Wednesday, December 30, 2015

What Is The Definition Of Commercial Radio

What Is the Definition of Commercial Radio?


Radio broadcasting has evolved substantially since its invention, especially in the past two decades. Along with the traditional AM and FM bands, stations can now get their signals out via satellite or even the Internet. Through all the changes, one of the basics--regardless of the means of transmission--is the commercial aspect of radio broadcasting.


Definition


Commercial radio, as its name suggests, is any radio station that is owned by a commercial entity. To be qualified as such, it must also be advertiser-supported and for-profit.


Formats


Commercial radio stations can be on both the AM and FM bands, and most of these stations commonly base their programming around any number of different music genres, a mix of genres or talk-oriented programs.


FCC


Commercial radio stations are licensed by--and pay a licensing fee to--the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The station must follow the regulations established by the FCC, including having licensed operators, keeping program logs and staying current with Emergency Broadcast System readiness.


Ownership


In recent years, commercial radio station ownership has tended to become more concentrated under large national media corporations, with fewer independent, locally-owned stations remaining. Still, the FCC limits the number of stations one entity can own in any one market, based on a percentage of the total radio stations in that market and in the same service (AM or FM).


History


KDKA in Pittsburgh, owned by Westinghouse, is considered the first licensed commercial radio station in the United States, with daily broadcasts beginning in November 1920. A year later, Westinghouse established three other stations--WJZ in Newark, New Jersey, WBZ in Springfield, Massachusetts, and KYW in Chicago.

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