Time Pips on the Hour

[dxer2_2000]

Hi all

When did this tradition start & is it still used extensively in the U.S ???

Here is Oz, very few (if any) FMs use them. Mainly on AMs. And even then, mainly on the ABC stations - Commercial AMs are using them less & less.

dxer2_2000

 

[Ultimajock]

When did this tradition start & is it still used extensively in the U.S ???

...rarely used nowadays in the States, perhaps only on CBS Radio (leading into their top-of-the-hour news) and local heritage stations like WGN Chicago. It was very common in the '40s (I have a 1940s WMCA New York aircheck of a Charlie Parker jazz broadcast from Birdland wherein the top-of-the-hour tone appeared in the middle of a tune)...

 

[FredRichards]

Speaking of time pips, does anyone know what WJR uses to make the time tone at the top of the hour? I heard it was some sort of digital device.

 

[FatPunkBastard]

WHAS still does it

 

[trusty]

WHAS still does it

Same with WSB.

 

[TimmyWA]

I recall years ago in Seattle, When 96.5 changed from rocker KXRX to Young Country KYCW, they had bell tolls for their TOH, it would bong once per hour. You can imagine when it neared noon and midnight, that bell would seem to ring and ring for ages. Sounded original though, just seemed to interrupt the flow if it was 11 or 12.

-Timmy

 

[calguy]

KFWB in Los Angeles is still using a top of hour time tone. CBS always used a piano note as I recall and I believe they still may, just haven't listened to CBS network radio news in so long I can't remember.

 

[Ultimajock]

...in the really old days, radio stations would have their announcers strike a tubular bell; Arthur Godfrey does it throughout his morning disc jockey show on the WJSV Washington 9/21/39 Complete Broadcasting Day transcription collection, and the utility announcers at KFI Los Angeles do that on the Jack Benny West Coast airchecks from the '30s...

 

[DToTheJ]

WOR in New York still does it, I believe.

 

[pqgeorge]

WOR in New York still does it, I believe.

WBZ/1030 in Boston still has a time pip on the hour. And the granddaddy of them all WTIC/1080 in Hartford, CT still has the "V" time signal on the top of the hour. That is a throwback to the 1940's when "V" was for victory (in World War II). 62 years later, it's still a signature sound of WTIC.

 

[flwfg]

WFLA - 970 Tampa Bay still uses a time tone @ the top of the hour also...I think the only one in the market though...

 

[8638]

WOR in New York still does it, I believe.

WBZ/1030 in Boston still has a time pip on the hour. And the granddaddy of them all WTIC/1080 in Hartford, CT still has the "V" time signal on the top of the hour. That is a throwback to the 1940's when "V" was for victory (in World War II). 62 years later, it's still a signature sound of WTIC.

All classic voices in radio. Guys like David Eduardo probably think this unnecessary, but I like it. Gives me pause to check the watch for accuracy. And, I like the legal ID at the TOH, not 10 before or 5 after. I know the rules allow that latitude, but it belongs at the top of the hour, with calls and COL stated in order, without any crap in between.

 

[oldiesfan6479]

Unless the station jury-rigs the time tone to "play" early on their
board output so it's the actual TOH when heard on the air, it can
be anywhere from seven seconds late (typical language delay) to
sixteen seconds late (language delay + ICRAP delay) in real time.

IIRC, KSL-FM Midvale/KSL Salt Lake City does that exact thing
with the Temple Square gong--they use a recorded gong and
drop it in at :00, even though they hit the network x-number
of seconds late due to the delays.

 

[bub]

And the granddaddy of them all WTIC/1080 in Hartford, CT still has the "V" time signal on the top of the hour. That is a throwback to the 1940's when "V" was for victory (in World War II). 62 years later, it's still a signature sound of WTIC.

The WTIC time pip is also on this website:

http://www.wticalumni.com

As mentioned in another post, CBS still uses a time pip. AP Radio News does one. I remember the old time pip on Mutual.

 

[Number_Six]

I remember when WCBS had a top of the hour announcement that went something like this (not sure when, but I think it was at least 25 years ago):

"Set your time to WCBS. Four tones will follow. The fourth and final tone is the top of the hour."

Now they just have a single "bong" at the top of the hour before the top-of-the-hour news. I'd imagine that most all-news stations in North America have some kind of top-of-the-hour tone; I can't speak for the rest of the world (although BBC World Service of course has the beeps: a number of short beeps indicating the hour (in GMT) and a longer tone exactly at the top-of-the-hour).

 

[anotherguyTN]

ALong that line, I can remember Mutual radio news having what could best described as sounding like a cricket chirp. What was it actually?

 

[hammondo]

The "chirp" was the breakaway signal for local stations. You could cut the net there. The "BWEE_DOOP" was an automation tone to cutaway by automation.

BWEE-DOOP

 

[jcolletta275]

WWTN in Nashville uses a tone at the TOH. They're an FM talker.

 

[DG02816]

KYW 1060 here in Philadelphia still does TOH/BOH time tones. They're running IBOC, though, and and instead of being right at the TOH, it's :09 late!

Dave Gardiner

WVCH 740/WNWR 1540

Philadelphia

 

[MikefromDelaware]

by: hammondo
Insert Quote
The "chirp" was the breakaway signal for local stations. You could cut the net there. The "BWEE_DOOP" was an automation tone to cutaway by automation.


Westwood One still uses that tone.