Public Radio's Top 10: News/Talk, Contemporary Christian Rules.

Since 1921, when the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s WHA-AM (970) began airing educational programming, public stations have been a significant part of radio’s history. These stations — licensed by the FCC as non-commercial, serving the public interest vs. generating profits for owners, and funded by listener donations, corporate underwriting or grants from various organizations or philanthropists — have often rivaled the popularity of their commercial counterparts in major markets.

Inside Radio’s Top 10 ranking of public radio stations, based on persons 6+ weekly cume delivery during Nielsen’s winter 2025 wave (January-to-March three-month average, Mon.-Sun, 6am-12am), shows news/talk and contemporary Christian stations claiming nine of the 10 spots.

Leading the pack is New York Public Radio news/talk WNYC-AM-FM (820/93.9) New York, one of five stations on the list featuring weekday and weekend programming from National Public Radio, along with local news and locally originated shows. WNYC, which has served the city since 1946, produces the Peabody Award-winning “On the Media” and “The Brian Lehrer Show.” 

Another news/talker, San Francisco’s KQED (88.5), not only places second but has ranked first or second in its market in every Nielsen survey since November 2023. KQED was one of NPR’s first affiliates in 1971, airing the debut of its PM drive mainstay “All Things Considered.” Among KQED-produced programs are the issues-based talk show “Forum” and “The California Report.”

The highest-ranked of the four contemporary Christian stations in the top 10 is Hope Media Group’s KSBJ (89.3) Houston, placing third. KSBJ is a listener-supported non-profit ministry, with the station broadcasting on six additional FM frequencies in the Houston area.

The only classical music formatted station listed, University of Southern California KUSC (91.5) Los Angeles, comes in fourth. KUSC, one of the founding members of American Public Radio, is the hub of the “Classical California” network, also heard on USC’s KDFC (90.3) San Francisco.

Ranking fifth, seventh and 10th, respectively, are three more NPR-affiliated news/talk stations: American University’s WAMU (88.5) Washington, DC, which has been the market’s No. 1 or 2 station in every survey but one since January 2022; Pasadena Area Community College’s “LAist” KPCC (89.3) Los Angeles; and Chicago Public Media’s WBEZ (91.5) Chicago.

The remaining three stations in the top 10, placing sixth, eighth and ninth, are all owned and operated by the Educational Media Foundation ministry, and air EMF’s contemporary Christian “K-Love” format: WPLJ (95.5) New York, KLTY (94.9) Dallas, and KKLQ (100.3), the third station from Los Angeles to make the list.