NRB recently filed formal comments with the FCC as part of the Commission’s 2022 Quadrennial Review of broadcast ownership rules. While that may sound like an inside-the-Beltway process, this proceeding goes directly to the future of Christian broadcasting. These rules shape who can own stations, how concentrated the industry becomes, and whether local, mission-driven broadcasters will still have a place in a media environment that is consolidating and changing at a rapid pace.
At the heart of NRB’s filing is a simple but important message: modernizing media policy must not come at the expense of local, independent, faith-based broadcasters. Most NRB members are not large national media companies. They are local ministries, family-run stations, and community-focused organizations that exist to serve, not to scale.
Yet too often, ownership debates are framed around economic theory and large-market efficiencies, rather than what actually happens on the ground. Rules that appear “neutral” can, in practice, favor size, leverage, and consolidation—making it harder for Christian stations to survive, compete, and continue serving their communities. NRB made clear that policy decisions must be evaluated by their real-world impact on local voices, faith-based programming, and viewpoint diversity.
NRB also emphasized that radio is not a one-size-fits-all service. AM and FM radio face different market realities, and they should not be regulated as though they are interchangeable. AM stations continue to play a vital role across the country, serving rural areas, niche audiences, and emergency-reliant communities, while providing unique local and faith-based service that remains deeply relevant.
Like every part of today’s media ecosystem, AM radio is navigating technical and economic change. NRB supports targeted flexibility that encourages investment, innovation, and long-term sustainability for AM broadcasters. FM radio, meanwhile, remains a primary platform for local ministry, Christian music, news, and community engagement. In the filing, NRB stressed the importance of maintaining ownership safeguards so that consolidation does not hollow out local service, reduce diversity of voices, or disconnect stations from the communities they exist to serve.
Television ownership was another major focus of NRB’s comments. NRB cautioned that weakening local or national television ownership limits would almost certainly accelerate consolidation and concentrate control of local stations in fewer hands. Our concern is that as ownership becomes more concentrated, faith-based and educational programming is often among the first to be reduced or displaced, and independent Christian broadcasters face growing barriers to accessing local distribution.
NRB also emphasized that these concerns are even more serious given how dramatically the distribution landscape has changed. Cable and satellite once provided relatively stable pathways into local homes. Today, streaming platforms are growing rapidly, but they are not required to carry local stations. Large station groups can often negotiate access through scale and leverage, while independent Christian stations frequently cannot. In this environment, consolidation doesn’t just change who owns stations; it increasingly determines who has access to audiences at all. Further consolidation would widen this gap and make it even harder for faith-based broadcasters to secure reach, revenue, and long-term sustainability.
For these reasons, NRB reaffirmed that ownership limits still matter. They remain an important tool for preserving localism, protecting viewpoint diversity, and ensuring there is room in the marketplace for mission-driven television stations whose ultimate purpose is not simply distribution, but also ministry, reaching viewers, serving communities, and sharing the Gospel.
NRB’s engagement in the Quadrennial Review reflects a broader commitment to ensuring that Christian communicators have a seat at the table in the policy decisions that shape the future of media. Ownership rules influence investment, distribution, and programming, and ultimately whether local Christian voices will continue to have a place in an increasingly consolidated and platform-driven marketplace.
NRB will remain actively engaged in this proceeding, advocating for policies that strengthen local, Christian, and community-focused broadcasting and preserve the ability of our members to continue reaching audiences, serving communities, and sharing the Gospel.
Jack Creel was a policy analyst at NRB.