Why Didn't KKDA 730 Change Call-Signs?

[AlanB]

When KKDA (730) was sold and changed formats to full-service Korean on 1/1/2013, why didn't the call sign change? If my memory serves, every TV and radio station that changed owners, whenever there was a -FM, the station sold had to change call signs. Do we know why KKDA didn't?

What I mean by that: WBAP-TV was sold and had to change to KXAS. KRLD-TV had to change to KDFW.

 

[Mediafrog+]

Call letter rules have changed since the 1970's. You can now have separately owned stations with the same call, even in different markets. Usually the original holder of the call needs to give consent, sometimes with financial consideration.

Call letters have become pretty meaningless, so in most cases the stations don't care...they are just a legal requirement, and for the most part not used in on-air branding.

 

[neosolbrudda]

I just hate that Service sold the station, but I also understand why they did it.

 

[MRD]

Call letters have become pretty meaningless, so in most cases the stations don't care...they are just a legal requirement, and for the most part not used in on-air branding.

Tell that to the owners of WBAP, KRLD (AM), KLBJ (AM & FM), KASE, KVET, WLS, the list goes on and on and on... In each of these situations, the call letters are central to each station's brand.

 

[b-turner]

These are heritage stations that have used their call letters for many decades, hardly a comparison. KKDA AM 730 did not happen until about 1972 or 1973 as "Soul Socking 73, KKDA". WBAP has been called WBAP since what, about 1930 or earlier?

 

[Huff]

These are heritage stations that have used their call letters for many decades, hardly a comparison. KKDA AM 730 did not happen until about 1972 or 1973 as "Soul Socking 73, KKDA". WBAP has been called WBAP since what, about 1930 or earlier?

WBAP's calls were assigned to it when it received its license from the Federal Radio Commission on April 26, 1922.
KKDA's calls date back to December 20, 1968 and were selected by the station's owner at the time in deference to KDKA/Pittsburgh. The station was MOR-formatted as "K-Day" until flipping to R&B on May 1, 1970.

 

[Kent]

I could’ve sworn it had changed calls, but you're right. It hadn't.

Even though the FCC stopped mandating separating the calls following a sale in the mid-to-late 80’s, contracts usually require it, at least when an AM/FM combo gets split. Not sure why that didn’t happen in this case. TEGNA even required KFMB 760/100.7 in San Diego get new calls to not match its TV station when it sold the radio operation.

 

[Mediafrog+]

According to the excellent dfwretroplex.com website, what is now KKDA 730 has this call letter history:

1957-59 KBCS
1959-60 KKSN
1960-62 KRZY
1962-69 KPCN
1969-present KKDA

BTW the KKDA-FM call has been on 104.5 since 1975, succeeding KEZT and KIXL-FM.

 

[MRD]

These are heritage stations that have used their call letters for many decades, hardly a comparison.

So, you believe that once a station's call letters have been used as part of their branding past an arbitrary amount of time, it is accurate to say that "Call letters have become pretty meaningless, so in most cases the stations don't care... and for the most part not used in on-air branding."

Your logic is illogical. If call letters are so meaningless, why is it commonplace for many stations that change branding to also change their call letters to match said branding?

 

[b-turner]

It was once commonplace for stations to change call letters with a format change but that is not typical today. Just a look at various format changes in Dallas/Fort Worth Radio demonstrates this. Most stations bury call letters in commercial breaks as part of their legal ID. Call letters for virtually all stations are meaningless now. Those listening to radio in general don't even know the call letters of the stations they listen to. They know the station by the handle they use which usually includes the dial position.

 

[MRD]

It was once commonplace for stations to change call letters with a format change but that is not typical today. Just a look at various format changes in Dallas/Fort Worth Radio demonstrates this. Most stations bury call letters in commercial breaks as part of their legal ID. Call letters for virtually all stations are meaningless now. Those listening to radio in general don't even know the call letters of the stations they listen to. They know the station by the handle they use which usually includes the dial position.

It is still commonplace today for stations to change call letters with a format change. Take a look at 97.1 in Los Angeles. They were branded as Amp 97.1 with calls KAMP. They changed branding last month to 97.1 Now with new calls KNOU.

KAMP Los Angeles Relaunches As 97.1 Now - RadioInsight

Audacy has rebranded CHR “Amp 97.1” KAMP-FM Los Angeles as “97.1 Now“. The station will continue to feature the “Live 101.5” KALV Phoenix based “Morning Mess” hosted by Joey Boy, Aneesh, Jeana and Karla from 6-10am. “B96” WBBM-FM Chicago afternoon host Julia will add midday host duties. Josh...

radioinsight.com

There are also countless examples of EMF's K-Love stations changing call letters to reflect the K-Love brand.

I will agree with you that the average listener doesn't pay much, if any, attention to call letters. My original point that continues to be missed either inadvertently or intentionally, is that call letters ARE used as part of on-air branding for many stations - heritage and new. The wholesale suggestion that they aren't is simply not true. That is my overarching point and I don't know how to make it any clearer.

 

[Huff]

One of the primary reasons stations actually change call letters now has nothing to do with listeners. Instead, it is so the stations will show up differently, or be "flagged" on the Nielsen rankers used by agencies, which will often only display call letters (there is no ratings software, Nielsen or third party, that displays the names that stations use for themselves). This alerts buyers who don't track such changes that there's been a change in the market, especially if a company is trying to shed the baggage of calls that have been less successful in the past.

 

[Gregg.]

>>>Call letters have become pretty meaningless<<<

On some stations, yes. On many stations, no. Most, but not all, FM music stations promote themselves with a moniker or handle "Kiss 106" or "97.9 The Beat." But AM stations and some FMs do promote their call sign, such as WBAP, KRLD and KERA-FM. In NYC, plenty of folks say they listen to music on WKTU, WBLS and WCBS-FM (sometimes dropping the W).

These days, the FCC allows different owners to have the same call letters. In Boston, CBS owns WBZ-TV 4, Beasley owns WBZ-FM 98.5 and iHeart owns WBZ 1030. At one time, all three were owned by CBS.

And even if a station promotes itself on-air with a handle, the call letters are used by potential advertisers. If advertising agencies and buyers want to know where Lite-FM scored in the ratings, they will need to know the actual call sign to see how WLTW stacks up against its competition. I'm sure it gets confusing if there's a Kiss or Magic in so many markets.

 

[tested]

To offer another example that answers the original question: in Nashville, legendary AM station WSM is now owned by the Grand Ole Opry while its former sister station WSM-FM is owned by Cumulus. The rules have definitely changed since the 70s.