Call letters that changed, for better or worse

[jd]

It's happened to a lot of us: a familiar station (maybe one of your favorites, let's say), for whatever convoluted reason, changed call letters. It happened last month, last year or ten years ago, but somehow you never accepted it. Seriously, you never got used to the new moniker.

For me, the best example here in Texas is KLIF Dallas. The once "Mighty 1190" had its call letters sent down to 570, where they remain today. Meanwhile, 1190 is on its TENTH set of calls since 1990, and is currently brokered/classic country KFXR. I still associate KLIF with 1190. (Oh, and let me rephrase: the KLIF calls languish on 570 to this day.)

What station(s) switched call letters and your mind is still stuck in pre-flip mode, or the change doesn't seem to make sense to you? Or maybe you have specific details about why the switch was made. Let's hear it!

 

[RadioDaze]

In the Raleigh-Durham market, formerly Rocky Mount-licensed oldies station WTRG 100.7, after a 2004 format flip to AAA, changed their call letters to WRVA-FM to reflect the station's new imaging as "100.7 The River". I've always associated those call letters with AM 1140 up the road in Richmond, VA.

On the AM, 850 was the legendary Top 40, and later country, WKIX from 1959-1994, when those letters swapped with their then-FM sister station on 96.1, the former WYLT, one of several stops (96.9/Goldsboro, 102.3/Goldsboro, 97.7/Kinston-Walnut Creek, 102.9/Raleigh (still there with an "-FM" suffix)the call letters would make before returning to AM 850 in 2010.

In Durham, after nearly 52 years, heritage black gospel WSRC 1410 AM--call letters Durham artist Ernie Barnes even included in his famous "Sugar Shack" piece prominently featured on the '70s sitcom "Good Times"-became WRJD after acquired by Davidson Media Group. I worked here nearly three years and can attest from personal experience that lots of listeners and potential advertisers were more familiar with the old letters--fo better or worse.

 

[chrish]

The original WMEX 1510 Boston, for Pat Whitleys ego to WITS. Station lost identity and never recovered....then doomed to what must be a near record of calls thereafter second only to the WCOP 1150's final death. One of the biggest disasters is splitup of radio-tv combos. TV call letter are of minimal importance compared to radio and can survive quite well on their channel dial position especially network outlets. Listeners become confused after the radio stations identity of 50-60 years of service suddenly vanishes overnight. IE: WJAR 920 and WJAR-TV Channel 10, took 920 many many years to make a half assed recovery as WHJJ
Few people say I watch the news on WHDH-TV, they just say I watched the news on channel 7.

 

[fmradio1]

A few years back a small AM in Fitchburg, MA changed it's call letters from WEIM (which were the original calls for well over 50 years) to WPKZ to match it's new "Pulse" moniker. Just recently they had a station anniversary event, touting the many years of service of 1280 WPKZ (formerly WEIM) to the community. If people there still know it as WEIM after all this time (and its a fairly small city) just change the call letters back. Stupid.

 

[Time Traveler]

A few years back a small AM in Fitchburg, MA changed it's call letters from WEIM (which were the original calls for well over 50 years) to WPKZ to match it's new "Pulse" moniker. Just recently they had a station anniversary event, touting the many years of service of 1280 WPKZ (formerly WEIM) to the community. If people there still know it as WEIM after all this time (and its a fairly small city) just change the call letters back. Stupid.

WEIM was an awesome small market Top 40/Rock station during the late 60s and early 70's. A lot of people grew up with that station in that market....and the call letter change was just plain stupid. However...not having the present mediocre programming associated with those call letters has some advantage too....I guess...

 

[Time Traveler]

The original WMEX 1510 Boston, for Pat Whitleys ego to WITS. Station lost identity and never recovered....then doomed to what must be a near record of calls thereafter second only to the WCOP 1150's final death. One of the biggest disasters is splitup of radio-tv combos. TV call letter are of minimal importance compared to radio and can survive quite well on their channel dial position especially network outlets. Listeners become confused after the radio stations identity of 50-60 years of service suddenly vanishes overnight. IE: WJAR 920 and WJAR-TV Channel 10, took 920 many many years to make a half assed recovery as WHJJ
Few people say I watch the news on WHDH-TV, they just say I watched the news on channel 7.

Removing WMEX from 1510 was absolutely stupid too...

 

[KeyTimes950]

Where do I begin? Pittsburgh market ...

WCAE (from its start)-WRYT (when it went to beautiful music)-WTAE (matching then-TV sibling Channel 4)-WEAE (ESPN)-WDDZ (Radio Disney).

McKeesport's WMCK-WPQR-WMCK-WIXZ (through several formats and ownership changes)-WPTT-WMNY-Next callsign pending after flip from business talk to news-talk.

WDUQ to WESA. End of an era for jazz fans (unless you cough up $50 for an HD radio) with a callsign that itself was legendary in Charleroi. I don't remember what old WESA-AM is now, except that it's some version of Froggy.

(Of course, WESA's carriage of the BBC overnight does a lot to make up for the flip.)

I miss WEEP as a callsign, too. Now WWNL on AM (Wilkins, religion), WDSY on FM (CBS, country).

 

[jh]

In Omaha, WOW 590. The station had those calls for decades. WOW-FM was on 94.1 Both stations at this point were country, although the AM was a legendary top 40 in the 70s, and full-service MOR before that.

Then in 1999, the Milwaukee Journal bought the stations. After about six months, they decided to flip the AM to standards, and with the new format changed WOW to KOMJ. They called the station "Magic 590" and only used KOMJ for the legal ID. If they had kept the WOW calls with the standards format, they probably would have moved to 1490 in 2005 where the format moved. 590 today is KXSP with sports.

The FM wasn't doing well with country, so the Journal started messing with the format. In 2000, they dumped the WOW-FM calls for KSSO "Kiss Country." Clear Channel threatened the sue over using "Kiss" so after a few months, it became KMXM "Max Country" before flipping the station to CHR in 2002 with KQCH, actually the calls and format moved from 97.7.

 

[michael hagerty]

I'd go with the legendary KMPC, Los Angeles. It had those calls from 1930 until 1997, when they decided to try an all-female talk format, "The Zone", and changed calls to KTZN.

The format lasted less than a year, and the station (owned by Disney/ABC), flipped to Radio Disney as KDIS, and then in 2003 went all-sports as KSPN (reflecting its ESPN affiliation).

But...KMPC had a run as an all-sports station, too (1992-1994), and for more than 30 years prior to that, had a huge sports presence...including being the flagship station for Angels baseball (the team and the station were owned by Gene Autry). And the Angels are now on KSPN. So the KMPC calls would still have some historical connection.

But...when the flip was made to KTZN, a station in Abilene, Texas grabbed the KMPC calls. And three years later, when 1540 in Los Angeles decided to go all sports (three years ahead of KSPN), they bought the calls from that station. So KMPC is on the air in Los Angeles...but now is all-Korean.

Should've kept 'em on 710.

 

[michael hagerty]

As kind of a PS...the KMPC situation sticks in my mind because, for the most part, Los Angeles hangs on to its call letters.

KLAC, KFI, KABC, KFWB, KTNQ, KNX, KCBS-FM, KTWV, KLOS, KRTH, KIIS-FM, KOST, KBIG, KKGO, KPWR, KROQ and KLVE have all had their calls more than 20 years (in some cases, it's close to 80). KHJ (which traded to KRTH-AM and then KKHJ) has had its original calls back for more than a decade. They've made them work through multiple formats.

 

[trusty]

Heard at the water fountain in a hallway a few years ago in Cincinnati:

"We're gonna swap the WSAI and WCKY call letters."

"For heaven's sake ... WHY?"

"I dunno. I guess so we can swap 'em back in a couple of years."

"?????????????"

"Hey, I'm just KIDDING! You know we would never mess with those heritage calls."

8)

 

[jd]

Made about as much sense as swapping Kansas City's WHB and KCMO, for whatever reason back in '98. If someone can explain that one, we'd like to hear it.

 

[chrish]

If you want to get really depressed go to the Seattle board and read the recent sordid call letter history of KING, during the early 80's I visited a friend who was the CE of that once proud station, still have the pictures of a KING ferry cruise event up to Victoria he took me on....so sad it breaks my heart.

 

[firepoint525]

In Clarksville, Tennessee, WDXN was the call letters for "the big 54" (as they were known for many years) from the time they went on the air in 1954, until sometime in the early 2000s, when they (briefly) became part of the "JOY" network of CCM stations. Their call letters were some variation of WJOY or WJOI, or Qs in place of the Os. I just don't remember. (Other area "JOY" network stations carried the other call-letter variations.) They are now WKFN, the sports fan, at AM 540. The WDXN call letters were somewhat of a heritage, since they and other Tennessee and Mississippi stations whose calls all started with WDX- (with only the last letter being different) were all part of the Dixie Network of stations back in the '50s. Not sure, but WDXN may have even been the flagship station of the Dixie Network. But the "Dixie Network" is all but forgotten now. And of course, the current call letters are now only heard at the top of the hour in the legal ID.

One small station that lost their original call letters, but fortunately got them back, is WFUL in Fulton, KY. They were WFUL from the time they first came on the air until they went dark sometime in the '80s, returning to the air as WKZT, the initials of a former owner. They reverted back to WFUL in 2004. (WKZT is also the call letters of one of the Kentucky educational TV stations. Not sure whether or not that was a factor in the return to the WFUL calls.)

 

[Kent]

Made about as much sense as swapping Kansas City's WHB and KCMO, for whatever reason back in '98. If someone can explain that one, we'd like to hear it.

Here's why that happened. WHB 710 was owned by Kanza, Inc., who bought the station from Apollo Broadcasting with the intention of providing a stronger compliment to their KMZU 100.7. They had no interest in covering Kansas City; they actually wanted to cover the rural counties around Kansas City, especially north to the Iowa state line and east toward Columbia. They simply bought WHB because Apollo wanted to get rid of it and was willing to sell it on the cheap.

After Entercom swapped for KCMO AM/FM, they wanted a stronger signal, especially in the wealthy KC suburbs in Johnson County, KS, at night. They approached Kanza with the idea of swapping 810 for 710 because Kanza didn't care about nighttime listening on WHB, and 810's daytime signal is stronger in the rural Missouri area outside of KC than 710, which has a diamond pattern and can't be heard in areas north of St. Joseph, like Rock Port and Tarkio.

 

[MarcB]

Some stations never change call signs even with these vastly different formats. And some change call signs with every format change. See below with these two examples from the Hartford, Connecticut Market. Then I share 2 stories of 2 other stations with longtime call letters that changed them. One that is a success. The other one that is not.

In Hartford, Connecticut WZMX 93.7 flipped formats seemingly every couple years since they were built from the old WLVH Super 94 in 1991, until they became a success with Hip-Hop in 2001, but they always kept the same call letters.

1991-1994 Hot AC - MIX 93.7
1994-1998 Classic Hits/Classic Rock - 93.7 The 70s Station.
1998-2000 - They made a lame attempt to take on all stations in Hartford playing Rock & Roll. (Playing everything from Oldies - taking on DRC-FM, Classic Rock - taking on WHCN, Modern and Active Rock - talking on both Radio 104 and WCCC). Their name was 93-7 The Point (nicknamed The Pointless)
2000-2001 - Jammin' Oldies. "Dancin' Oldies Z-93.7"
2001-Present - Hip-Hop "HOT 93.7"

Meanwhile every 104.1 FM (licensed to Waterbury, Connecticut) has gotten new calls with nearly every format change.

Mid 1970s WWCO-FM Simulcast of WWCO (AM).
1977ish-1979 Country WIOF
1979-1991 Soft Rock Magic 104 WIOF
July1991-October 1994 Hot AC Star 104.1 WYSR
October 1994-September 2003 Modern Rock Radio 104 WMRQ (I believe they remained WYSR until January 95)
September 2003-October 2007 Hip-Hop Power 104.1 WPHH
October 2007-May 2009 - Automated Rock Music (owned by the Aloha Trust) "FM 104.1" WURH.
May 2009-Present Modern Rock Radio 104.1 WMRQ (Radio 104 and the WMRQ calls returned to 104.1 FM after being sold to the independently owned Red Wolf Broadcasting in 2009).


In the city of Middletown, Connecticut little 1150AM was WCNX from their sign-on in 1946 until 1996 when they became WMRD. WCNX was pretty much a throw-away station from the 80s until the Mid-90s. Several attempts to sell the station during that time period fell through, until Don DeCesare (formerly of CBS Radio in NYC) bought the station. Soon he also bought WLIS in Old Saybrook and have teamed the 2 stations up with an eccentric format. The local morning host plays music. They have local talk host Phil Mikin (10AM-11AM), national Talkers including Stephanie Miller, Dennis Miller, The Duke & Doctor, Lou Dobbs, John Batchelor, and Red Eye Radio), a local Newscast with inserts from Channel 8 at Noon, local shows at 12:30PM (and repeated at 6:30). The weekends feature a wide-variety of specialty shows including: The House of Blues with Dan Akroyd, Celtic Programming, Italian Programming, Jewish Programming, Polka Programing, Caribbean Programming, Breakfast with The Beatles and Rock & Roll's Greatest Hits with Dick Bartley. See their schedule: http://wliswmrd.net/progamming.htm It's really too bad they don't stream. They are a really interesting station.

In Southington, Connecticut AM 990 was WNTY from the time they signed on in 1969 until 2003. The General Manager at the time said the WNTY call sign was damaged goods as the station had been through numerous format changes over the years. (AC, Spanish Tropical, Hip-Hop, Talk) He changed the calls to WXCT. "XaCT. Radio 990 The X. Yes spelled without the "E"). "News, Weather, Sports, Traffic Xactly when you want it on Xact Radio 990 The X". Ironically now the WXCT call sign is damaged goods. In May 2004 new owners (under an LMA with Anda Productions) flipped the station to Spanish AC. SuperMax 990 (yeah they actually named the station after a prison) In July 2005 they terminated Anda Productions LMA and flipped the station to Spanish Tropical "POWER 990". (Programmed in house rather than through an LMA). - They had the nerve to use the branding "POWER 990" despite the fact Clear Channel was using the name POWER at 104.1 FM. In October 2005 they went rehired the former 990 The X GM and they went talk. "X Radio 990. Talk Radio for Women". In 2006 The GM signed a 2 year TBA (similar to an LMA). The station changed to TalkRadio 990. Unable to make enough money and find a partner, the owner of the station terminated the TBA and in May 2007 the station went Spanish Christian under a new LMA with Radio Cantico Nuevo. If someone buys this station again, I believe they should bring back the WNTY calls. Enough time has passed that those call letters are no longer damaged goods. I don't know if the station can be rebuilt or not, however.

 

[Les Stock]

In 1985 or '86, KKKX, licensed to Ottawa, Kansas, became KHUM. Not sure which set of calls was worse.

 

[LKellerIII]

In 1985 or '86, KKKX, licensed to Ottawa, Kansas, became KHUM. Not sure which set of calls was worse.

Along those same lines, about 20 years ago, 99.7 FM in San Francisco was briefly KXXX to fit their new brand - "X-100." Perhaps I have a dirty mind, but the triple-X always denoted pornography to me.

They also had a problem with the brand - this was well after the world had changed to digital radio dials, and it reportedly confused listeners who couldn't find the station at '100'
FM. The station had IDed as "99.7" for years prior to that.

After about a year, they required the DJs to say "99 point 7, X-100," but that sounded kind of lame to me.

 

[carrington]

In 1985 or '86, KKKX, licensed to Ottawa, Kansas, became KHUM. Not sure which set of calls was worse.

"You want Fifty Minutes of Music Every Hour with More Variety, Less Talk and Fewer Commercials? Why not get yourself an mp3 player and get sixty minutes of music every hour with even more variety, no talk, and no commercials."

VERY funny!

 

[carrington]

In the Raleigh-Durham market, formerly Rocky Mount-licensed oldies station WTRG 100.7, after a 2004 format flip to AAA, changed their call letters to WRVA-FM to reflect the station's new imaging as "100.7 The River". I've always associated those call letters with AM 1140 up the road in Richmond, VA.

And now, the WTRG calls are on First Media's oldies station (97.9 "The Great 98") licensed to Gaston, North Carolina, northeast of Raleigh.