--- 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/](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/](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