Public Broadcasting Fact Sheet
Hundreds of local and regional radio and television stations comprise the U.S. public media system.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
Journalism
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Most Americans favor restrictions on false information, violent content online
Most Americans say the U.S. government and technology companies should each take steps to restrict false information and extremely violent content online.
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True crime podcasts are popular in the U.S., particularly among women and those with less formal education
True crime stands out as the most common topic of top-ranked podcasts in the United States.
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A Profile of the Top-Ranked Podcasts in the U.S.
True crime is the most common topic, making up 24% of top-ranked podcasts; 15% of the top podcasts focus on news. The next most common topics are politics and government (10%); entertainment, pop culture and the arts (9%); and self-help and relationships (8%).
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Audio and Podcasting Fact Sheet
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.
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On alternative social media sites, many prominent accounts seek financial support from audiences
23% of the prominent accounts on the seven alternative social media sites studied sought financial support from their audiences in June 2022.
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Most U.S. journalists are concerned about press freedoms
57% of U.S. journalists surveyed say they are extremely or very concerned about potential restrictions on press freedoms in the country.
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Black U.S. podcast listeners choose distinct topics, have different reasons for listening than other groups
At least half of Black podcast listeners regularly listen to podcasts about entertainment and pop culture; self-help and relationships; comedy; and money and finance.
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Americans name a long, diverse list of podcasts they listen to most
A new Pew Research Center survey reveals that podcast listening is highly fragmented, and no one podcast dominates.
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Podcasts as a Source of News and Information
Roughly half of U.S. adults say they have listened to a podcast in the past year, including one-in-five who report listening at least a few times a week. Most podcast listeners say this experience includes hearing news, which they largely expect to be mostly accurate. Large shares of listeners say they turn to podcasts for entertainment, learning or having something to listen to while doing something else.
