• 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

"Parking" Call Signs

E

eacalhoun1

I didn't want to hijack the WBMX thread, so here's my question...

Can someone explain how "parking calls" works? What does the station do with it's "real" callsign while it's being used to park another station's calls? I mean, a station cannot have 2 sets of callsigns. Understand my question?
 
It's all about competitive strategy. In this case, CBS is taking WBCN off the air in Boston, but with 40+ years of heritage behind the callsign, not to mention the plans to keep running a "WBCN" rock format on an HD2 channel of one of CBS' other Boston FMs, they don't want to simply release the WBCN call letters for fear that a competitor will grab them and start a new "WBCN." (They probably also want to leave themselves the option of returning the WBCN calls to Boston in the future.)

And since CBS owns hundreds of radio stations, including some fairly insignificant little AMs, they "park" the WBCN calls on one of those insignificant little AM signals, the theory being that nobody in Charlotte much cares whether 1660 is "WFNA" or "WBMX" or "WBCN" - and as long as the WBCN calls stay in use, nobody else can grab them.
 
Since we are already on the topic of parking call letters, here's another question. What's the strategic reason for the "double parking" situation in Charlotte--switching WFNA in Charlotte to WBMX temporarily, and THEN settling on WBCN? I gather that this is to protect the WBMX call letters for Boston as part of the same process, but aren't the WBMX calls moving to 104.1 at the exact same time they leave 98.5 there?
 
It's a matter of extreme caution on CBS' part - since the FCC doesn't allow you to file for call swaps involving three stations, this way they can make the swaps at leisure without having to worry about losing either the WBMX or WBCN calls along the way.

Here's how I think it ends up playing out:

1. WFNA Charlotte to WBMX (and WBMX(FM) to WBMX-FM in Boston)
2. WBMX-FM Boston becomes WBZ-FM (with the "WBMX" base calls still safely parked in Charlotte)
3. WBCN(FM) Boston and WBMX Charlotte swap calls

Presto - neither the WBMX nor WBCN calls ever get released, and WBCN ends up safely parked in Charlotte at the end.
 
Scott Fybush said:
It's a matter of extreme caution on CBS' part - since the FCC doesn't allow you to file for call swaps involving three stations, this way they can make the swaps at leisure without having to worry about losing either the WBMX or WBCN calls along the way.

Here's how I think it ends up playing out:

1. WFNA Charlotte to WBMX (and WBMX(FM) to WBMX-FM in Boston)
2. WBMX-FM Boston becomes WBZ-FM (with the "WBMX" base calls still safely parked in Charlotte)
3. WBCN(FM) Boston and WBMX Charlotte swap calls

Presto - neither the WBMX nor WBCN calls ever get released, and WBCN ends up safely parked in Charlotte at the end.
Click to expand...

What happens to the "WFNA" calls? The Charlotte station will eventually want those back, right? Are they now "out there" for someone to snatch up?
 
Callsigns don't matter these days with the PPM. In New York, 92.3 NOW FM is still WXRK, it could have changed its calls to WNOW or something similar if it wanted to.
 
Nick is right. Call signs don't mean anything, for the most part. I mean CBS sent the WNEW call letters on a tropical vacation to Florida several years ago when they flipped 102.7 to WWFS, but the station down in Florida is still B-106 or whatever the devil their moniker is.

The only recent exception to the the call letters don't mean anything theory is the recent relaunch of Alternative Rock Radio 104.1 in the Hartford Market. They're branding the station as both "Radio 104.1" and "Radio 104.1 WMRQ".
 
eacalhoun1 said:
Scott Fybush said:
It's a matter of extreme caution on CBS' part - since the FCC doesn't allow you to file for call swaps involving three stations, this way they can make the swaps at leisure without having to worry about losing either the WBMX or WBCN calls along the way.

Here's how I think it ends up playing out:

1. WFNA Charlotte to WBMX (and WBMX(FM) to WBMX-FM in Boston)
2. WBMX-FM Boston becomes WBZ-FM (with the "WBMX" base calls still safely parked in Charlotte)
3. WBCN(FM) Boston and WBMX Charlotte swap calls

Presto - neither the WBMX nor WBCN calls ever get released, and WBCN ends up safely parked in Charlotte at the end.
Click to expand...

What happens to the "WFNA" calls? The Charlotte station will eventually want those back, right? Are they now "out there" for someone to snatch up?
Click to expand...

As of this writing, they're "out there". Go here:
http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/callsign/prod/mainch.pl
and put in the "WFNA" calls...

I would guess they really don't care if someone else snaps up WFNA.
 
Am in Boston area and I noticed on radio-locator that there are already two other stations in area with call letters that used to be in Boston: WLYT (was 92.5, Haverhill MA) and WKKT (was on 100.7, Boston). Add WBMX and that will
soon shift to WBCN.
 
The WBCN call letters are tired of all the snow in Boston, looks like they'll stay permanently in Charlotte.
 
MarcB said:
CBS sent the WNEW call letters on a tropical vacation to Florida several years ago when they flipped 102.7 to WWFS...
Click to expand...

Actually, the joke is that CBS sent to WNEW call letters into "retirement"...
 
w9wi said:
As of this writing, they're "out there". Go here:
http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/callsign/prod/mainch.pl
and put in the "WFNA" calls...

I would guess they really don't care if someone else snaps up WFNA.
Click to expand...

I remember back when CBS promoted The Franchise as both WFNZ and WFNA. When did they stop stressing the calls on 1660 on-air? I'd have to imagine that happened before this "calls-changing-hands" stunt...
 
Nick said:
Callsigns don't matter these days with the PPM. In New York, 92.3 NOW FM is still WXRK, it could have changed its calls to WNOW or something similar if it wanted to.
Click to expand...
Definitely not WNOW since Ciento Cinco Punta Tres has them.

Although they haven't meant anything since WNOW-AM dropped Contemporary Christian music a while back. They might sell the letters.
 
I know this will never happen, but if CBS really wanted to go out on a lark, they could park the WBCN calls on 104.7 and then all my old "104 WBCN" swag from back in the day would be in vogue all the sudden....well sort of... :D
 
The danimal said:
I know this will never happen, but if CBS really wanted to go out on a lark, they could park the WBCN calls on 104.7 and then all my old "104 WBCN" swag from back in the day would be in vogue all the sudden....well sort of... :D
Click to expand...

You never know. All the time I was there we figured that CBS might change the format. Anything is possible!
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom