WFAA's Call Letters

[JayDavis]

Never been in the business, but I do have a question about the call letters for WFAA.

I know that every station east of the Mississippi has call letters that begin with the letter, W.

All stations west of the Mississippi has call letters that begin with the letter, K.

How in the world did WFAA get a W for their first letter of their call sign? If I recall, the only other station west of the Mississippi
with a W for their first letter are/is a station (radio or TV??) down in Waco and I can partially see that.

Thanks!

 

[Gridlock Joe]

WFAA (AM) got its call letters before the current system of dividing the nation at the Mississippi came into effect. At that time, the 100th meridian was the approximate dividing line.

 

[newsmark]

Some stations pre-date all rules. WRR. WBAP. KDKA in Pittsburgh. Channel 4 in San Antonio was allowed to go BACK to WOAI a few years ago, since Clear Channel already owned WOAI Radio in San Antonio and bought Channel 4.

 

[texas_prwriter]

Is there any significance to the "K" and the "W" and why the East got "W"? I know Mexican stations have "X" as their first letter and Canadian stations "C." Just interesting trivia, in case I'm ever on Jeopardy.

 

[TXNews]

I believe the station you are referring to is WACO-FM, which is also one of only two stations in the United States where the call letters spell out the name of the city of license (the other station is WARE-AM in Ware, Massachusetts).

 

[CW]

Is there any significance to the "K" and the "W" and why the East got "W"? I know Mexican stations have "X" as their first letter and Canadian stations "C." Just interesting trivia, in case I'm ever on Jeopardy.

ALL Radio callsigns are internationally agreed upon. The US has AA-AZ, WA-WZ, KA-KZ, K, W, N, NA-NZ and I think one other prefix assigned to it. Canada has C, VE and Mexico has X, XE, and a couple of other prefixes. US amateur radio stations use all these prefixes in various versions, planes are assigned Nxxxx calls, and radio stations were originally assigned Wxxx and Kxxx calls..either 3 or 4 letter calls.

In the 1940, the 3 letter calls were dropped and only 4 letter calls were given (The older stations still have 3 letter calls like WRR, WLS, KOA, KEX, etc.) Later on, to divide the stations up, the MISS river was chosen as the dividing line. So stations east have a W call and those west of a K calls...any station that is opposite that (KDKA, WLS, WACO, WRR, etc. etc.) were licensed before the final assignment change...(except KHJ which got its OLD 3 letter call back in the 90s after being KKHJ for years...they used an argument about the KK being slang in Spanish for deficating....that was a load of sh**....
They just wanted to get the old KHJ call back on the AM....and the FCC allowed it.

 

[Tim-In-Houston]

Additional information: Originally, W/K transition zone ran from the Texas/New Mexico border northward, following (roughly) state borders to the Canadian border. All stations east of thise line were alloted the "W"- call signs (I've also heard that it was the 100 W Longitude line, which runs from the Canadian border through middle North Dakota south to just west of Laredo, TX on the Mexican Border) while all areas west were alloted the "K" calls.

Here's a good radio explanation since, originally, the rules were made and applied to early radio.

In 1923, the Federal Radio Commission (forerunner to today's FCC) moved the transition line to the Mississippi River (approximately the 90 W longitude line). All stations already in operation in the zone between the Mississippi River and the old transition line were allowed to keep their original calls, while all stations licensed after this date were to follow the new directive.

When television premiered, the same rules applied; however, an existing AM-station that founded a television partner was granted the use of the radio calls for television (hence, WBAP-TV, which is now KXAS-Dallas). Once one or both of the licenses were sold off, the stations were generally made to come into compliance with the new directive, so WBAP transitioned to KXAS sometime in the 70s (anyone know for sure when their call signs changed?). A few exceptions were made, especially for heritage radio calls (WOAI, WBAP, etc) but a few television calls as well.

WFAA-TV actually began service as KBTV-Channel 8 before being purchased by A.H. Belo in late 1949. The FCC allowed the television calls to reflect the existing radio calls. Belo sold their radio interests in the mid-80s. Clear Channel's swap for then-KMOL-San Antonio after the Chris-Craft sale to Fox in the late-90s led to them recristening the station as WAOI, reflecting the heritage AM calls.

 

[w9wi]

A few further corrections:

ALL Radio callsigns are internationally agreed upon. The US has AA-AZ, WA-WZ, KA-KZ, K, W, N, NA-NZ and I think one other prefix assigned to it. Canada has C, VE and Mexico has X, XE, and a couple of other prefixes. US amateur radio stations use all these prefixes in various versions, planes are assigned Nxxxx calls, and radio stations were originally assigned Wxxx and Kxxx calls..either 3 or 4 letter calls.

The US blocks are AAA-ALZ, KAA-KZZ, NAA-NZZ, WAA-WZZ. (AMA-AZZ is split among several countries - AM to Spain, AX to Australia, AZ to Argentina, among others)

The blocks are established in groups of 3 letters. You can drop one or more if they're unique to your country. (so we can issue "W9WI" to an amateur station because the entire WAA-WAA block belongs to the USA. However, we can't issue "A1AW" because other countries get some of the AAA block. AA1AW would be valid since we have all of AAA-AAZ.) The only countries that got entire first letters to themselves: China (B); France (F); U.K. (G, M, 2); Italy (I); USA (K, N, W); and Russia (R).

Canada and Mexico do not have all of the CAA-CZZ and XAA-XZZ blocks. CXYA would be a Uruguayan callsign and XZXZ is Burman. (/Myanmaran, if you prefer) Actually, Canada got some of the X block - XL2EBM would be a Canadian amateur callsign. Canada uses only CFA-CKZ (except CGA-CGZ) for broadcasters -- and CBA-CBZ which isn't theirs! (it belongs to Chile) Mexico uses XEA-XEZ and XHA-XHZ, the latter only for FM and TV stations.

FCC policy is to only use the K--- and W--- blocks for broadcast stations. (there was some discussion a few years ago about opening the A and N blocks but not much interest among broadcasters, strangely enough. Likewise for a proposal to drop the K/W distinction and allow W calls in the West and vice-versa.)

In the 1940, the 3 letter calls were dropped and only 4 letter calls were given (The older stations still have 3 letter calls like WRR, WLS, KOA, KEX, etc.)

The last new 3-letter call was issued to WIS (now WVOC) in Columbia, South Carolina in 1930. Since then, a literal handful (OK, maybe two handfuls) of 3-letter calls have been reissued to stations which once held them, or to stations with some kind of relationship to a station which once held them.

 

[Chuck]

WFAA-TV actually began service as KBTV-Channel 8 before being purchased by A.H. Belo in late 1949. The FCC allowed the television calls to reflect the existing radio calls. Belo sold their radio interests in the mid-80s.

KBTV was originally owned by Tom Potter, an oil man from Kilgore, TX. He put it on the air for about $1.5 million and supposedly sold it to Belo for $100,000. I guess he figured that "Radio with Pictures" would never fly. You can see their original TV remote van, known as "The Golden Telecruiser" at http://www.telecruiser.com

There are pictures of it in both KBTV and WFAA-TV paint jobs. The bus is currently residing in my garage. It is a huge restoration project.

 

[JayDavis]

Thanks for all the information.

One station that I would never think want to change their letters would be the station at
the University of North Texas.................Put a K in front of UNT would "not" be good.

I loved the link to the WFAA mobile cruiser bus. Good luck with your restoration project.

 

[texas_prwriter]

Wow. Good info. Thanks, everyone.

 

[Tim-In-Houston]

Thanks for all the information.

One station that I would never think want to change their letters would be the station at
the University of North Texas.................Put a K in front of UNT would "not" be good.

Those calls were issued earlier this year to a yet-to-sign-on digital LPTV station in Hawai'i...public outcry led the ownership to request a different set of calls about a week later. Here's the story from the Honolulu Star-Bulletin.

 

[CW]

Thanks for all the information.

One station that I would never think want to change their letters would be the station at
the University of North Texas.................Put a K in front of UNT would "not" be good.

Those calls were issued earlier this year to a yet-to-sign-on digital LPTV station in Hawai'i...public outcry led the ownership to request a different set of calls about a week later. Here's the story from the Honolulu Star-Bulletin.

You would think KLIT (Little Rock Int Airport NOAA Wx as well as formerly on FMs) or KLTY (and we know where that is) or even KPUS would be a problem but yet those calls were issued!!!......of course UNT used to be NTU...which explains why its radio station was and Is KNTU....but will never change

 

[JayDavis]

Thanks for all the information.

One station that I would never think want to change their letters would be the station at
the University of North Texas.................Put a K in front of UNT would "not" be good.

Those calls were issued earlier this year to a yet-to-sign-on digital LPTV station in Hawai'i...public outcry led the ownership to request a different set of calls about a week later. Here's the story from the Honolulu Star-Bulletin.

You would think KLIT (Little Rock Int Airport NOAA Wx as well as formerly on FMs) or KLTY (and we know where that is) or even KPUS would be a problem but yet those calls were issued!!!......of course UNT used to be NTU...which explains why its radio station was and Is KNTU....but will never change

I saw something similar once about personalized licenses plates that people tried to sneak by the agency who issues those.

One was in California.

The license plate was

FAA Q



It made it past, till finally somebody recognized it.

 

[Smittian]

Thanks for all the information.

One station that I would never think want to change their letters would be the station at
the University of North Texas.................Put a K in front of UNT would "not" be good.

Those calls were issued earlier this year to a yet-to-sign-on digital LPTV station in Hawai'i...public outcry led the ownership to request a different set of calls about a week later. Here's the story from the Honolulu Star-Bulletin.

You would think KLIT (Little Rock Int Airport NOAA Wx as well as formerly on FMs) or KLTY (and we know where that is) or even KPUS would be a problem but yet those calls were issued!!!......of course UNT used to be NTU...which explains why its radio station was and Is KNTU....but will never change

KPUS-FM is in Gregory(Corpus Christi),TX. At the time the calls were granted, it was known as "104.5 the Octopus". The "Octopus" has been dropped from the moniker and is now simply "Classic Rock 104.5". The KPUS-FM calls remain, however.

 

[Markxxx]

Here is an excellent site that gives a good explination with maps and such

http://earlyradiohistory.us/kwtrivia.htm

 

[jeffdfw]

WBAP used to be the calls not only for 820 AM but 96.3 KSCS and KXAS Channel 5. They all used to be located on Broadcast Hill in east Fort Worth where Channel 5 is still to this day. WBAP stands for We Bring A Program.

 

[bpatrick]

There must certainly be more call letters starting
with W west of the Mississippi than with K east.
I don't keep up with radio much, but I know these
television stations are exceptions to the rules:

KDKA Pittsburgh
KYW Philadelphia

WHO and WOI Des Moines
WIBW Topeka, KS
WCCO Minneapolis/St. Paul
WDAF Kansas City, MO
WOWT Omaha
WDAY Fargo, ND
WFAA Dallas/Ft. Worth
WOAI San Antonio

For the most part, these are heritage
stations, except for KYW, which was
assigned to Cleveland before the NBC/
Westinghouse Philadelphia/Cleveland
swap in 1965.

Here are a couple of trivia notes.
WFAA was the first of three stations
to have the KBTV call letters; the others
were Channel 9 in Denver (now KUSA) and
Channel 4 in Beaumont/Port Arthur, TX
(present call letters, formerly KJAC).

Also, the announcer who told the Metroplex
that Channel 8 was now on the air (1949)
was Don Morrow, who went on to some fame
as host of the original "Camouflage" and as
the Shell Answer Man. He's still doing commercials
and has his own school where he teaches voiceover,
located in Danbury, CT and in Los Angeles.

 

[arnoldevns]

It is an interesting anomoly to see W call signs to the west of the Mississippi river. DFW is extremely unusual in that it has had a large number of W call signs for a long time. WBAP, WFAA and WRR have been on AM/FM/TV in this area for many decades.
Texas in general has a large number of W calls for the west. In addition to the previously mentioned DFW calls, there's also WACO in Waco and WOAI in San Antonio. There's also WTAW in the College Station area. (calls stand for Watch The Aggies Win) I can't recall any other W calls in use in Texas.

 

[w9wi]

It is an interesting anomoly to see W call signs to the west of the Mississippi river. DFW is extremely unusual in that it has had a large number of W call signs for a long time. WBAP, WFAA and WRR have been on AM/FM/TV in this area for many decades.
Texas in general has a large number of W calls for the west. In addition to the previously mentioned DFW calls, there's also WACO in Waco and WOAI in San Antonio. There's also WTAW in the College Station area. (calls stand for Watch The Aggies Win) I can't recall any other W calls in use in Texas.

Right now WBAP, WOAI, and WTAW are the only 3 W calls still on AM in Texas. Add WACO-FM and WRR on FM, and WFAA-TV on TV (as well as WOAI-TV) and I count a total of 6 different W calls in Texas.

Iowa has the most on AM with six. Possibly tied with Minnesota, depending on what side of the river you consider Minneapolis to lie. (it lies on *both* sides but ISTR the downtown core is west of the river) Every other state between the old MT/WY/CO/NM dividing line and the Mississippi has at least one W call *except* Arkansas.

I count 27 W calls on AM west of the Mississippi, if you count the three Minneapolis stations (WWTC, WLOL, WCCO) as west. I count at least 11 on FM and as many as 49 - not going to stay up late enough to work out where all the suburban and small-town stations lie! I count twelve W calls on TV west of the river, again if you count three Minneapolis stations (WCCO-TV, WFTC, WUCW) as west.

In some cases in Minnesota, Louisiana, and the St. Louis area W calls licensed to west-of-the-River communities may have transmitters east of the river. I know WEW-770 St. Louis has a transmitter in Illinois.