license: other
license_name: tensorust-sample-license
license_link: https://tensorust.com/datasets/broadcast-ownership-graph/
pretty_name: Broadcast Station Ownership Graph (free sample)
language:
- en
tags:
- tensorust
- sample
- media-and-telecom
- government-data
- finance
size_categories:
- n<1K
configs:
- config_name: sample
data_files:
- split: train
path: sample.csv
- config_name: summary
data_files:
- split: train
path: summary_by_community_state.csv
Broadcast Station Ownership Graph: free sample (Tensorust LLC)
26,553 live US TV and radio stations traced through FCC ownership reports to 5,698 ultimate parents.
Headline: The licensee on a station's FCC record is often a holding LLC; the company that controls it sits one or more Form 323 ownership filings up the chain, and the FCC never rolls those chains up.
This repository is a free teaser, not the dataset. It holds 25 example rows and a summary table with no names in it. The full file has 26,553 rows and is sold by Tensorust LLC: https://tensorust.com/datasets/broadcast-ownership-graph/.
Files here
| file | what it is |
|---|---|
sample.csv |
25 rows of the full file (the same sample shown on tensorust.com) |
summary_by_community_state.csv |
row counts by community state across the full file, no entity names (groups with fewer than 3 rows are folded into "Other") |
Summary by community state (largest groups)
| Community state | rows |
|---|---|
| TX | 1,774 |
| CA | 1,688 |
| FL | 1,069 |
| NY | 973 |
| PA | 864 |
| NC | 833 |
| CO | 752 |
| GA | 747 |
| TN | 719 |
| OR | 714 |
| MN | 710 |
| MI | 708 |
| TOTAL | 26,553 |
Full table: summary_by_community_state.csv.
What the full file has
- 26,553 rows
- Key fields: facility_id, call_sign, service, service_desc, channel, frequency, community_city, community_state, nielsen_dma_rank, network_affiliation
- Parquet and CSV, a README with sources, method and limits, and the build script
- Free 25-row sample (no personal contact data)
Coverage: Live (licensed, CP or experimental) AM, FM, translator, LPFM, full-power TV, Class A, LPTV and DTS facilities that appear in at least one current ownership report: 11,277 FM, 5,392 FM translator, 4,285 AM, 1,779 full-power digital TV and the rest LPTV, Class A and other services. FCC LMS data as of Aug 16 2026; built Nov 6 2026.
Columns in the full file
| column | meaning |
|---|---|
facility_id |
FCC LMS facility |
call_sign |
FCC LMS facility |
service |
FCC LMS facility |
service_desc |
FCC LMS facility |
channel |
FCC LMS facility |
frequency |
FCC LMS facility |
community_city |
Community of license |
community_state |
Community of license |
nielsen_dma_rank |
Market rank and network as reported in LMS |
network_affiliation |
Market rank and network as reported in LMS |
licensee_name |
Licensee of record |
licensee_frn |
Licensee of record |
license_expiration_date |
Licensee of record |
ownership_report_count |
Respondents whose current Form 323 reports name the station, narrowest to broadest |
ownership_chain |
Respondents whose current Form 323 reports name the station, narrowest to broadest |
ultimate_parent |
Top respondent not controlled (50%+ voting) by another entity |
ultimate_parent_key |
Top respondent not controlled (50%+ voting) by another entity |
entity_holders_10pct |
Entity interest holders with 10%+ voting or equity (individuals never named) |
foreign_entity_citizenship |
Non-US citizenship codes reported for entity holders (self-reported, noisy) |
individual_holder_rows |
Count of individual interest-holder rows (names withheld) |
latest_report_as_of |
Latest ownership report as-of date |
parent_station_count |
Live stations under the same ultimate parent |
ontology_org_id |
Tensorust Ontology Organization match for the ultimate parent |
Get the full file
| tier | price | includes |
|---|---|---|
| Market or group file | $750 | Every station in up to 5 DMAs or under up to 10 ultimate parents, with ownership chains, 10%+ entity holders and the foreign-citizenship flag. CSV and Excel. |
| National ownership graph | $3,900 | All 26,553 stations and the 5,698-parent roll-up, plus one refresh once FCC LMS publishes a current dump. |
| Yearly license with quarterly refresh | $9,600 a year | The national graph rebuilt each quarter from new ownership reports, with changes in control and new foreign-citizenship flags marked. Internal use, unlimited seats. |
Email mattbusel@tensorust.com with the tier and a billing contact, and we will send a proper invoice (ACH or card). The file is delivered once the invoice is paid. Details and the live sample: https://tensorust.com/datasets/broadcast-ownership-graph/. All datasets: https://tensorust.com/datasets/
Method and limits
Map each current ownership report in the FCC LMS dump to the facilities it names. For each respondent, check whether an entity holds 50% or more of the votes. The ultimate parent is the broadest uncontrolled respondent in the station's chain. Entity holders with 10%+ voting or equity are listed; individual holders are counted, never named. parent_rollup.csv groups stations by ultimate parent with TV, radio and state counts. Ultimate parents are matched to Tensorust Ontology organizations by name (17,743 stations matched).
Not a list of individual owners (individual interest holders are never named). Not current to the day: the LMS snapshot is Aug 16 2026. Stations that file no ownership report, many LPFM and translators among them, are absent. The roll-up is algorithmic: insulated interests, LMAs, JSAs and sharing agreements are not modeled. Citizenship codes are self-reported and noisy. Not legal advice on attribution or foreign ownership limits.
Sources
- FCC Licensing and Management System (LMS) public database files, Form 323 / 323-E ownership reports and facility tables: https://enterpriseefiling.fcc.gov/dataentry/public/tv/lmsDatabase.html
- Internet Archive capture of the LMS files, Aug 16 2026 (LMS was in maintenance on Nov 5 2026): https://web.archive.org/
- Tensorust Ontology organization objects (name match for ultimate parents)
License
The sample and summary here are free to view, analyze and cite with attribution to "Tensorust LLC, https://tensorust.com/datasets/broadcast-ownership-graph/". The full dataset is licensed separately per tier. No resale or redistribution of Tensorust data without a written license.
Tensorust LLC, Tuckahoe NY. mattbusel@tensorust.com | https://tensorust.com