• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

Do call letters still have meaning?

WATR - WATeRbury, CT.

WBIS - BrIStol, CT. (defunct) Later WBIS was used on Channel 31 in NYC and they aired BusIneSs programming. And later on a Business Radio station in the DC area.

WLAT - New Britain, CT. - Spanish CHR station. calls were once on 1230 in Manchester and was known as LATino 1230. (They're sister stations now).

WHCN Hartford, CT. - Once was Classical and known as Hartford's Concert Network. Today they run Classic Hits of the 70s, 80s, and 90s.

WPRX Bristol, CT - Puerto Rican eXcellence.

WNTY Southington, CT - station is on Nine NineTY. Previous owner of the station had a cat for a mascot named WiNTY.

WXCT Southington, CT (call sign used by 990 from 03-2016). Station at one time was known as "eXaCT Radio, 990 The X." - That one was a pain in the a** One day I got asked to board op the traffic reports during Dr. Laura and I had to say this "It's Exactly 3:33 and it's time to take a look at your Exact Traffic with Danielle Lane on Exact Radio 990 The X."

WXCT Hamden, CT. (Old call sign. Was once airing Spanish Language Programming as "La X".

WDRC Hartford, CT - Doolittle Radio Corporation. One of the original owners of the station.

And there are others
 
MarcB said:
WATR - WATeRbury, CT.

WBIS - BrIStol, CT. (defunct) Later WBIS was used on Channel 31 in NYC and they aired BusIneSs programming. And later on a Business Radio station in the DC area.

WLAT - New Britain, CT. - Spanish CHR station. calls were once on 1230 in Manchester and was known as LATino 1230. (They're sister stations now).

WHCN Hartford, CT. - Once was Classical and known as Hartford's Concert Network. Today they run Classic Hits of the 70s, 80s, and 90s.

WPRX Bristol, CT - Puerto Rican eXcellence.

WNTY Southington, CT - station is on Nine NineTY. Previous owner of the station had a cat for a mascot named WiNTY.

WXCT Southington, CT (call sign used by 990 from 03-2016). Station at one time was known as "eXaCT Radio, 990 The X." - That one was a pain in the a** One day I got asked to board op the traffic reports during Dr. Laura and I had to say this "It's Exactly 3:33 and it's time to take a look at your Exact Traffic with Danielle Lane on Exact Radio 990 The X."

WXCT Hamden, CT. (Old call sign. Was once airing Spanish Language Programming as "La X".

WDRC Hartford, CT - Doolittle Radio Corporation. One of the original owners of the station.

And there are others
Click to expand...
I thought this thread was about call letters that still have meaning today. Who listens to WDRC today and thinks "Doolittle Radio Corporation" or to WHCN and thinks "Hartford Concert Network"? And defunct stations? Please!
 
WCCC Hartford, CT S C)olor, C)larity and C)ut, was owned by Savitt Jewelers

When they went hard rock they were referred to as Connecticut's Concert Connection.
 
CTListener said:
I thought this thread was about call letters that still have meaning today. Who listens to WDRC today and thinks "Doolittle Radio Corporation" or to WHCN and thinks "Hartford Concert Network"? And defunct stations? Please!
Click to expand...
Honestly I never knew DRC meant Doolittle Radio. I doubt many know what any call letters are referencing.
 
WJZ-TV originally meant New Jersey when ABC started its TV Operations. Also note WJZ-AM was originally Westinghouse in New Jersey before ABC made a move to take the WABC-TV and WABC-AM call letters after CBS gave up on the WABC call letters for the now Audacy owned stations WCBS-AM, WCBS-FM and Viacom O&O WCBS-TV.

* WCBS-TV's previous call letters were actually WCBW at sign on in 1941.

** WABC and KABC call letters were used on ABC Owned Properties in the 1953-1954 timeframe.

WABC under CBS ownership was named after its former owner Atlantic Broadcasting and KABC in San Antonio was named after its former owner Alamo Broadcasting before ABC moved the call letters to Los Angeles Radio and TV outlets.

WJZ-TV was later reused by Westinghouse for their Baltimore affiliate now ViacomCBS owned station.
 
DavidEduardo said:
It is interesting to note that

LAX is the Los Angeles International Airport and also an FM station in LA. I believe there are a number of stations with the last three letters of the calls the same as the airport abbreviation.
Click to expand...
WPTI in Greensboro NC and WRDU Raleigh NC. The original WRDU had the letters starting in the mid-80s but changed its letters sometime after switching to talk, so another station took over not only the letters but the format.
 
DavidEduardo said:
Although, outside of the mandated legal ID, a station can give itself any call letters it wants. Clear Channel used "WFLA" on several AMs in Florida, at least for a while. There was nothing that prevented that.
Click to expand...
WMXC Charlotte NC tried calling itself WMIX. I don't recall whether they got in trouble. These days the letters are WKQC.
 
How 'bout when a station tried to tie the call letters to the frequency....(2) I remember ( before the digital dial days)...K-101 in SF had call letters KIOI....Here in Fresno K-104 had KIOY...If you bent the 'Y' slightly it resembled a 'open 4'
 
KDND Sacramento was named based on a brand called "The End" when Entercom (now known as Audacy) was on 107.9FM.

KLLC San Francisco is named Alice

KRTH Los Angeles last 3 letters are pronounced earth.

KSOL San Francisco Sol is the Spanish word for sun. Note KSOL San Francisco had another meaning at one point to mean soul R&B.

1190 KNBA-AM Vallejo originally meant Covers North Bay Area when the station was under local ownership.

KNBA - Homepage

KNBA is Native-owned and -operated with the goals of highlighting Indigenous voices and music.
www.knba.org

Currently the KNBA call letters are for an Alaskan NPR Affiliate.

95.3 KUIC-FM Vacaville/Fairfield, CA stands for Suisun City.

KDVS Davis stands for Davis,CA

KZCT-FM Vallejo stands for Ozcat Radio.

KPCC-FM Los Angeles is named after their previous owner Pasadena City College. Note KPCC Los Angeles is currently owned by American Public Media.
 
radio 208 said:
How 'bout when a station tried to tie the call letters to the frequency....(2) I remember ( before the digital dial days)...K-101 in SF had call letters KIOI....Here in Fresno K-104 had KIOY...If you bent the 'Y' slightly it resembled a 'open 4'
Click to expand...
Yes KIIS Los Angeles was named after their former frequency 1150 AM. It's a station where the dial is referenced in the call letters. On the TV side KXTV Sacramento the X stands for 10 and WPVI Philadelphia the VI stands for channel 6.


KIII-TV stands for Channel 3 in Texas.
WDIV stands for Channel 4 Detroit.
 
RadioPatrol said:
Yes KIIS Los Angeles was named after their former frequency 1150 AM. It's a station where the dial is referenced in the call letters. On the TV side KXTV Sacramento the X stands for 10 and WPVI Philadelphia the VI stands for channel 6.
Click to expand...

WLVI Boston is Channel 56. WTEN Albany is Channel 10. KAIT Jonesboro, Arkansas, is Channel 8 for folks whose spelling is shaky.

One of 104.1's previous incarnations here in the Hartford market was WIOF. A one, a zero, and an F for four.
 
I don't know if I posted this before but WDAF in Kansas City, MO, but their callsign which was given to the former AM station sequentially was given the meaning "Why Dial Any Further" & KMBC's (Also in Kansas City, MO.) callsign stood for Midland Broadcasting Company which owned the AM (& later the TV.) station from 1928 to 1961.
 
RadioPatrol said:
KIII-TV stands for Channel 3 in Texas.
WDIV stands for Channel 4 Detroit.
Click to expand...
Winston-Salem NC has two TV stations which use their analog/virtual channel number. WXII is Channel 12, and WXLV is Channel 45. Neither call letters are the originals.

In the same market, WLXI was on Channel 61 but for some odd reason its virtual channel is 43, which was its digital channel.
 
radio 208 said:
How 'bout when a station tried to tie the call letters to the frequency....(2) I remember ( before the digital dial days)...K-101 in SF had call letters KIOI....Here in Fresno K-104 had KIOY...If you bent the 'Y' slightly it resembled a 'open 4'
Click to expand...
WIOI is on 1010 AM in New Boston, OH.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom