"Minnesota Public Radio finished the fourth quarter of 2025 as the No. 1 local public radio outlet in the United States in terms of web traffic, according to our regular rankings derived from Similarweb data. It also finished as No. 1 in traffic for the months of November and December, though Oregon Public Broadcasting snuck past it to take the top spot in October."
"- It's easy to see the localized impact of Trump administration ICE raids in these numbers. Chicago's WBEZ saw a 83% spike in traffic in October during Operation Midway Blitz. Charlotte's WFAE saw a similar 73% increase in November amid that month's Operation Charlotte's Web. (Not unlike how LA Public Press saw a 2,324% spike in traffic last June covering ICE operations in Los Angeles.)"
"- Stations that saw major traffic spikes in October include KCUR in Kansas City (up 75% over September), Richmond, Va.'s VPM (up 60%), WVTF at Virginia Tech (up 56%), and WABE in Atlanta (up 44%). Among those who saw big jumps in November are Seattle's KUOQ (up 87%), WYPR in Baltimore (up 44%), and - once again - Richmond's VPM. (The former Virginia Public Media went from 201,000 to 323,000 to 514,000 between September and November.)"
Minnesota Public Radio finished the fourth quarter of 2025 as the No. 1 local public radio outlet in the U.S. by web traffic, with top rankings in November and December while Oregon Public Broadcasting led in October. Operation Metro Surge was announced December 4 and national attention increased, though the killings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti occurred January 7 and 24. In December MPR's traffic was 41% higher than WNYC's Gothamist. Localized ICE raids produced major spikes at many stations, including WBEZ (+83% in October) and WFAE (+73% in November). October gainers also included KCUR (+75%), VPM (+60%), WVTF (+56%), and WABE (+44%), while November spikes included KUOQ (+87%), WYPR (+44%), and VPM's rise from 201,000 to 514,000 between September and November. December gainers were topped by Minnesota Public Radio.
Read at Nieman Lab
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