944:"K", "N", and "W" call letters were considered to be international assignments. Initially there were some classes of radio stations which did not qualify for these calls because they were considered to be only of domestic interest. This included the standard amateur radio stations, plus the three classes of "Special Land" stations: Experimental, Technical and Training School, and Special Amateur. The United States was divided into nine "Radio Inspection" districts, and amateur and Special Land stations were issued call signs that started with the district number in which they were located, followed by two letters. The first letter for standard amateur stations came from the range A-W. For Experimental stations, the first letter was "X", a practice that is still followed. "Y" was reserved for Technical and Training School stations, and "Z" for Special Amateurs. More letters were added as the number of stations grew.
572:
initially issued these stations standardized call signs that included the last two digits of their frequency plus a common closing letter or letters that indicated their community. This resulted in call signs that were hard for the public to differentiate, for example, as of
February 1942 there were nine commercial New York City stations operating on frequencies ranging from 43.1 to 47.5, which were assigned call signs between W31NY and W75NY. In order to eliminate this confusion, the FCC announced that, effective November 1, 1943, the 45 existing commercial FM stations would change to standard call letters. At the same time, the "-FM" suffix was introduced, which meant that FM stations could use the same base call letters as an existing AM station if they added "-FM" to their call. One restriction was that the paired stations had to have common ownership and be in the same community.
934:. This new statute placed the licensing authority, including issuing call letters to both ship and land stations, under the control of the Bureau of Navigation in the Department of Commerce. At this time the United States also started to participate with international regulations, and one of the first acts was to be formally assigned call letter blocks. The initial assignment allocated all call signs starting with "N" and "W", plus the range KDA-KZZ, for use by the United States. (Initially KAA-KCZ were assigned to Germany, but in 1929 this call letter block was transferred to the United States. AAA-ALZ were added after World War II.)
914:
shall be distinguishable from one another and each must be formed of a group of three letters". Despite this pronouncement, the United States would be slow to adopt this standard, largely because radio stations were unregulated at this time. Individual stations selected their own call signs, commonly only one or two letters, with little concern about duplication. The first U.S. organization to conform to the international standard was the U.S. Navy, which in 1909 switched from two-letter calls scattered throughout the alphabet to three-letter calls, all starting with the letter "N".
626:
suffixes. After the introduction of digital TV, an "-LD" suffix was made available for standard Low Power digital TV stations, with digital Class A TV stations eligible for a "-CD" suffix. Low power digital TV stations, including translators, that still have alphanumeric call signs based on their channel number receive a "–D" suffix, as in W08EG-D. The FCC makes no differentiation between translating and originating LPTV stations, thus either type of station could have an alphanumeric or a regular "-LP" or "-LD" call sign.
67:
718:
360:
79:
412:, too, the Mississippi River is the boundary. Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands are east of the river, and all their stations have been given standard "W" call signs. The Pacific Ocean territories—Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa—are in western, "K" territory, although assignments there have been less consistent. All but one of these stations have "K" calls; the exception is
120:) at the bottom of the screen listing their call sign, community of license, and other identifying information. Sometimes station identification is displayed non-intrusively in small type during short promotions, either for an upcoming show or their next local newscast (even incorporating these identifications at the start of newscasts), that air just before the top of each hour. FM stations with
94:(FCC) are issued call signs for their official identification, the general public is most familiar with the ones used by radio and TV broadcasting stations. However, there is a wide variety in how much emphasis stations give to their call signs; for some it is the primary way they establish public identity, while others largely ignore their call signs, considering a
730:
signs after moving into a new district.) Most amateurs going to an exotic location will add a "/location" suffix to show their current operating site, for example, a station visiting
American Samoa might sign "(regular call sign)/KH8". American amateurs are permitted to operate in Canada under their own call signs with a location indicator.
922:
was given for splitting the ships into two groups, and this differed from the practice followed for the assignment of the earlier flag signal letters, which had been sequentially issued with no differentiation between the two regions. Nor was any explanation given why the letters "K" and "W" were chosen.
506:
Under current FCC regulations in force since 1998, the limits on reassigning three-letter call signs have been relaxed. The restriction requiring a common community of license was removed, and an owner of a station with a three-letter base call sign can now request the same three-letter call (with an
155:
While the earliest radio call signs were randomly or sequentially assigned and intended merely to distinguish transmitters, they soon became an important part of a station's identity, and since the mid-1920s government regulators have allowed station owners to choose their own. Thousands of radio and
57:
AM, FM, TV and shortwave broadcasting stations can request their own call letters, as long as they are unique. The FCC policy covering broadcasting stations limits them to call signs that start with a "K" or a "W", with "K" call signs generally reserved for stations west of the
Mississippi River, and
917:
The lack of coordination and duplication of call signs used by merchant ships was eventually determined to be a threat to maritime navigation. A November 1911 report by
Commissioner of Navigation Eugene Tyler Chamberlain noted the lack of standards in the latest compilation of ship call letters, and
486:
In the past, base three-letter calls could only be shared by stations located in the same community and under common ownership. A prominent dispute involving this issue occurred in the 1980s, when it required several petitions before a station in
Granite City, Illinois, was permitted change its call
459:
in 1921 and later moved to
Philadelphia: the call sign was temporarily transferred to Cleveland, where it was used from 1956 to 1965. The FCC has also been lenient in the case of relocations that move a station to the other side of the boundary, especially when close to the Mississippi River, and in
842:
boats with VHF radios do not have to be assigned call signs, in which case the name of the vessel is used instead. Ships wishing to have a radio license anyway are under FCC class SA: "Ship recreational or voluntarily equipped." Those calls follow the land mobile format of the initial letter K or W
625:
stations was added, with these stations eligible to receive standard call letters with a "-CA" suffix, although this classification was also largely eliminated with the termination of analog TV stations on July 14, 2021, with the stations converted to digital transmissions switching from -CA to -CD
582:
Commercial television was introduced in the United States in July 1941, and initially TV stations were assigned standard unique four-letter call signs. In August 1946 the "-TV" suffix was introduced, which, like "-FM", included the restriction that paired stations had to have the same owners and be
937:
The policy that had been adopted for ship stations assignments was "W call letters in the west, and K call letters in the east". For land stations, the reverse was now implemented, with western land stations getting K calls, and eastern stations receiving W calls. This policy is still followed for
921:
The new merchant ship radio call letters went into effect on June 30, 1912. Ships were divided into two geographical groups, with three-letter calls starting with "K" assigned to ships on the "Atlantic and Gulf Coasts", and calls starting with "W" assigned to the "Pacific Coast" vessels. No reason
737:
Generally the shorter the call (up to a 1x2 or 2x1 format) the higher the grade of license, but amateurs who upgrade are not required to change their call signs. In any case some of the available blocks have been used up. The 1x1 call signs, such as K6O, are for short-term special event stations.
733:
Outlying areas have special calls. For example, those issued in Hawaii can (like other
American call signs) start with "A", "K", "N", or "W", but then will have "H6" or "H7" before the one to three additional letters. Other Pacific possessions use other "H" numbers. For example, a station on Guam
729:
call signs consist of one or two letters, followed by a single digit, and closing with one to three more letters. The number in the call sign indicates in which of the ten U.S. radio districts the license was issued. (It is no longer necessary for U.S. amateur radio operators to change their call
587:
transmissions. During a transition period, digital TV stations were identified using -DT suffixed calls, with the base call staying the same as the one assigned to their analog sister station, e.g., WRC-DT was paired with WRC-TV, etc. With the termination of the analog stations in June 2009, most
534:
In most cases the FCC will not reissue a three-letter call sign after all the stations that had been using it switch to four-letter calls, but there have been a few exceptions where a station has been permitted to reclaim an "abandoned" three-letter call. This happened most recently in 2000, when
1016:
Eliminated the requirement that a station seeking to change its call letters had to notify local stations of the pending request. In addition, the FCC would no longer set aside a 30-day period to receive objections and rule if the new calls met FCC standards, because call letter changes were now
913:
While there was no need for telegraph stations to coordinate their assignments, the great distance that radio signals traveled required international standardization. As early as 1906, the
Service Regulations adopted by the Berlin International Wireless Telegraph Convention specified that "calls
670:
The policy for TV translators consists of a leading geographical letter K or W, followed by the two-digit channel number on which they operate (02-83), and closing with two sequentially assigned letters; for example, W04AX. In 2009, the FCC began allowing digital television stations to apply for
956:
The original radio stations were primarily used for private point-to-point communication. The early 1920s saw the introduction of radio broadcasting, and by the end of 1922 there were over 500 broadcasting stations operating in the United States. Most of the first broadcasting stations received
571:
The FM radio band was established on
January 1, 1941, and from the beginning educational stations received standard unique four-letter call signs. Commercial stations within the original FM band were assigned transmitting frequencies that spanned from 43.1 MHz to 49.9 MHz, and the FCC
1020:
Eliminated the requirement that stations with four-letter calls operating on different services had to be located in "the same or adjoining communities" in order to have the same base call. (The single-community restriction remains in force for three-letter calls). In 1987, the requirement was
547:
As the number of broadcasting stations has increased, the FCC has adopted a number of suffixes for use by FM and TV stations to allow multiple stations to share the same "base" three- or four-letter call sign. (AM and shortwave stations have never had "-AM" or "-SW" or any other suffixes.) For
478:
Starting in 1921, most broadcasting stations were assigned three-letter call signs. However, within a few years there would be hundreds of stations, and there were not enough three-letter calls to go around, so beginning in April and May 1922 most new broadcasting stations were instead issued
947:
Effective
October 1, 1928, the amateur and Special Land stations were "internationalized", with stations adding an initial "W" (for continental) or "K" (for territorial) ahead of their call signs' district number. In later years a greater variety of amateur call signs would be added.
58:"W" limited to stations east of the river. Amateur stations can receive call signs starting with all of the letters "A", "K", "N", and "W". Formerly, prefixes beginning with "A" were exclusively assigned to U.S. Army stations and prefixes beginning with "N" to U.S. Navy stations.
460:
the two states that are divided by the river, Minnesota and Louisiana. The most extreme example occurred in 2013, when television station KJWP was allowed to keep its callsign even after moving from Jackson, Wyoming, to Wilmington, Delaware; the station changed its callsign to
828:
stations operating between 162.4 and 162.55 MHz have call signs consisting of a "K" or "W" followed by two letters, and two digits. The "K" and "W" prefixes are used on both sides of the Mississippi River (for example, KHB36 in Washington, D.C., and WXK25 in El Paso,
747:
Experimental stations have alphanumeric call signs, with "X" as the first letter following a regional digit. (All television and most FM stations that were operational before World War II were licensed as experimental stations.) Notable experimental stations included
1323:, June 3, 2009 (FCC.gov) Few stations have adopted the "-DT" suffix. In the June 19, 2014 public data export of the FCC's Common Database System, 91 US-licensed full-power television stations have the "-DT" suffix, while 1,749 stations use "-TV" or no suffix at all.
427:
The 1923 boundary shift meant that a number of existing stations with "W" call letters were in a section of country that was now being issued "K" call letters, but these earlier stations were allowed to keep their now non-standard call signs. These include
373:
is in the west, and with "W" in the east. (The FCC proposed ending this policy in 1987, in order to allow unrestricted assignments of K and W stations throughout the country. However, it was decided to retain the rule, because of industry objections.)
563:
Suffixes are optional for full power FM and TV stations, unless another station shares the same three- or four-letter base call sign, requiring a differentiation between the two stations. Reviewed below are the various broadcasting station suffixes:
598:
stations to be issued four-letter calls with an "–LP" suffix, although this station classification was largely eliminated with the conversion to mandatory digital TV as of July 14, 2021, with the stations switching from -LP to -LD suffixes. In 2001
960:
Initially two different patterns were employed. In the east, beginning in April 1922 calls were issued in alphabetical order with "A" fixed as the third letter, i.e. WAAB, WAAC, WAAD... WBAB, WBAC... etc. Surviving stations from this era include
667:. The primary station may instead choose to identify all its translators together; if it does so, the identification must occur once between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m., once between 12:55 p.m. and 1:05 p.m., and once between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. local time.
910:, and it was standard practice to assign identifying letters to individual offices located along a line. Early radio stations (originally called "wireless telegraphy") commonly employed former telegraph operators, who continued the practice.
918:
decided to take measures to rectify the situation, invoking his authority given "by the act of July 5, 1884" to assign "signal letters to American merchant vessels". (Previously this had applied to four-letter signal flag identifiers).
632:"Boosters" extend a station's coverage by transmitting on the same channel as an originating station. FM boosters receive call signs which repeat the entire call sign of the primary station, plus a sequential numeric suffix, like "FM1".
363:
Historically, the west (blue) has normally had K calls and the east (red) has normally had W. The middle area (yellow) received W calls from 1912 until January 1923, when a boundary shift to the Mississippi River transferred it to K
1024:
Adopted a "first requester" policy for reassignment of relinquished call letters. The previous rule stated that after a call was relinquished, the reassignment would go to the senior broadcaster requesting during the next 15
957:
randomly assigned three-letter call signs. However, in early 1922, due to the prospect of all the available three-letter call signs being used up, the government switched to four-letter calls that were sequentially assigned.
495:) in St. Louis, Missouri. In addition, beginning in the mid-1980s stations which were previously co-owned but later separated no longer are required to have one of the stations give up the three-letter call, which is why
184:, Raleigh, North Carolina, which references the motto of previous owner the Durham Life Insurance Company, "We Protect the Family" while Z88.3, in Central Florida prizes itself on its "Positive Hits", with the call-sign
1432:
1402:
338:(channel 10, Duluth), use letters which have similarities to numerals; in those examples, the "Z" in WGRZ resembles a "2", while the "IO" in WDIO resembles a "10". Examples on the AM band have historically included
163:
It is sometimes difficult to determine which came first: a station's call sign, or a slogan attached to it. However, some well-documented examples of call letters being chosen to reflect an existing slogan include:
835:
stations operating on the AM band have call signs consisting of "K" and "W" followed by two or three letters and three digits. As with weather radio, "K" and "W" calls are assigned on both sides of the Mississippi
1000:
Beginning in the mid-1920s it became the norm for station owners to request call letters of their own choosing. However, in cases where no preference has been stated, the government will make its own assignment.
656:
539:, fourteen years after it had last used the three-letter call. The justification that the FCC accepted was that the first two letters of "KKHJ" are pronounced "caca" in Spanish, which was considered offensive.
368:
Following a practice inaugurated in 1912 when the federal government first licensed radio stations, beginning in 1921 broadcasting stations have generally been assigned call signs beginning with "K" when their
588:
digital TV stations inherited the calls formerly used by their analog counterparts. However, the FCC provided that these stations could optionally keep their -DT suffix, and a relative few elected to do so.
671:"digital replacement" translator stations, which are not given a separate call sign, instead taking on the one of the primary station. This is only in the case of areas that would lose coverage due to the
451:, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which was licensed in 1920 during a short period when new land stations were issued call signs from a block of letters that had been reserved for ship stations. Another is
473:
124:
digital subchannels must individually identify each program stream, but do not need to do so in any particular form; most licensees use the form "WXXX HD2", but this is not part of their call sign.
734:
could be "KH2–". Stations in Alaska have "L" as their second prefix letter, and stations in the Caribbean region (such as Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands) use "P" for their second letter.
143:
in Stockton, California, all date back to 1921. At the other extreme, reflecting multiple changes in ownership and format, are stations which have changed call letters numerous times, for example
1021:
further relaxed, now allowing common four-letter base call signs to be issued to stations with different owners, although permission had to first be obtained from the current call letter holder.
389:, in order to balance the populations in the two regions. The geographical separation of "K" and "W" prefixes applies only to radio and television broadcasting stations, and is not followed for
1336:"FCC Public Notice: Media Bureau Reminds Low Power Television and Television Translator Stations That the July 13, 2021, Digital Transition Date and Other Important Deadlines Are One Week Away"
27:
655:
are low-powered transmitters that rebroadcast an originating station's programming on a different channel or frequency. The naming convention for FM translators includes their three-digit
985:(Peoria, Illinois). In the west, after a small number of KD—four-letter calls were issued, the government switched to KF—, KG—, and KI—calls issued in alphabetical order, including
1031:
Eliminated the requirement that "suitable clearance" had to be obtained in order to receive call letters that were the initials of a current or former president, or a government agency.
780:
in Los Angeles. Synchronous AM station "booster" transmitters receive experimental call signs which incorporate the primary stations' call letters in their call signs, for example,
210:—have traditionally had call signs reflecting the network abbreviations. Stations operated by schools and universities commonly incorporate their school's initials, including
1689:"In re Matter of: Revision of Section 73.3550 of the Commission's Rules with respect to the Assignment of New and Modified Call Letters to AM, FM and TV Broadcast Stations"
672:
941:
During a short period, land stations were being issued call letters from a sequential block of "K" call letters that had previously been assigned only to ship stations.
1013:
Ended the ban on issuing call letters that are "not in good taste". The FCC noted that any objections could be handled by a complaint through the federal courts.
1928:
712:
640:
boosters have multiple suffixes. The longest possible call sign in the United States (nine characters) went into use for the first time July 22, 2017, when
1497:
1348:
1126:
1089:
1078:
738:
Amateur stations are required to identify themselves by their call sign once every ten minutes during a communication and at the end of the communication.
409:
721:
Map showing the numeral codes for amateur radio call signs in the United States. The region in which the operator was licensed determines the numeral.
802:
and standard-frequency stations have the reserved call signs WWV, WWVB through WWVI, WWVL, and WWVS. This grouping is derived from shortwave station
1933:
818:
are also currently in use, while WWVL was active from 1962 through 1972. Standard broadcasters may use these call signs with a suffix; what is now
1881:
1462:
882:
479:
four-letter calls. Over the next few years a small number of additional three-letter calls were authorized, with the final grant made in 1930 to
82:
Other stations downplay their call letters, in favor of an easily remembered slogan. This is also the standard practice in most other countries.(
1623:
The temporary switch to four-letter "K" call signs for new land station grants is documented by the monthly issues of the Commerce Department's
1719:
1099:
865:, because they are four-character codes beginning with "K". This may be exploited to help establish local identity. Examples include KSFO (
866:
290:
Numerous television stations have chosen call letters that reference their channel number, either spelled out or using Roman numerals:
1790:
1041:
156:
TV stations have been established, with a wide variety of reasons for choosing particular call signs. Some common categories include:
1440:
1410:
1009:
In late 1983, the FCC adopted a number of changes that greatly reduced its role in call letter assignments and disputes, including:
874:
456:
91:
23:
1837:
1085:: General overview of call sign assignments, including a detailed summary of standards and practices for various license classes.
687:, respectively. In the digital era, these call signs continue in use with an optional -D suffix to indicate digital operation.
1547:
Annual Report of the Commissioner of Navigation to the Secretary of Commerce and Labor for the Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 1911
1295:
1575:"List of American Merchant Vessels and Yachts Equipped with Wireless Apparatus, Arranged in the Order of Their Call Letters"
1559:"List of American Merchant Vessels and Yachts Equipped with Wireless Apparatus, Arranged in the Order of Their Call Letters"
109:
measurement). In the United States, the only time broadcasting stations are required to mention their call signs is during
30:(NTIA). They consist of from 3 to 9 letters and digits, with their composition determined by a station's service category.
1820:
1216:"1998 Biennial Regulatory Review -- Amendment of Parts 73 and 74 Relating to Call Sign Assignments for Broadcast Stations"
447:
Although a long established convention, the K–W division has not always been rigidly followed. One prominent exception is
199:
195:
1647:
issue records a return to the original policy of primarily three-letter calls, with "K" in the west, and "W" in the east.
1366:
326:(channel 9, Redding, California - And the last letter selected as it was part of the Educational network, now PBS), and
1069:
Call sign information for U.S. stations are set out in chapter I of the FCC rules, Title 47 (Telecommunication) of the
690:
The FCC has since extended K-prefixed translator call signs on channels 7 and 13 to three-letter suffixes; what is now
1895:
1844:
1186:
1070:
1656:
1574:
1558:
1170:
583:
in the same community. The "-DT" suffix was introduced as part of the later conversion of TV stations from analog to
1640:
1525:
622:
1105:
1888:
117:
1549:, submitted November 18, 1911 from Commissioner Eugene Tyler Chamberlain to Secretary Charles Nagel, page 52-53.
346:(now KEIB) in Los Angeles, which originated on 1150 kHz (as the letters IIS resemble 115, its frequency in
1795:
1759:
1712:
1672:
1644:
1636:
1632:
1628:
417:
1590:
1278:
1900:
1876:
1542:
1513:
1060:– used by the FCC in the United States to distinguish broadcast stations without regard to call sign changes
652:
402:
113:
announcements, made at a "natural break in programming" as close to the beginning of each hour as possible.
1146:
The sequence of call letters has been: KFVE, KWK, KGLD, KASP, WKBQ, KRAM, WKBQ, KKWK, KZJZ, KSLG, and KXFN.
1028:
Eliminated the rule that relinquished callsigns could not be reassigned to the same community for 180 days.
1849:
832:
807:
749:
600:
595:
394:
110:
1639:
issues, these stations now primarily received four-letter K calls, including KDKA, which appeared in the
1871:
1774:
773:
528:
694:
operated briefly under the six-character call sign K13AAR-D in 2018, and was later granted a channel 7
1320:
1859:
1854:
1832:
1827:
1754:
1480:
1134:
237:
106:
1631:
issue, non-government land station grants generally received three-letter K or W calls. But for the
1133:(Code of Federal Regulations: Station identification.) Stations are also required to identify their
359:
66:
1923:
1815:
1810:
1805:
1742:
1705:
803:
695:
520:
1800:
1769:
1764:
1688:
1609:
1215:
1158:
902:
The use of call letters predates the invention of radio, and were introduced as part of landline
825:
757:
584:
390:
1159:"In the Matter of Amendment of Part 73 Relating to Call Sign Assignments for Broadcast Stations"
556:
and a low-power FM station, WFOX-LP. And in addition to shortwave station KSDA, there is also a
1673:"Amateur and Special (Experimental and Technical Training School) Station Calls to be Changed"
931:
862:
843:
followed by one or two letters, followed by three or four numbers (such as KX0983 or WXX0029).
761:
717:
386:
1262:
1335:
1051:
370:
172:
in Chicago, standing for "World's Greatest Newspaper", used by their original owner, the
1129:
1092:
1483:
1351:
839:
1500:
1081:
401:
stations, nor does it apply to auxiliary licenses held by broadcast stations, such as
1917:
1747:
1579:
Forty-fourth Annual List of the Merchant Vessels of the United States (June 30, 1912)
726:
103:
1563:
Forty-third Annual List of the Merchant Vessels of the United States (June 30, 1911)
973:(Cleveland). In April 1923 the pattern switched to calls centered on "B", including
507:"-FM", "-TV", or "-LP" suffix as necessary) for any station under common ownership.
1263:"Standard Broadcast Station Call Letters for All Outlets Starting Nov. 1, FCC Rule"
637:
22:
are identifiers assigned to radio and television stations, which are issued by the
1384:
855:
NAA–NZZ is jointly assigned to the Department of the Navy and the U.S. Coast Guard
78:
440:(Kansas City, Missouri), which inherited their calls from the original WDAF (now
1516:, Service Regulations, Berlin International Wireless Telegraph Convention, 1906.
1057:
799:
659:(from 200 to 300), followed by two sequentially assigned letters – for example,
398:
224:
Three stations have call signs that fully spell out their community of license:
102:
to be more easily remembered by listeners (and those filling in diaries for the
675:. As of 2014, channels 7, 9, and 13 in the western United States are up to K07Z
1530:(corrected to September 1, 1909), Department of the Navy: Bureau of Equipment.
907:
903:
664:
382:
31:
420:, which received its call while it was paired with a now defunct AM station,
1728:
1202:
1046:
990:
982:
974:
966:
962:
793:
549:
508:
448:
441:
429:
421:
240:
or designated market area (DMA) with an abbreviation or initialism, such as
128:
1246:
930:
The United States did not license radio stations until the adoption of the
116:
Television stations have the option of displaying a small graphic or text (
385:
border. In early 1923 the boundary was moved to its present location, the
131:
in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been in continuous use since 1920, while
1234:
536:
512:
496:
452:
177:
165:
140:
136:
132:
121:
71:
127:
A few AM stations have had the same call letters for 100 years or more:
70:
Example of a radio station that prominently promotes its call letters. (
878:
691:
641:
557:
553:
461:
437:
433:
413:
335:
327:
323:
315:
311:
299:
295:
291:
273:
249:
241:
233:
225:
211:
95:
83:
849:
AAA–AEZ and ALA–ALZ are reserved for Department of the Army stations.
789:
781:
660:
524:
516:
500:
347:
342:
in Seattle, which previously broadcast on 910 kHz ("IX-I"); and
169:
99:
777:
753:
716:
378:
358:
77:
65:
994:
986:
978:
970:
886:
870:
819:
815:
811:
785:
765:
603:
stations were also allowed to request -LP suffixed call letters.
492:
488:
480:
343:
339:
331:
319:
307:
303:
265:
229:
215:
185:
181:
144:
16:
FCC issued identifiers assigned to radio and television stations
1701:
1102:(Monthly U.S. Federal Communications Commission Public Notices)
863:
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) airport codes
769:
474:
List of three-letter broadcast call signs in the United States
207:
203:
1697:
861:
Call signs in the western United States can be confused with
698:
with call sign K07AAH-D before changing to its current sign.
147:
in Saint Louis, Missouri, has switched ten times since 1925.
1321:"FCC Public Notice: Digital Transition Call Sign Procedures"
548:
example, in addition to an FM station with the call letters
511:
most prominently took advantage of this rule: resurrecting
180:
in Columbia, South Carolina, the "Wonderful Iodine State";
1161:, MM Docket No. 87-11, Adopted: October 20, 1987 (FCC.gov)
28:
National Telecommunications and Information Administration
54:, are reserved exclusively for use in the United States.
852:
AFA–AKZ are assigned to the Department of the Air Force.
663:. The translator may identify itself hourly by voice or
26:(FCC) and, in the case of most government stations, the
1487:(Code of Federal Regulations: Authorized transmissions)
810:, which was the U.S. government's first such station.
621:
In 2000 a new Low Power analog TV classification of
1783:
1735:
1691:, MM Docket No. 83-373, Adopted: December 1, 1983.
1355:(Code of Federal Regulations: Digital call signs.)
906:communication. Telegraph operators generally used
535:KKHJ in Los Angeles was allowed to change back to
455:, which was originally launched in Chicago by the
236:(Wise, Virginia). Other stations reference their
1527:List of Wireless Telegraph Stations of the World
503:in New Orleans can still share the assignment.
306:(also channel 12, Sherman, Texas), WIIC-TV (now
1614:, Department of Commerce, May 9, 1913 (FCC.gov)
1017:being authorized as soon as they were received.
1538:
1536:
1433:"Displacement for LPTV Translator Application"
1096:: Detailed information for broadcast stations.
1713:
1595:Radio Communication Laws of the United States
1403:"LPTV Translator Engineering STA Application"
1042:Amateur radio in the United States#Call signs
377:The original boundary ran northward from the
355:Geographical separation of K and W call signs
298:(channel 12, Winston–Salem, North Carolina),
194:The major owned-and-operated stations of the
8:
713:Amateur radio licensing in the United States
214:(West Virginia University, Morgantown), and
90:Although most transmitters regulated by the
1385:"47 CFR § 74.1283 - Station identification"
822:operated as WWVB-FM from 2008 through 2009.
34:, all call signs starting with the letters
1720:
1706:
1698:
1230:
1228:
1154:
1152:
594:Beginning in 1995, the FCC allowed analog
1504:(Code of Federal Regulations: Call signs)
1331:
1329:
1296:"FCC Provides Guidance on DTV Call Signs"
1237:by Thomas H. White (earlyradiohistory.us)
1205:by Thomas H. White (earlyradiohistory.us)
491:), matching its sister station, KWK (now
1605:
1603:
1591:"An Act to Regulate Radio Communication"
1235:"Mystique of the Three-Letter Callsigns"
1657:"United States Amateur Radio Districts"
1203:"K/W Call Letters in the United States"
1118:
883:Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport
218:(University of Minnesota, Minneapolis).
1247:"U.S. FM Stations as of Feb. 17, 1942"
1054:– another element of station licensing
1367:"First LPFM Booster in U.S. Signs On"
1279:"Call Letter Style Adopted For Video"
302:(channel 25, Gulfport, Mississippi),
7:
1597:(edition July 27, 1914), pages 6-14.
1221:. Federal Communications Commission.
330:(channel 21, Rochester). Some, like
118:"digital on-screen graphic" or "bug"
1929:Communications in the United States
1338:(DA 21-786), July 6, 2021 (FCC.gov)
938:broadcasting stations assignments.
867:San Francisco International Airport
322:(channel 2, Terre Haute, Indiana),
776:'s pioneering television station,
14:
1441:Federal Communications Commission
1411:Federal Communications Commission
1108:(FCC Media Bureau Call Sign Desk)
952:Early radio broadcasting stations
875:Los Angeles International Airport
92:Federal Communications Commission
24:Federal Communications Commission
1661:The Consolidated Radio Call Book
318:(channel 4, Buffalo, New York),
294:(channel 4, Detroit, Michigan),
1934:Mass media in the United States
1437:Licensing and Management System
1407:Licensing and Management System
644:signed on booster KWSV-LP-FM1.
405:and inter-city relay stations.
20:Call signs in the United States
1100:Media Bureau Call Sign Actions
768:, operating at night carrying
1:
1365:Vernon, Tom (July 25, 2017).
673:digital television transition
648:FM and TV translator stations
483:in Columbia, South Carolina.
196:Big Three television networks
1593:(approved August 13, 1912),
1269:, September 4, 1943, page 7.
846:Military call sign systems:
410:stations in U.S. possessions
310:) (channel 11, Pittsburgh),
1463:"Amateur Call Sign Systems"
1389:Legal Information Institute
1285:, August 19, 1946, page 82.
1193:, November 1, 1920, page 2.
1071:Code of Federal Regulations
969:(Louisville, Kentucky) and
314:(channel 6, Philadelphia),
1950:
710:
471:
232:(Ware, Massachusetts) and
32:By international agreement
1679:, June 30, 1928, page 22.
993:(Kalispell, Montana) and
432:(Fort Worth, Texas), and
334:(channel 2, Buffalo) and
457:Westinghouse corporation
418:Fagaitua, American Samoa
403:studio-transmitter links
1171:"'K' Calls Are Western"
997:(Garden City, Kansas).
764:'s 500kW superpower AM
487:letters to KWK-FM (now
468:Three-letter call signs
248:eigh, North Carolina),
1677:Radio Service Bulletin
1625:Radio Service Bulletin
1191:Radio Service Bulletin
1177:, April 1923, page 25.
833:Highway advisory radio
808:Fort Collins, Colorado
722:
702:Non-broadcast stations
395:highway advisory radio
365:
111:station identification
87:
75:
989:(Anchorage, Alaska),
965:(Fort Worth, Texas),
720:
362:
139:in Philadelphia, and
81:
69:
62:Broadcasting stations
1135:community of license
772:'s programming; and
371:community of license
272:i, Mississippi), or
238:community of license
1413:. November 13, 2018
893:Historical overview
696:construction permit
151:Call signs meanings
1611:Radio Call Letters
1300:Broadcast Law Blog
869:and radio station
826:NOAA Weather Radio
758:Alpine, New Jersey
723:
623:Class A television
366:
88:
76:
1911:
1910:
1663:, 1922, page 276.
1005:1983 deregulation
932:Radio Act of 1912
926:Radio Act of 1912
762:Powel Crosley Jr.
657:FM channel number
552:, there are also
387:Mississippi River
1941:
1722:
1715:
1708:
1699:
1692:
1686:
1680:
1670:
1664:
1654:
1648:
1621:
1615:
1607:
1598:
1588:
1582:
1581:, pages 102-103.
1572:
1566:
1565:, pages 102-103.
1556:
1550:
1540:
1531:
1523:
1517:
1511:
1505:
1503:
1494:
1488:
1486:
1477:
1471:
1470:
1459:
1453:
1452:
1450:
1448:
1443:. April 22, 2019
1429:
1423:
1422:
1420:
1418:
1399:
1393:
1392:
1381:
1375:
1374:
1362:
1356:
1354:
1345:
1339:
1333:
1324:
1318:
1312:
1311:
1309:
1307:
1292:
1286:
1276:
1270:
1260:
1254:
1253:, February 1942.
1244:
1238:
1232:
1223:
1222:
1220:
1212:
1206:
1200:
1194:
1184:
1178:
1175:The Wireless Age
1168:
1162:
1156:
1147:
1144:
1138:
1132:
1123:
1106:Call Sign Search
1095:
1084:
981:(Baltimore) and
792:was paired with
784:was paired with
707:Amateur stations
86:, San Francisco)
74:, New York City)
1949:
1948:
1944:
1943:
1942:
1940:
1939:
1938:
1914:
1913:
1912:
1907:
1779:
1731:
1726:
1696:
1695:
1687:
1683:
1671:
1667:
1655:
1651:
1622:
1618:
1608:
1601:
1589:
1585:
1573:
1569:
1557:
1553:
1541:
1534:
1524:
1520:
1514:"Regulation IV"
1512:
1508:
1496:
1495:
1491:
1479:
1478:
1474:
1461:
1460:
1456:
1446:
1444:
1431:
1430:
1426:
1416:
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1401:
1400:
1396:
1383:
1382:
1378:
1364:
1363:
1359:
1347:
1346:
1342:
1334:
1327:
1319:
1315:
1305:
1303:
1294:
1293:
1289:
1277:
1273:
1261:
1257:
1245:
1241:
1233:
1226:
1218:
1214:
1213:
1209:
1201:
1197:
1185:
1181:
1169:
1165:
1157:
1150:
1145:
1141:
1125:
1124:
1120:
1115:
1088:
1077:
1067:
1052:City of license
1038:
1007:
954:
928:
900:
895:
750:Major Armstrong
744:
715:
709:
704:
650:
545:
476:
470:
357:
284:, Pennsylvania)
228:(Waco, Texas),
174:Chicago Tribune
153:
64:
17:
12:
11:
5:
1947:
1945:
1937:
1936:
1931:
1926:
1916:
1915:
1909:
1908:
1906:
1905:
1904:
1903:
1893:
1892:
1891:
1886:
1885:
1884:
1869:
1868:
1867:
1862:
1857:
1852:
1842:
1841:
1840:
1838:United Kingdom
1835:
1825:
1824:
1823:
1818:
1813:
1808:
1798:
1793:
1787:
1785:
1781:
1780:
1778:
1777:
1772:
1767:
1762:
1757:
1752:
1751:
1750:
1739:
1737:
1733:
1732:
1727:
1725:
1724:
1717:
1710:
1702:
1694:
1693:
1681:
1665:
1649:
1627:. Through the
1616:
1599:
1583:
1567:
1551:
1543:"Call Letters"
1532:
1518:
1506:
1489:
1472:
1454:
1424:
1394:
1376:
1357:
1340:
1325:
1313:
1287:
1271:
1255:
1239:
1224:
1207:
1195:
1187:"New Stations"
1179:
1163:
1148:
1139:
1117:
1116:
1114:
1111:
1110:
1109:
1103:
1097:
1086:
1066:
1065:External links
1063:
1062:
1061:
1055:
1049:
1044:
1037:
1034:
1033:
1032:
1029:
1026:
1022:
1018:
1014:
1006:
1003:
953:
950:
927:
924:
899:
896:
894:
891:
859:
858:
857:
856:
853:
850:
844:
837:
830:
823:
797:
752:'s FM station
743:
742:Other services
740:
725:United States
708:
705:
703:
700:
649:
646:
634:
633:
627:
604:
589:
573:
544:
541:
523:, as well as
472:Main article:
469:
466:
356:
353:
352:
351:
285:
219:
189:
152:
149:
63:
60:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
1946:
1935:
1932:
1930:
1927:
1925:
1922:
1921:
1919:
1902:
1899:
1898:
1897:
1896:South America
1894:
1890:
1887:
1883:
1880:
1879:
1878:
1875:
1874:
1873:
1870:
1866:
1865:United States
1863:
1861:
1858:
1856:
1853:
1851:
1848:
1847:
1846:
1845:North America
1843:
1839:
1836:
1834:
1831:
1830:
1829:
1826:
1822:
1819:
1817:
1814:
1812:
1809:
1807:
1804:
1803:
1802:
1799:
1797:
1794:
1792:
1789:
1788:
1786:
1782:
1776:
1773:
1771:
1768:
1766:
1763:
1761:
1760:Amateur radio
1758:
1756:
1753:
1749:
1746:
1745:
1744:
1741:
1740:
1738:
1734:
1730:
1723:
1718:
1716:
1711:
1709:
1704:
1703:
1700:
1690:
1685:
1682:
1678:
1674:
1669:
1666:
1662:
1658:
1653:
1650:
1646:
1642:
1641:November 1920
1638:
1634:
1630:
1626:
1620:
1617:
1613:
1612:
1606:
1604:
1600:
1596:
1592:
1587:
1584:
1580:
1576:
1571:
1568:
1564:
1560:
1555:
1552:
1548:
1544:
1539:
1537:
1533:
1529:
1528:
1522:
1519:
1515:
1510:
1507:
1502:
1499:
1493:
1490:
1485:
1482:
1476:
1473:
1468:
1464:
1458:
1455:
1442:
1438:
1434:
1428:
1425:
1412:
1408:
1404:
1398:
1395:
1390:
1386:
1380:
1377:
1372:
1368:
1361:
1358:
1353:
1350:
1344:
1341:
1337:
1332:
1330:
1326:
1322:
1317:
1314:
1302:. 4 June 2009
1301:
1297:
1291:
1288:
1284:
1280:
1275:
1272:
1268:
1267:The Billboard
1264:
1259:
1256:
1252:
1248:
1243:
1240:
1236:
1231:
1229:
1225:
1217:
1211:
1208:
1204:
1199:
1196:
1192:
1188:
1183:
1180:
1176:
1172:
1167:
1164:
1160:
1155:
1153:
1149:
1143:
1140:
1136:
1131:
1128:
1122:
1119:
1112:
1107:
1104:
1101:
1098:
1094:
1091:
1087:
1083:
1080:
1076:
1075:
1074:
1072:
1064:
1059:
1056:
1053:
1050:
1048:
1045:
1043:
1040:
1039:
1035:
1030:
1027:
1023:
1019:
1015:
1012:
1011:
1010:
1004:
1002:
998:
996:
992:
988:
984:
980:
976:
972:
968:
964:
958:
951:
949:
945:
942:
939:
935:
933:
925:
923:
919:
915:
911:
909:
905:
898:Early history
897:
892:
890:
888:
884:
881:), and KDFW (
880:
876:
872:
868:
864:
854:
851:
848:
847:
845:
841:
840:Leisure craft
838:
834:
831:
827:
824:
821:
817:
813:
809:
805:
801:
798:
795:
791:
787:
783:
779:
775:
771:
767:
763:
759:
755:
751:
746:
745:
741:
739:
735:
731:
728:
727:amateur radio
719:
714:
706:
701:
699:
697:
693:
688:
686:
682:
678:
674:
668:
666:
662:
658:
654:
647:
645:
643:
639:
631:
628:
624:
620:
616:
612:
608:
605:
602:
597:
593:
590:
586:
581:
577:
574:
570:
567:
566:
565:
561:
559:
555:
551:
542:
540:
538:
532:
530:
526:
522:
518:
514:
510:
504:
502:
498:
494:
490:
484:
482:
475:
467:
465:
463:
458:
454:
450:
445:
443:
439:
435:
431:
425:
423:
419:
415:
411:
406:
404:
400:
396:
392:
391:weather radio
388:
384:
380:
375:
372:
361:
354:
349:
345:
341:
337:
333:
329:
325:
321:
317:
313:
309:
305:
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293:
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286:
283:
279:
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267:
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159:
158:
157:
150:
148:
146:
142:
138:
134:
130:
125:
123:
119:
114:
112:
108:
105:
104:Nielsen Audio
101:
97:
93:
85:
80:
73:
68:
61:
59:
55:
53:
49:
46:, as well as
45:
41:
37:
33:
29:
25:
21:
1864:
1684:
1676:
1668:
1660:
1652:
1624:
1619:
1610:
1594:
1586:
1578:
1570:
1562:
1554:
1546:
1526:
1521:
1509:
1492:
1475:
1466:
1457:
1445:. Retrieved
1436:
1427:
1415:. Retrieved
1406:
1397:
1388:
1379:
1370:
1360:
1343:
1316:
1304:. Retrieved
1299:
1290:
1283:Broadcasting
1282:
1274:
1266:
1258:
1250:
1242:
1210:
1198:
1190:
1182:
1174:
1166:
1142:
1121:
1068:
1008:
999:
959:
955:
946:
943:
940:
936:
929:
920:
916:
912:
901:
860:
736:
732:
724:
689:
684:
680:
676:
669:
651:
635:
630:FM Boosters:
629:
618:
614:
610:
606:
601:Low Power FM
596:Low Power TV
591:
579:
575:
568:
562:
546:
533:
505:
485:
477:
446:
426:
407:
376:
367:
287:
281:
277:
269:
261:
257:
253:
245:
221:
191:
173:
160:
154:
126:
115:
89:
56:
51:
47:
43:
39:
35:
19:
18:
1889:New Zealand
1821:Middle East
1643:issue. The
1498:47 CFR
1481:47 CFR
1371:Radio World
1349:47 CFR
1251:FM Magazine
1127:47 CFR
1090:47 CFR
1079:47 CFR
1058:Facility ID
977:(Chicago),
800:Time signal
653:Translators
515:and adding
399:time signal
256:harleston,
135:in Boston,
1924:Call signs
1918:Categories
1882:television
1796:Antarctica
1775:Spacecraft
1729:Call signs
1113:References
1073:(C.F.R.):
908:Morse code
711:See also:
683:, and K13Z
665:Morse code
383:New Mexico
364:territory.
348:myriahertz
264:arolina),
222:Locations:
1901:Argentina
1877:Australia
1755:Broadcast
1645:June 1921
1633:July 1920
1629:June 1920
1306:13 August
1047:Call sign
904:telegraph
873:), KLAX (
521:Baltimore
509:CBS Radio
464:in 2018.
1850:Barbados
1784:By place
1770:Military
1765:Maritime
1748:Airlines
1743:Aircraft
1637:May 1921
1635:through
1447:June 25,
1417:June 25,
1036:See also
543:Suffixes
288:Numbers:
161:Slogans:
122:HD Radio
1872:Oceania
1736:By type
1467:FCC.gov
1130:73.1201
1093:73.3550
889:(TV)).
879:KLAX-FM
829:Texas).
774:Don Lee
692:KMNF-LD
642:KWSV-LP
585:digital
558:KSDA-FM
554:WFOX-TV
462:WDPN-TV
438:WDAF-TV
434:WDAF-FM
414:WVUV-FM
336:WDIO-DT
328:WXXI-TV
324:KIXE-TV
316:WIVB-TV
312:WPVI-TV
300:WXXV-TV
296:WXII-TV
292:WDIV-TV
280:ittsbur
274:WPGH-TV
250:WCSC-TV
242:WRAL-TV
234:WISE-FM
226:WACO-FM
212:WWVU-FM
192:Owners:
107:ratings
96:moniker
84:KGMZ-FM
1860:Mexico
1855:Canada
1833:Russia
1828:Europe
1791:Africa
1484:97.111
1352:74.791
836:River.
790:WI2XAC
788:, and
782:WA2XPA
679:, K09Z
661:K237FR
529:Boston
525:WBZ-FM
517:WJZ-FM
501:WWL-TV
397:, and
170:WGN-TV
100:slogan
42:, and
1816:Korea
1811:Japan
1806:India
1501:2.302
1219:(PDF)
1082:2.302
1025:days.
778:W6XAO
754:W2XMN
636:Only
379:Texas
260:outh
1801:Asia
1449:2019
1419:2019
1308:2017
995:KIUL
991:KGFX
987:KFQD
983:WMBD
979:WCBM
975:WBBM
971:WTAM
967:WHAS
963:WBAP
887:KDFW
885:and
877:and
871:KSFO
820:WVBX
816:WWVH
814:and
812:WWVB
794:WIAC
786:WAPA
766:W8XO
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