Is WHYY-FM legal ID correct?

[MikefromDelaware]

I believe WHYY-FM isn't doing their legal ID correctly, but I'm not totally sure.

Since WHYY-FM has acquired those former NJN radio stations, their legal ID goes something like this, This is WHYY-FM Philadelphia, and WNJZ-FM, 90.3, Cape May Court House, WNJM-FM, 89.9, Manahawkin, WNJN-FM, 89.7, Atlantic City, WNJB-FM, 89.3, Bridgeton, and WNJS-FM, 88.1, Berlin. Shouldn't each station be calls/COL no frequency between. It could be 90.3 NJNZ, Cape May Court House, etc, etc.

 

[fybush]

Frequency is always a permissible insertion between calls and city of license, and it's a required insertion for "satellite" stations. Since the former NJN stations are being operated as satellites of WHYY (no local main studio), they are required under the letter of 47CFR73.1201 to include the frequency.

 

[OldNumber7]

This has always been part of the rules (note when they say channel number, they are referring to official assignments that most people don't know, e.g. 88.1 FM is "channel 201".)

Between the call letters and its community, the station may insert the name of the licensee, the station’s channel number, and/or its frequency.

so this is a legal id, though never heard in this format: "WXXX-FM, Acme Communications Limited, Channel 201, 88.1, Anytown."

 

[tom]

The ID is partially wrong and illegal.

The frequency between call letters and city of license is perfectly legal.

What is illegal and wrong is WNJZ is NOT WNJZ-FM and
WNJM is NOT WNJM-FM ... adding FM changes the callsign incorrectly.

 

[BrotherBrian]

I remember when the Westinghouse stations inserted their corporate identity between calls and COL. "KDKA, Group W Westinghouse Broadcasting, Pittsburgh" ... "WBZ, Group W Westinghouse Broadcasting, Boston" ... etc...

 

[deepstblu]

The ID is partially wrong and illegal.

The frequency between call letters and city of license is perfectly legal.

What is illegal and wrong is WNJZ is NOT WNJZ-FM and
WNJM is NOT WNJM-FM ... adding FM changes the callsign incorrectly.

I just checked, and they in fact do not use the -FM tags on the two stations in question during the legal ID, so they are in compliance. Which is more than NJN could ever say--they had -FM tags on some of their stations for years and never used them in the IDs.

 

[tom]

I remember when the Westinghouse stations inserted their corporate identity between calls and COL. "KDKA, Group W Westinghouse Broadcasting, Pittsburgh" ... "WBZ, Group W Westinghouse Broadcasting, Boston" ... etc...

That's also OK according to the rules.

 

[tom]

The ID is partially wrong and illegal.

The frequency between call letters and city of license is perfectly legal.

What is illegal and wrong is WNJZ is NOT WNJZ-FM and
WNJM is NOT WNJM-FM ... adding FM changes the callsign incorrectly.

I just checked, and they in fact do not use the -FM tags on the two stations in question during the legal ID, so they are in compliance. Which is more than NJN could ever say--they had -FM tags on some of their stations for years and never used them in the IDs.

I think when they do it live (as opposed to the recorded one you heard and I just heard) they have the
-FM added.

Now all they have to do is learn to pronounce the letter "W" .... their production guy is the worst ...
"tonight at 6 on dubba-yew-H-Y-Y" ugh

 

[MikefromDelaware]

So I guess what you're saying is the only time you'd add AM,FM,or TV to the call is if the calls are used on more than one station, as is the case with WHYY, both FM/TV, but WJBR is only an FM so FM isn't needed and is actually wrong to put in the legal ID. So This is 90.9 WHYY-FM Philladelphia is correct, but this is 99.5 WJBR-FM Wilmington would be wrong, it should be this is 99.5 WJBR Wilmington. So WIP could do as their legal id, this is WIP-FM and AM Philadelphia and that would be OK. Thanks for the clarification.

I had been taught when I first started out working part time in radio 30+ years ago that the only legal ID was calls/COL. You could add anything you wanted on either side, but the calls/COL had to be together like "Delaware's most popular station is 99.5 WJBR Wilmington". Apparently that has changed over the years. Thanks for the update.

 

[WCAUTVNBC10]

Keep in mind too AM doesn't get a suffix period. If there are multiple uses of the calls, the AM station will go unsuffixed. So in WIP's case their ID would read 610 WIP Philadelphia on the AM side and 94.1 WIP-FM Philadelphia side.

I just read something somewhere that TV stations that don't share their calls with radio stations have the option to use the -TV suffix or not as long as they clear it with the FCC and they can change back and forth whenever. Case and point WCAU after being bought by NBC dropped its -TV from its legal ID but just last year readopted it.

 

[tom]

So This is 90.9 WHYY-FM Philladelphia is correct, but this is 99.5 WJBR-FM Wilmington would be wrong, it should be this is 99.5 WJBR Wilmington.

WJBR-FM is correct, for some reason WJBR-FM is the official callsign, according to the FCC database.

 

[DanStrassberg]

So This is 90.9 WHYY-FM Philladelphia is correct, but this is 99.5 WJBR-FM Wilmington would be wrong, it should be this is 99.5 WJBR Wilmington.

WJBR-FM is correct, for some reason WJBR-FM is the official callsign, according to the FCC database.

I think you will find that WJBR-FM is far from unique. FM stations were, at the owner's option, granted calls with the -FM suffix long before it became legal for FMs to share calls with AMs in the same or different communities/markets that were or were not co-owned. AFAIK, the same is true for TV calls with the -TV suffix.

 

[Play Freebird]

WJBR-FM is correct, for some reason WJBR-FM is the official callsign, according to the FCC database.

1290 AM in Wilmington was formerly assigned the WJBR callsign, so during that period the -FM suffix was necessary on 99.5 -- and I guess nobody thought to get rid of it when the AM changed to WWTX.

 

[amfmsw]

Sometimes a standalone will have the suffix attached. When starting at new station, I would always grab the 'book' and look at the license to read the actual calls. In one Central Pennsylvania case, the owner told me 'no need for the "-FM". I refered him the license. His calls were WWMC-FM for 'Modern Country". But there was an religious AM signal with WWMC for "Win Men to Christ" in the South. He had all the liners recut immediately.

And while I don't recall KYW radio inserting ownership between calls and COL, it was part of the ID anchor. (This is Newsradio 1060, KYW Philadelphia. A Westinghouse Broadcasting Station, serving Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware from Independence Mall (in AM Stereo)...well, something like that) However, Metromedia Stations DID insert ownership. "610 WIP, Metromedia Radio in Philadephia"

 

[aindik]

I think the two AM sports station in Philadelphia now fall into this satellite station rule. I think both stations are complying with it by putting the frequency in the legal ID.

IIRC, WIP IDs as:
WIP-FM, WIP-FM-HD 1 Philadelphia, 610 WIP Philadelphia

IIRC, WPEN IDs as:
Ninety Seven Five The Fanatic is WPEN-FM Burlington, also heard on ESPN 950 WPEN Philadelphia

 

[pab]

And while I don't recall KYW radio inserting ownership between calls and COL, it was part of the ID anchor. (This is Newsradio 1060, KYW Philadelphia. A Westinghouse Broadcasting Station, serving Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware from Independence Mall (in AM Stereo)...well, something like that) However, Metromedia Stations DID insert ownership. "610 WIP, Metromedia Radio in Philadephia"

There was a period, after Infinity took over the station in one of the great CBS/Group W reshufflings and renamings, when the legal ID was recut to "this is Newsradio, KYW 1060, an Infinity Broadcasting Station, in Philadelphia." I think they changed it to its current arrangement after a short period because the "in" technically made it an illegal legal.

 

[WCAUTVNBC10]

I think the two AM sports station in Philadelphia now fall into this satellite station rule. I think both stations are complying with it by putting the frequency in the legal ID.

IIRC, WIP IDs as:
WIP-FM, WIP-FM-HD 1 Philadelphia, 610 WIP Philadelphia

IIRC, WPEN IDs as:
Ninety Seven Five The Fanatic is WPEN-FM Burlington, also heard on ESPN 950 WPEN Philadelphia

Actually WIP actually puts the AM ID before the HD ID

 

[MikefromDelaware]

I thank you all for clarifying the issue. There are some fine points to it that aren't obvious. Thanks.

 

[deepstblu]

So I guess what you're saying is the only time you'd add AM,FM,or TV to the call is if the calls are used on more than one station, as is the case with WHYY, both FM/TV, but WJBR is only an FM so FM isn't needed and is actually wrong to put in the legal ID. So This is 90.9 WHYY-FM Philladelphia is correct, but this is 99.5 WJBR-FM Wilmington would be wrong, it should be this is 99.5 WJBR Wilmington.

Not exactly. You're allowed to have the -FM or -TV suffix on a call sign even if there is no duplication, and WJBR does; on the FCC records they are officially WJBR-FM:

http://transition.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/fmq?list=0&facid=14374

When the WJBR calls were used on 1290 AM it would have been necessary for 99.5 to use the -FM suffix. When 1290 changed call letters 99.5 could have gone back to being simply WJBR at any time, but apparently they have never filed the paperwork to do so and the FCC does not automatically make the change.

 

[MoldaMania182]

What gets really confusing is HD ID's, and I'm not talking sub-channels. Granted the rules aren't that specific but the wide array many stations ID is certainly complex. Some ignore, some give calls HD, some calls HD1, some frequency HD...half of these can't be right.