Format Counts: Religion Has More Than Doubled Its Lead Over Country.

Since February, religion — including stations featuring religious teaching, hymns and other related content — has been the most programmed format in the U.S. based on Inside Radio/PrecisionTrak’s monthly station counts, ending country’s long run at the top.

Over the past three months, religion has performed even better, with its lead over country up from 22 stations in February to 48 for May — a 118% increase, more than doubling that lead. 

Year-over-year, religion has added 73 stations, up 3.4%, with 32 of those stations joining the format in calendar 2026.

As for country, while it remains second-ranked, it has lost 33 outlets since last May, more than half of those (17) since January. The format has seen a steady decline in total stations since December 2025, having lost 26.

Among the top 10 formats, fourth-ranked contemporary Christian continues to be the other star performer, adding 33 stations year-over-year, although just four this year. The only other format to grow both year-over-year and year-to-date is classic rock, ranked eighth, adding 12 and five stations respectively.

*Data provided by M Street Corp. US station counts. No Canadian or Mexican stations are included. Format counts are reported at the end of each month.

Spanish-language formats, which taken together rank fifth, have seen nine new stations since May 2025, although down six for 2025-to-date. Sixth-ranked classic hits also shows a partial growth story, adding five this year while losing 13 year-over-year.

In addition to country, four other formats in the top 10 have shed stations both since last May and for 2025-to-date — most notably seventh-place variety (including stations having three or more distinct formats, either block-programmed or simultaneously), with a double-digit decline both ways. Based on either measure, third-ranked news/talk has lost just a few stations, while sports, coming in ninth, has seen a steady decline since September 2025, down 21 outlets. Top 40, at 10th, has shed 16 year-over-year and five since January.

Below the top 10, the standout trend involves stations off the air, with a total ranking 14th among all formats, compared to 16th in May 2025. Total stations gone dark are up 43% (up by 120) from May 2025 and 14% (+50) since January.