reply to questions on Radio Call signals

To clear up alot of misconseptions on this topic I will refer you to a
very good web site that will clear up alot of questions. Go to
http://earlyradiohistory.us/3myst.htm and it will answer alot of your
questions.
    Thanks,
     Marc



From: Raoul ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
Subject: radio stations 
 
  
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Newsgroups: misc.facts.straight-dope
Date: 1999/05/22 
 

Stupid question but why do are all US radio stations called 'K
something something something'?

--
Raoul
And this week's nomination for The Greatest Movie Never Made is...
Men in Beige
Message 2 in thread 
From: Megaera26 ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
Subject: Re: radio stations 
 
  
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Date: 1999/05/22 
 

>
>Stupid question but why do are all US radio stations called 'K
>something something something'?

Not all of them. The ones here (which is east of the Mississippi)
start with W.
There's some article Cecil wrote about it which you'll have to go look
up
yourself if you really want it because I don't feel like it right now.

Jessica

*********
If fairies dance among the stars and laugh, so will I.
If the music of a thousand harps sings through my being, so will I.
If the angels cry crystal tears onto Earth, so will I.
*********
Message 3 in thread 
From: Seanette Blaylock ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
Subject: Re: radio stations 
 
  
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Date: 1999/05/23 
 

On Sat, 22 May 1999 21:53:09 +0100, "Raoul"
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>Stupid question but why do are all US radio stations called 'K
>something something something'?

Not all of them are. Radio and TV stations west of the Mississippi
River use call signs [three or four letter strings, usually rather
meaningless] beginning with K, while stations east of the Mississippi
get call signs beginning with W.
Seanette Blaylock
Reply to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[make obvious correction]
Message 4 in thread 
From: John Kodis ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
Subject: Re: radio stations 
 
  
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Date: 1999/05/23 
 

Previously, Raoul wrote:

>Stupid question but why do are all US radio stations called 'K
>something something something'?

It's so that you know what country issued the station's license.
There's an international body, the IRU -- International Radio Union,
IIRC, that assigns callsign prefixes to countries.  The US is allowed
to assign station licences with callsigns beginning with K, W, N, A,
and perhaps a few other letters.  Canada gets C, Japan gets J, and so
on.

-- John Kodis.
Message 5 in thread 
From: Eric Bear Albrecht ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
Subject: Re: radio stations 
 
  
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Date: 1999/05/23 
 

John Kodis <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

> Previously, Raoul wrote:
> 
> >Stupid question but why do are all US radio stations called 'K
> >something something something'?
> 
> It's so that you know what country issued the station's license.
> There's an international body, the IRU -- International Radio Union,
> IIRC, that assigns callsign prefixes to countries.  The US is allowed
> to assign station licences with callsigns beginning with K, W, N, A,
> and perhaps a few other letters.  Canada gets C, Japan gets J, and so
> on.

The US has all of K, W, and N, and only AA through AL.  Short wave
stations can have their pick from any group, and there is one with
the call sign "NDXE"  (In Dixie).  

The organization is nowadays called the ITU, Int'l Telecommunications
Union, headquartered in Geneva.

Stations that had their call letters before the east-west thing
was drawn up have kept them.  KDKA was the first commercial
radio station, and it's in Pittsburgh.  

In the early days of radio the War Department handled licensing;
that's probably where the W came from.  A is for Army, N for Navy.
I suppose K stands for Koast Guard; C was not available.

Canada has some of the C's and some of the V's; the latter are
distributed amongst various parts of the former British Empire.
V probably came from Queen Victoria.  

There are other C's, like Cuba has CM and CO.  
-- 
Eric Bear Albrecht -- Box 6040 -- Taos, New Mexico 87571 --
505-758-0579
"One word sums up probably the responsibility of any vice president,
and
that one word is 'to be prepared'."
- Vice President Dan Quayle, 12/6/89

Message 6 in thread 
From: Goffs California ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
Subject: Re: radio stations 
 
  
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Newsgroups: misc.facts.straight-dope
Date: 1999/05/23 
 

>Subject: radio stations
>From: "Raoul" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>Date: 5/22/99 1:53 PM MST 
>Stupid question but why do are all US radio stations called 'K
>something something something'?

Never been east, I see.

I disremember why, now, but long long ago the government decided to
give
stations east of the Mississippi call letters beginning with W and
those west
of the river call letters beginning with K.  It's not uniform - for
instance
there's a big station in Dallas with the call letters WBAP.

                            Robert McKay
                       AOL - Goffs California
               E-mail - [EMAIL PROTECTED]
                     I'm with Stupid.    ------->
Message 7 in thread 
From: Raoul ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
Subject: Re: radio stations 
 
  
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Newsgroups: misc.facts.straight-dope
Date: 1999/05/23 
 

Goffs California wrote in message
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>...
>>Subject: radio stations
>>From: "Raoul" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>>Date: 5/22/99 1:53 PM MST 
>>Stupid question but why do are all US radio stations called 'K
>>something something something'?
>
>Never been east, I see.
>(snip)

I'm further east than you think.  I live on the west coast of
Scotland.  Thanks for the info, people.

--
Raoul
And this week's nomination for The Greatest Movie Never Made is...
Men in Beige     (or was that last week's?)
Message 8 in thread 
From: Mike Koenecke ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
Subject: Re: radio stations 
 
  
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Newsgroups: misc.facts.straight-dope
Date: 1999/05/23 
 

On or about 23 May 1999 17:41:57 GMT, [EMAIL PROTECTED]
(Goffs California) allegedly wrote:

>>Subject: radio stations
>>From: "Raoul" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>>Date: 5/22/99 1:53 PM MST 
>>Stupid question but why do are all US radio stations called 'K
>>something something something'?
>
>Never been east, I see.
>
>I disremember why, now, but long long ago the government decided to
give
>stations east of the Mississippi call letters beginning with W and
those west
>of the river call letters beginning with K.  It's not uniform - for
instance
>there's a big station in Dallas with the call letters WBAP.

We also have WRR (FM classical station). Really obscure trivia: WBAP
stands for the really lame "We Bring A Program."
---
Mike Koenecke
to reply, change "nowhere" to "cyberramp"
Message 9 in thread 
From: Mike Koenecke ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
Subject: Re: radio stations 
 
  
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Newsgroups: misc.facts.straight-dope
Date: 1999/05/24 
 

On or about Mon, 24 May 1999 00:09:25 GMT, "Thomas H. White"
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> allegedly wrote:

>Mike Koenecke <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in article 
>>Really obscure trivia: WBAP stands for the really lame
>"We Bring A Program."
>
>The station incorrectly claims that they were assigned
>WBAP to stand for this slogan, but actually the call came
>first, and the slogan was merely invented to match the call.

I stand corrected. I heard that origin story on WBAP.
>
>WBAP was first licensed in April, 1922, when the Department of
>Commerce happened to be handing out WBA- calls to new stations, 
>in alphabetical order on a first-come-first-served basis. 
>Please see: http://www.ipass.net/~whitetho/pion622l.htm
>for more info. 

---
Mike Koenecke
to reply, change "nowhere" to "cyberramp"
Message 10 in thread 
From: REW1782 ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
Subject: Re: radio stations 
 
  
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Date: 1999/05/24 
 

>WBAP was first licensed in April, 1922, when the Department of
>>Commerce happened to be handing out WBA- calls to new stations, 
>>in alphabetical order on a first-come-first-served basis. 
>>Please see: http://www.ipass.net/~whitetho/pion622l.htm
>>for more info. 
>

Hmm, then was WGN (World's Greatest News) also a matter of chance or
did Mr.
McCormick and the Chicago Tribune have friends in the DOC?