Are stations no longer required to mention city of license after the call letters? I mean, I know people don't really care and it's not like anyone enforces the rule anyway. But still, I find it odd that a station as big as B101 just left it out when they recorded the ID they currently use. The voice over simply says "WBEB WBEB-HD2" and then another voice says "An Audacy station." If "Philadelphia" is actually in there after the calls somewhere, my hearing is much worse than I thought!
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TOH ID's
- Thread starter Miguelito
- Start date
The legal ID requires the calls followed by the community of license. There are several things that can be put in between, including the name of the licensee.
"Official station identification shall consist of the station's call letters immediately followed by the community or communities specified in its license as the station's location; Provided, That the name of the licensee, the station's frequency, the station's channel number, as stated on the station's license, and/or the station's network affiliation may be inserted between the call letters and station location."
47 CFR § 73.1201 - Station identification.
This article mentions, also, that other communities can be mentioned, but the community of license must come first.
I listened to the ID at 7pm ET on the app, and you did not mis-hear. They left out "Philadelphia".
The rule no longer requires a tight top of the hour ID. It may be placed where the station considers to be a convenient position in the hour, which may be in the stopset that runs around :45.
The rule is not enforced strictly today, and many stations try to hide the ID as they feels that it confuses the station's identity.
I was listening for 15 or 20 minutes. There was no proper legal ID aired. That was all the Christmas music I can hack for one night in November, so I'm not going to listen more 
I find it difficult to believe a programmer would air the phrase "WBEB WBEB-HD1 An Audacy Station" directly at the top of the hour, with the intention of repeating the calls with the CoL at some other point in the format wheel.
I find it difficult to believe a programmer would air the phrase "WBEB WBEB-HD1 An Audacy Station" directly at the top of the hour, with the intention of repeating the calls with the CoL at some other point in the format wheel.
I've been listening for a bit and didn't hear any id besides the WBEB WBEB HD-1 An Audacy Station about a minute ago.
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Can confirm. The legal ID they're running with the studio sponorship either has "Philadelphia" VERY quiet and buried, or they literally forgot to include it and no one caught it. Wow.
It seems you can speed up the ID without an issue. A station outside Stephenville, Texas that targeted the county was a cross between Red Dirt Country an Americana called Mandatory FM. The call letters and city of listen was so fast (all space removed between audio and speeded up) then at normal speed "Mandatory FM". I had no clue of the call letters or COL...you could not understand a thing.
Why would they want to hide the CoL when the CoL is Philadelphia? I could understand if it was the name of a random outer suburb, but there doesn't seem to be any benefit in removing the name of the city of licence when it's the city they target. They're already reading the calls, why not the city?
WHTZ have a long history of trying to say "Newark" to sound as much like "New York" as possible.
WHTZ have a long history of trying to say "Newark" to sound as much like "New York" as possible.
You pose a good question that likely can only be answered by the station itself.
On the subject of TOH IDs, I worked a station in excess of 3 years where we never aired a truly correct legal ID. They inserted "FM Stereo" between the call letters and city of license. The Call Letters have changed and that was back in the mid-80s: KTAW FM Stereo, College Station, Bryan. I got called on saying KTAW College Station Bryan, 92.1 FM Stereo. I said the ID was not 'legal' and I was told it was fine. The FCC, as far as I know, never visited and the station was never told to get the legal ID straightened out.
I knew of a FM station that got nailed for adding FM to the call letters as in KCHU FM Dallas. The FCC said that implied an AM as well and that only those FM stations with an AM with the same call letters are issued 6 letter call signs as in KCHU-FM versus KCHU. I recall that because KVIL 103.7 would ID as KVIL-FM, Highland Park. There was a KVIL AM that was KVIL Highland Park.
When I was in one town, I combined the ID with weather: "The KITE Kerrville forecast..."
On the subject of TOH IDs, I worked a station in excess of 3 years where we never aired a truly correct legal ID. They inserted "FM Stereo" between the call letters and city of license. The Call Letters have changed and that was back in the mid-80s: KTAW FM Stereo, College Station, Bryan. I got called on saying KTAW College Station Bryan, 92.1 FM Stereo. I said the ID was not 'legal' and I was told it was fine. The FCC, as far as I know, never visited and the station was never told to get the legal ID straightened out.
I knew of a FM station that got nailed for adding FM to the call letters as in KCHU FM Dallas. The FCC said that implied an AM as well and that only those FM stations with an AM with the same call letters are issued 6 letter call signs as in KCHU-FM versus KCHU. I recall that because KVIL 103.7 would ID as KVIL-FM, Highland Park. There was a KVIL AM that was KVIL Highland Park.
When I was in one town, I combined the ID with weather: "The KITE Kerrville forecast..."
I've heard airchecks (one being WRKO) in the top 40 days when they were simulcasating. "Ladies and Gentlemen, The Beat Goes On. (sung) WRKO, Boston (spoken) AM and FM. The AM was identified legally, the FM was not. For that matter, WXXX AM and FM West Podunk isn't a legal ID but plenty use it (should be WXXX, WXXX-FM, West Podunk).
Audacy legal must've been reading this forum
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