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QUICK QUESTION: KGAY???

"Well, Cox, the owners of KTVU decided to call the licensee "San Francisco-Oakland Television", and thus they announced as 'KTVU, San Francisco-Oakland Television'"

I don't remember it that way, and it wouldn't have been legal if it was the top-of-the-hour ID. Legally, stations are required to announce call letters followed by city of license. It doesn't matter what they say after that. Years ago, when they had to verbally announce the TOH, I remember them saying "KTVU, Oakland, San Francisco." That fit the legal requirements because they announced call letters, followed by city of license. I don't think it mattered legally if they followed that with "San Francisco" or "Swiss Cheese," they were following the letter of the law. I assume they said it because they wanted people to be assured that they served the entire Bay Area, and weren't some podunk station that only reported news in Oakland or the East Bay.

Nowadays, TV stations just run the TOL at the bottom of the screen. NBC 11's says "KNTV San Jose, San Francisco."

Radio stations do the same. KGO, for example announces "KGO, San Francisco, San Jose, Oakland.".
 
When I worked in San Francisco in the early 60's; KABL, licensed to Oakland, used frequent liners that said, "KABL, in the air, everywhere, over San Francisco." No mention of Oakland, except at the top of the hour.

OT: Anybody out there who remembers the '59 to '63 version of KYA (AM)?
 
Also in the 60's, any number of suburbans had a whisper ID at the top of the hour with the city of license, and every other mention, sweeper, etc. was for the bigger city. This is way before Arizona waivers, move-ins, etc.
 
" 'When I worked in San Francisco in the early 60's; KABL, licensed to Oakland, used frequent liners that said, "KABL, in the air, everywhere, over San Francisco.'"

Again, like the guy who mentioned KTVU, I think you may be confusing imaging slogans with the legally required top of the hour ID. KABL would have been required to give the legal top of the hour ID - call letters, followed by city of license. So they had to say "KABL, Oakland." At any other time, they were free to say the slogan you mentioned, or even follow that legal ID with that slogan. Similarly, KTVU might have used that slogan "San Francisco, Oakland Television." -but that was either separate from, or after the legal TOH ID.

My favorite top 40 station when I was a little kid was KRLA, licensed to Pasadena. They said something like "KRLA, Pasadena, Serving Greater Los Angeles."

This legal FCC requirement is the same reason Live 105 has to say "KITS, San Francisco" once an hour, and The Bone has to say "KSAN, San Mateo" once an hour. Both stations want to be known by their image names, not their legal call letters - that's why they often whisper it, or say it really fast. They're hoping the listeners will miss it. But nevertheless, they say it because they are legally required to.
 
Lkeller said:
" 'When I worked in San Francisco in the early 60's; KABL, licensed to Oakland, used frequent liners that said, "KABL, in the air, everywhere, over San Francisco.'"

Again, like the guy who mentioned KTVU, I think you may be confusing imaging slogans with the legally required top of the hour ID. KABL would have been required to give the legal top of the hour ID - call letters, followed by city of license. So they had to say "KABL, Oakland." At any other time, they were free to say the slogan you mentioned, or even follow that legal ID with that slogan. Similarly, KTVU might have used that slogan "San Francisco, Oakland Television." -but that was either separate from, or after the legal TOH ID.
Click to expand...

Confused? No, I'm not and never was "confused." Everybody in the business knew that what they were doing was legal, even if it was misleading.
 
I know some of us are ready to be done with this thread, but can anyone verify what I was taught way back, that with regard to a legal ID, an alternate means is to announce callsign + ownership? I used the example earlier, "KTVU, Cox Broadcasting Incorporated" as an alternate. Not that mentioning ownership is really as nice as sounding local by mentioning the city of license, but I was told it is allowed. Does the FCC have a handy pocket book on the subject?
 
"Confused? No, I'm not and never was 'confused.' "

Sorry, NewsVet - didn't mean to be pompous about it. It just comes naturally...

As long as we're still on the subject, as a radio-nerd kid, my favorite top-of-the-hour ID was Wolfman Jack's XERB in the 60s. Apparently the Mexican government required even more information than the FCC:

Spanish language announcer: "Equis -eh-erre-be, Rosarita, Baja California."

American announcer (speaking through huge reverb): "The Big X! The Mighty 1090 - Over Los Angeles."
 
It's on their website; google it. Yes, the licensee name can be inserted between the two. I hear FM stations IDing their HD signals, ie "KLSX, KLSX-HD Los Angeles" and wonder if this is the proper method with the new subchannels.
 
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