Legal ID in a foreign language

[MarcB]

What is everyone's opinion on LEGAL ID's done in a foreign language? BOMBA-FM the Hispanic Music station in Connecticut just cut a new legal ID that is entirely in Spanish.

WMRQ HD2/HD4 Waterbury
WBMW HD4 Pawcatuck
W253BQ Meriden
W283BS Bridgeport
W246CC Bolton
W258AL Clinton
W283BW New London
WSPR 1490 AM in Springfield (yeah I know that's not legal, but that's how it's ID'd. Their translator is not mentioned).

"97.1, 98.5, 99.5, 104.5 BOMBA-FM".

 

[davideduardo]

What is everyone's opinion on LEGAL ID's done in a foreign language? BOMBA-FM the Hispanic Music station in Connecticut just cut a new legal ID that is entirely in Spanish.

WMRQ HD2/HD4 Waterbury
WBMW HD4 Pawcatuck
W253BQ Meriden
W283BS Bridgeport
W246CC Bolton
W258AL Clinton
W283BW New London
WSPR 1490 AM in Springfield (yeah I know that's not legal, but that's how it's ID'd. Their translator is not mentioned).

"97.1, 98.5, 99.5, 104.5 BOMBA-FM".

There is no prohibition of doing the ID in Spanish. In Puerto Rico, USA, IDs have been done in either language going back to 1922.

There is a movement to get EAS tests and even activations in at least Spanish and perhaps other languages, according to the region of the country served.

 

[frankberry]

"WSPR 1490 AM in Springfield (yeah I know that's not legal, but that's how it's ID'd. Their translator is not mentioned)."

Actually, that is a legal ID. There was a time when the COL had to follow the call letters with nothing in between. That rule no longer applies.

 

[atthestars]

"WSPR 1490 AM in Springfield (yeah I know that's not legal, but that's how it's ID'd. Their translator is not mentioned)."

Actually, that is a legal ID. There was a time when the COL had to follow the call letters with nothing in between. That rule no longer applies.

Curious... when did that change? As a lad in college in the early aughts... we had it drilled into our heads... the legal ID HAD to be WXYZ, City. I know with the addition of HD and translators, rules have relaxed, but I wasn't sure when.

Thanks!

 

[frankberry]

I believe the rules changed in the late 80's. This is the current rule:

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 or the station’s frequency or channel number, or both, as stated on the station’s license may be inserted between the call letters and station location. No other insertion is permissible.

 

[atthestars]

I believe the rules changed in the late 80's. This is the current rule:

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 or the station’s frequency or channel number, or both, as stated on the station’s license may be inserted between the call letters and station location. No other insertion is permissible.

Gotcha. Thanks!

 

[MarcB]

WSPR is licensed to West Springfield now. (WSPR was once on 1270 licensed to Springfield. They swapped calls, formats, and frequencies with their Oldies sister station in 2016). And I didn't think they could say the word "in".

 

[vchimpanzee]

There is a movement to get EAS tests and even activations in at least Spanish and perhaps other languages, according to the region of the country served.

Until I can find where else we are talking about EAS, I just heard "This is a test of the Emergency Broadcast System. This is only a test" and then what I assume was the rest of the message (but not the tone) was running at the same time as a commercial were running at once and one of them stopped.

 

[davideduardo]

WSPR is licensed to West Springfield now. (WSPR was once on 1270 licensed to Springfield. They swapped calls, formats, and frequencies with their Oldies sister station in 2016). And I didn't think they could say the word "in".

I don't think the commission will find any fault in adding "in". I have heard the parent of the actual licensee used in IDs also, and I'd guess that preserves the spirit of the law, too.

An iHeart example would be to identify stations that are technically livened to one of many subsidiaries, such as Citicasters, as "An iHeart radio station",

 

[semoochie]

I believe the rules changed in the late 80's. This is the current rule:

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 or the station’s frequency or channel number, or both, as stated on the station’s license may be inserted between the call letters and station location. No other insertion is permissible.

Frank, that's what he just said! "In" is not "the name of the licensee, the frequency or channel number or both" "In" wasn't mentioned as an exception to the rule and is therefore not permissible. I would say that this is the same rule that either came about or began to be enforced in the 1960s. Stations used to say things like "K---, the voice of the lone prairie in -------. KISN used to say "This is KISN, serving the great Oregon territory from Vancouver" until the rule change when it became "This is KISN Vancouver, serving the great Oregon territory".