Media Ownership

Hundreds of local and regional radio and television stations comprise the U.S. public media system.

In the U.S., roughly nine-in-ten adults (93%) get at least some news online (either via mobile or desktop), and the online space has become a host for the digital homes of both legacy news outlets and new, “born on the web” news outlets.

News media made by and for the two largest racial/ethnic minority groups in the United States – Blacks and Hispanics – have been a consistent part of the American news landscape.

Newspapers are a critical part of the American news landscape, but they have been hard hit as more and more Americans consume news digitally.

The audio news sector in the U.S. is split by modes of delivery: traditional terrestrial (AM/FM) radio and digital formats such as online radio and podcasting.

Local television news programming has shed audience over the past decade, but it still garners more viewers on average than cable and network news programs.

Network TV news – appointment viewing for many Americans – saw its audience decline over the past year.

Cable TV is home to a set of television channels whose news broadcasts have become an important information source for many Americans.

In seven Western European countries surveyed, the top main source for news is a public news organization – such as the BBC in the UK, Sveriges Television/Radio (SVT/Radio) in Sweden or ARD in Germany – rather than a private one.