Format Counts: Religion Rolls On, Widening Its Lead Over Country.

In the five months since the religion format – which includes stations featuring religious teaching, hymns and other related content – became the most programmed in the U.S., based on Inside Radio/PrecisionTrak’s monthly station counts, it has only brought in more stations, while now-second-ranked country continues to lose more.

As a result, religion has added 69 stations from a year ago and 37 since January, while country has shed 45 and 29 during the same periods. Religion’s lead over country has gone from 22 in February, the first month it took over at the top, to 39 in April, 48 in May, and 65 in June. Even before religion moved up to number-one, country was already losing stations steadily, which it has since last December.

For news/talk, ranked third, the news isn’t much better, as its station total is also down in double digits: down 15 year-over-year, 10 year-to-date and 11 since it began declining steadily in February.

There’s good news, however, for another religion-based format, with fourth-ranked contemporary Christian adding 31 outlets since June 2025 and 10 since it began gaining steadily in February.

*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.

Aside from religion and contemporary Christian, only one other format in the top 10, eighth-place classic rock, had added new stations year-over-year and year-to-date, with eight and four more, respectively. Spanish-language formats, ranked fifth, and classic hits at sixth, are the only other gainers, and that’s with just one station added in the past year for the former and seven during this year for the latter.

The remaining three formats in the top 10 are down either way. Both variety (stations with three or more distinct formats, either block-programmed or simultaneously) and sports, at seventh and ninth, also show double-digit declines in total stations, with the former down steadily since March and the latter since September. Top 40, which comes in 10th, has shed 17 stations year-over-year and six since January.

Notable below the top 10 is the stations-off-the-air category, which during June broke the 400 mark, up by 30 stations from May alone, while up 140 year-over-year – a 49% increase – and up 80 year-to-date, up 23%.