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Meanings behind Mississippi call letters

>OK. Here's one to think about:

>WKNZ/Collins. Your initial reaction will be "KNZ? Collins, right?" Well, not quite.

>Anyone? Anyone?

I can help with this one since my brother Larry and I put that station on the air.

If I remember correctly KNZ doesn't really stand for anything. We looked at WCOL but I
think it was taken.
Really we just wanted some cool call letters like those in major market stations
and Z was just getting used at some stations and we thought it sounded nice.
First we came up with WKZN but I think that was taken so KNZ was just a variation on that.
We copied KIOI (K101) in San Francisco and called it K-101.
But after a while somebody turned us in and we got a C&D letter so we changed it
to 101-KNZ.

Here's one. 1510 WLAC Nashville = "LIFE AND CASUALTY INSURANCE COMPANY OF TENNESSEE"

Mike Blakeney
 
More questions than answers:

WVMI was supposedly "Voice of MIssissippi"

WCRV? Sure it's not a Mississippi station but it does cover half the state! It was previously WMSO I think.

WALT in Meridian?

WCPC Houston?

WTWG Columus - owned by T & W Communications...

WNIX Greenville?

WROB Starkville?

WHOC Philadelphia?

WLPX Water Valley? It's now a Supertalk station but apparently was gospel, as their old website is still up. Didn't Water Valley also have an AM at one time?

Then going back to city names, there's WONA AM/FM in Winona.


*** And WTYJ in Fayette. Thank You Jefferson County? ;)
 
WLPX was owned by myself in the beginning, and it was gospel...no meaning.
WTYJ...When my attorney called and told me the permit had been issued, I immediately called my partner with the good news...He excitedly said "Thank You Jesus!"...I responded..."You just named it" and WTYJ was born...
 
> But after a while somebody turned us in and we got a C&D letter

Well, you know, Mike... they don't own that mark (I checked). The attorney either doesn't understand basic trademark law, or was just doing what lawyers do -- talkin' big talk.

But, that was a long time ago.

DE
 
Oooh, I got two...

WROB Starkville?

WHOC Philadelphia?
Click to expand...

... and they are both named after their respective founder.

WROB -- actually in West Point, thank you -- was started by Bob "Robert" McRaney, while WHOC was started by Howard Cole.

I met Mr. Cole several years ago, and was told the story of how he hired a very-young Charles Evers to DJ an afternoon show in the very building in which we were visiting -- IIRC the studio equipment is still there. Later, I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Evers at his own station (WMPR), and he confirmed the story. Both were and are consummate gentlemen.
 
WCRV is in Collierville, so it sort of resembles that; but being a Bott station, I go with "Christian Radio Voice". As an aside, I produce a show that runs there 11:30 Saturday night and 11:30 Sunday morning called "You Have Hope"... Matter of fact, I am mixing one down even as I type.
 
Here's another one for you:

WFOR / Hattiesburg = FORREST County

And while I'm not certain, I believe that

WHER / Hattiesburg = Hattiesburg's Easy Radio
 
WDSK Cleveland was Delta State Kollege (somebody couldn't spell)

WDTL Cleveland was a dyslexic spelling of "Deta" (had been WDLT in a previous life)

WROX Clarksdale was part of the Birney Imes empire that included WMOX in Meridian. I guess he liked OX call signs.

LF
 
It's been done. WROX-FM is in the Norfolk, VA market. A previous owner of WROX accepted money (I don't know how much) for granting permission to do it. If you know somebody who wants to use WROX-TV, have them call me ;-)

LF
 
WBFN (now dark) Quitman - One of the original owners and engineer (A. C. Elliott) was a Amateur radio guy who's call sign was and still is k5BFN.
 
For those of you who remember Holt Broadcasting, here's what folks said back in the 70's.

WHNY was Where Holt Needs You (Holt's smallest market, McComb)
WHSY was Where Holt Screws You (Holt's home office in Hattiesburg)
WHHY was Where Holt Has You (Holt's biggest marekt in Montgomery, AL)

Those were the days!!
 
If you're a serious student of Charles Holt's broadcasting empire, two other chapters could be filled in ... WHXY Bogalusa was sold early-on; its calls fit that WHHY WHNY WHSY pattern. Starting around 1961, there was another one ... WSIM 1270 Mobile (licensed to Prichard), a 1 kw daytimer beautiful music station (Wonderful Sound in Music/Mobile) . It had minimal ratings. According to a classmate who worked there, it was also unprofitable, but Holt's mother lived in Mobile, and he sustained the station for some years because she listened to it all day long.
 
Here’s a bit of WSTZ call letter trivia. STZ was originally slated to be “Star-106.” I preferred “Z,” but looking back, “Star” probably would have worked just fine.

In choosing between the two (“Star” or “Z”) they had produced several spec “Star-106" logos (a couple said “Starz-106” and “Stars-106”). . .they all looked nice. As decision day drew near we did not have a “Z” that I liked until one day when the receptionist at an agency pulled out her lipstick and slashed “Z” across a napkin. Because the napkin was embossed the Z came across jagged (and stayed Jagged for a number of years). . . .her ”Z” went direct from napkin to finality. The “Z” started out as a very bright (Miami Vice) hot pink and changed colors over the years.

In the bonus trivia dept. . . prior to WSTZ, 106.7 was WKYV, a Vicksburg move-in that actually operated in Jackson for several months as a country station. However, at that time, Jackson was a “one book” market and WKYV never had the chance to compete in an Arbitron sweep.
 
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