, Stacy Smith, and in today’s guide, I am going to talk about the most listened to radio stations in United States.
It’s going to be a fun ride. Tag along!
The Most Listened To Radio Stations In The United States
Let’s get right into the details. Some of the most popular radio stations in the county are:
1. KOST 103.5 FM
The home of the Ellen K Morning Show, KOST 103.5, is Los Angeles’ number one feel-good radio station. It is owned by the renowned and much-loved mass media corporation iHeartMedia and broadcasts in the adult contemporary format.
The station features beautiful music, entertainment news, and hundreds of popular podcasts. Entertaining millions of listeners round the clock, KOST 103.5 FM made it to the nominations Radio & Records magazine awards for the “Adult Contemporary Station of The Year” category.
Apart from Ellen’s morning show, Kari Steele Middays, Sandy Stec Afternoons, and Rick Lovett Weekends are a few notable shows aired on the station.
2. Kiss FM (WKSC-FM) 103.5
Coming up next is my personal favorite, Kiss FM 103.5. Well, I wasn’t entirely wrong; Kiss FM is indeed among the US’s top three most popular stations. The station is again owned by iHeartMedia and is licensed to Chicago, Illinois, but I can enjoy it here in Texas thanks to the internet.
Over the century, the station has used several call signs, starting from WKFM, and transitioning into WFYR, The Blaze, Rock 103.5, etc., but always branded as Kiss FM. The station rose to popularity because of its rock music, and that’s one of the many reasons I started listening to this one.
3. WTOP-FM
Washington’s Top News is available on multiple broadcasting channels in greater Virginia, Chesapeake Bay, Maryland Frederick, Fredericksburg, and obviously in the D.C. metro area.
The station is among the oldest ones, and its origin story goes all the way back to 1926. Although it started in the 1920s, it didn’t receive call letters for almost two decades.
It went through a lot of format changes but stuck with the all-news format at the end. And that turned out to be an incredibly successful decision since the channel grosses around sixty-nine million dollars annually.
4. WFMU 91.1 FM
This one is an independent community radio station that is solely listener-supported. It is broadcasted locally in the Lower Catskills, Hudson Valley, Eastern Pennsylvania, and Western New Jersey and is licensed to operate in East Orange.
Following the freeform radio format, the station has the best air staff when it comes to music. They always just know which song to play, and that is the very reason my husband loves this one so much.
Why Do All The Top Stations Start With W Or K?
Did you notice how all the radio stations that I talked about start with either W or K? Want to know the reason behind that? Well, there is an interesting story behind that.
The country’s top radio stations have individual call signals consisting of four-letter identification codes. Usually, stations go with a catchy name, other than those four letters, but if you listen closely, you’ll find those codes in their regular announcements.
The second International Radiotelegraph Convention was organized in England in 1912, which was attended by several countries worldwide to discuss the evolution of radio. And the committee innovated to assign a specific set of letters to the radio and television signals.
In that convention, the US was assigned the letters A, N, K, and W, out of which A and N were designated to the military stations. This helped the army groups and navy to stay in touch with each other, especially during wartime.
The letter K and W were given to the commercial stations, W to be used by stations east of Mississippi, and K by those lying westwards. So, that is why most radio stations start with K or W. There are a few exceptions because some stations already went on air before the assignment of the letters.
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Final Words
According to the estimates, there are around 15,330 operating radio stations across the country. The number continues to grow by the second as more and more low-power local stations keep coming up.
Initially, the radio stations broadcasted only AM and FM formats, but now they’re accessible on the internet too, which has increased the number of listeners by millions.
So that’s about it for this guide guys; it’s time for me to sign off now. By the way, I’m having so much fun talking about all things radio. Are you guys enjoying it too? Well, I hope you are, do let me know in the comments.
I’ll see you next time! Take care.