Techniques for facilitating interoperation between a portable media device having an RF tuner and an accessory device. In certain embodiments, the portable media device and the accessory can exchange various commands pertaining to the capabilities, state, and/or operation of the tuner. For example, in one set of embodiments the accessory can send one or more commands requesting information about the capabilities of the tuner, and the portable media device can provide the requested capability information. In another set of embodiments, the accessory can send one or more commands requesting execution of a particular action with respect to the tuner, and the portable media device can perform the requested action. In this manner, certain embodiments of the present invention enable a user to control the tuner functionality of the portable media device via the accessory, rather than, e.g., via an input interface located directly on the portable media device.