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Call Letter Consideration

joebtsflk1 said:
may have confused that for US Coast Guard, which does register ships with K and W calls
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You may be confusing the hull designation of Coast Guard cutters (they all begin with a 'W') with their international call sign (which all begin with an 'N' AFAIK). I have never run across any ship of the U.S. Navy or Coast Guard with a 'K' call.
 
A good way to pass the time when you're stuck in traffic is to make call letters out of the license plates on all the other cars. Most states have plates with 3 letters -- just put a K or W in front of them. For an added bonus, you might be able to spot one with a number combination that's an AM or FM frequency.

Once in a while, you may stumble upon one that actually is a station in your area. But to find one that's an actual station's call letters and frequency... now that would be worth taking a picture of.
 
EZway2go said:
A good way to pass the time when you're stuck in traffic is to make call letters out of the license plates on all the other cars. Most states have plates with 3 letters -- just put a K or W in front of them. For an added bonus, you might be able to spot one with a number combination that's an AM or FM frequency.

Once in a while, you may stumble upon one that actually is a station in your area. But to find one that's an actual station's call letters and frequency... now that would be worth taking a picture of.
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Do I get to punch my sister in the arm when I find one? ;D
 
landtuna said:
joebtsflk1 said:
may have confused that for US Coast Guard, which does register ships with K and W calls
Click to expand...

You may be confusing the hull designation of Coast Guard cutters (they all begin with a 'W') with their international call sign (which all begin with an 'N' AFAIK). I have never run across any ship of the U.S. Navy or Coast Guard with a 'K' call.
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I believe merchant ships use "K" still....One historical fact was the KING call letters. As the story goes, Dorothy Bullitt wanted them, but was told they were "unavailable".

She wasn't the only one - EVERYBODY since the dawn of broadcasting wanted the KING call letters. But got stonewalled with the same answer. The big chauvinist radio guys of that time all laughed at her. What could a woman know about our game?

But unlike everybody else, Dorothy Bullitt was a woman who knew how to get things done and not one to take "no" for an answer.

She asked WHY they weren't available. It turned out they were registered to a merchant vessel called the S.S. Watertown. Well, she contacted the captain of the Watertown and made him a princely cash offer. He really wasn't interested in that. But he didn't mind letting go of the KING call letters either - to him, they were nothing more than a bunch of Morse Code dots and dashes anyway. He just asked for a case of rum and a donation to his church.

That was all.

And suddenly, the old boys weren't laughing anymore......
 
jfrancispastirchak said:
Bongwater said:
History is filled with nightmare call signs.

The WORST letter to say of all is "W". What I'd like to know are the most UNPRONOUNCEABLE sets you've ever heard...
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WWSW, Pittsburgh
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Or WUWU. Say THAT 10 times fast! ;)
 
EZway2go said:
A good way to pass the time when you're stuck in traffic is to make call letters out of the license plates on all the other cars. Most states have plates with 3 letters -- just put a K or W in front of them. For an added bonus, you might be able to spot one with a number combination that's an AM or FM frequency.

Once in a while, you may stumble upon one that actually is a station in your area. But to find one that's an actual station's call letters and frequency... now that would be worth taking a picture of.
Click to expand...

No local station on the air that matches these license plate letters, but I should add the license plates are made right here in town at the state prison... nnn-FKR. This series is assigned to pickup trucks, and have TRK in little vertical letters on the far left of the plate. ( I think the inmates made sure that series would stay here in town.)

So, whenever I spot one, I slug my wife and say "FKR TRK!"
 
1st station I worked was in 1972 at KTLW in Texas City (just south of Houston on AM 920). Those were difficult. The next station was KIOX 1270 in Bay City, Texas. I found that one to be difficult, too. But, not like KTLW. Now, I'm at KNTH in Houston. after 8 years, i'm used to it. However, in the beginning it was difficult when I arrived here in 2004.


 
N1WVQ said:
The worst I've heard of is WUVU. The worst I can imagine are WSXS & KSXS.
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Redding California had a KSXO, which they called "K-Six-O" - it was 600 AM. Naturally, I always thought of the obvious.
 
In the early 1980s, The Mesquite Schools District in Mesquite, TX originally considered applying for the call letters KMES, that is until they realized the potential for K-MESS jokes.

R
 
Examples of GOOD callsigns here in Denver

KIMN Originally assigned to AM 950 back in the 1950s who used them to become one of THE GREATEST Top 40 stations ever. Now, they're on FM 100.3 as Mix 100

KOSI Heritage call for 101.1 (Always pronounced as Cozy 101 although when the station had the Beautiful Music/MOR format, the talent would sometimes use 101.1 Today, not so much so although the jocks will occasionally use 101.1 too)

KUSA Self-explainatory - United States Of America

KMJI Used by 100.3 as Majic 100 after its KLIR days

KLIR Speaking of KLIR, 100.3 was known as KLIR 100 (Pronounced as Clear) & had a Beautiful Music/MOR format like KOSI did)

KPKE The original "Peak" station at 95.7 (Now Top 40/CHR KPTT Party 95.7)

KXPK The current "Peak" station at 96.5 (Now a Mexican station using the same call)

KDEN Was an All-News Radio station on 1340 back in the day. Now the Telemundo O&O in Denver

KNUS Call originated on an FM station in Dallas, TX by Gordon McClendon (Also owner of KLIF-AM) before moving to Talker AM 710 in Denver (Where it sits today even after a long hiatus off the air back in the 1990s)

Examples of BAD callsigns in Denver

KRXY Known as Y108 even though it was really 107.5 playing Top 40/CHR & digital displays on FM Radios have never gone beyond 107.9 (The station is now KQKS & still (Supposedly) playing Top 40/CHR music)

KQKS Just the calls are bad for ANYTHING but a KISS format. Station started out as a Top 40/CHR on 104.3 (Now on 107.5 still with the same format)

KUVO Worst call I've seen yet. No idea why this call even exists

KTLK What puts this one on the list is it's more widely known in Denver as the call of a DISCO station on 1280 (Spent time on 760 as a Talker. Now KTLK-AM is a Clear Channel station in Los Angeles while KTLK-FM was a station in Minneapolis, MN)

KMGH Why on earth McGraw Hill dropped the heritage KLZ call in favor of this, I have no clue

Those are the ones I can think of.....

Cheers & 73 ;D
 
Another bad call.... KQZY Dallas (early 1990s I think) on a reimaged Beautiful Music format... "queezy" :p

R
 
Pat Cook said:
KMGH Why on earth McGraw Hill dropped the heritage KLZ call in favor of this, I have no clue
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Can't imagine why they'd want to do that. ;D

Besides, the radio station kept the KLZ call letters. In 1972, two stations couldn't have the same "base" callsign unless they were co-owned. That changed by 1987, when WMAQ radio was sold by NBC to Westinghouse and "rented" those call letters to them. If the old rules had been in effect, AM 670 would have kept the WMAQ call letters and NBC would have had to return Channel 5 to its pre-1964 WNBQ calls (or something else that was not WMAQ-TV).
 
I'll nominate one of mine. KSWW. The original owner thought it would be good to represent Southwest Washington.
Thank God we only use them when required.
 
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