Public Stations Dominate America’s Top 10 News/Talkers.

The President might not be a fan of public radio — having driven the House vote to pull back $1.1 billion in funding to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting — but listeners across the U.S. most certainly are.

Based on delivery of persons 6+ in Nielsen’s PPM markets during its winter and spring 2025 waves, eight of Inside Radio’s TOP 10 news/talk stations — including four of the top five — are non-commercial listener-supported entities, featuring weekday and weekend programming from National Public Radio along with local news and locally-originated shows. These eight stations combine to deliver a 4.3 million cume.

Topping the list is San Francisco’s KQED (88.5), which has led all stations in the market for the past eight Nielsen surveys, and has ranked first or second in every book since November 2023. Started in 1969 under the direction of Bernard Mayes, who went on to become NPR’s co-founder and chairman, KQED aired the first edition of NPR’s afternoon drive mainstay “All Things Considered.” In addition to its frequent local and California news updates, KQED produces several syndicated programs, including the issues-based talk show “Forum” along with “Tech Nation” and “The California Report.”

Second-ranked WNYC-FM (93.9) New York, which has served the city since 1946, is the home base for syndicated shows “On the Media,” “The Brian Lehrer Show” and “Radiolab,” as well as local news-based podcast “Consider This.” Placing third is American University's WAMU (88.5), which has been Washington, DC’s No. 1 or 2 station since January 2022, and produces the NPR-distributed daily news/talk show “1A.”

Five other news/talk stations that made the cut are also public outlets and NPR affiliates, airing its “Morning Edition” in AM drive and “All Things Considered” afternoons, with local news inserts throughout each show. Two of these stations are in Los Angeles: fourth-ranked Pasadena Area Community College “LAist” KPCC (89.3), and Santa Monica College KCRW (89.9), placing eighth.

Other public stations in the top 10 are Chicago Public Media WBEZ (91.5), North Texas Public Broadcasting KERA (90.1) Dallas, and Minnesota Public Radio KNOW (91.1) Minneapolis.

The two commercial stations in news/talk’s top 10 are fifth-ranked Cox Media Group WSB-AM (750)/WSBB-FM (95.5) Atlanta — home to “Atlanta’s Morning News” hosted by Chris Chandler, and “The Von Haessler Doctrine” in PM drive — and iHeartMedia’s KTRH (740 AM) Houston, which features “Houston’s Morning News with Jimmy Barrett” and originates Michael Berry’s nationally-syndicated conservative talk show.