What do the call letters stand for?

[oldgoodguy]

I seem to remember hearing that Fort Wayne's WKJG-TV (and radio) stood for William Knunckle Journal Gazette (I'm probably incorrect about the "K" spelling). Also Fort Wayne's WANE-TV and radio (obvious for that one).

 

[radioboymark]

WLS - was owned by Sears, the World's Largest Store. And yes, a lot of people in Indiana listen.

WGL - owned by Magnavox, based in Fort Wayne, made the World's Greatest Loudspeaker.

WTPI - "Top of the Dial, bottom of the ratings"

All the Sarkes Tarzian stations had one of his children's initials in the call letters -
WTTS Bloomington Tom Tarzian
WPTA TV and WPTH Radio - Patricia Tarzian

Some from Ohio -

WCKY - Covington Kentucky or Cincinnati Kentucky (I've heard both)

WNOP - Newport Kentucky (the radio studio in old oil drums floating in the Ohio)

 

[gr8oldies]

The three letter calls were assigned in order and were only assigned "meanigs" later like World's Largest Store. It was said by studio musicians that WLW meant World's Lowest Wages

 

[kirkiefan]

William Knucklehead Journal Gazoobaz? (ha-ha! nyuk nyuk nyuk!)

Actually it was William Kunkel Journal Gazette


Others:
the former WHUT-"The HUT"? (inside joke by competitor WHBU)
the former WIUC-Winchester Indiana and Union City
WFMS -FM Stereo?)
WPGW -Portland- Glenn West (founder)
WLYV -"The LYV-ly one!" (hence: Lively Country)
WIOU -IOU..a grasp of the obvious IOU
WADM- ADaMs County Radio
the former WWHC (last two letters refer to Hartford City)
the former WGOM-Giant Of Music (reference to locally born James Dean's last film)

WLW- World's Largest Wireless (back in the day when ol' man Crosley cranked that sucker up to 500K)

WIBC- Indiana Broadcasting Corporation? (still dig on that top of hour "Radio INDIANA" ID from the 70s)
WNAP- NAP-town (as in IndiaNAPolis)
WTTV- Tarzien Television (Sarkes Tarzien)

 

[radiorob2.0]

WCKY - Covington Kentucky or Cincinnati Kentucky (I've heard both)

Actually, it is both. Originally, the COL was Covington. Owner L. B. Wilson petitioned the FCC to change the COL to Cincinnati for commerce reasons. WEHT did the same moving their COL from Henderson to Evansville. Powell Crosley protested the move citing WCKY's transmitter location is in Kentucky so they should identify that way. Wilson responded saying he would identify his station as Covington when Crosley identified his station as WLW Mason (700's transmitter location). The matter was dropped and the COL became Cincinnati.

WKDQ-Unless someone can add more, they were chosen for the "Q". Plus the "K" and "D" add to the coolness.

Yes, there's more.
There was a brief moment when there was serious consideration to change the then WSON-FM to WHGL. The first set of "Q" letters were assigned to a station in the DC area (or somewhere in the east) and WKDQ, which was the third or fourth choice, was one of the available combinations. While they would later add the coolness rationalization (a.k.a. folklore) for the K and or D, the truth was that was no blueprint for a K or a D, it was purely happenstance.

Thanks for that tidbit. I'd figure the goal of the call letters was "Q". It had been rumored the hierarchy of 13Q Pittsburgh wanted the WKDQ calls but had to settle for WKTQ (13Q).

When Bristol purchased WKDQ they obtained a matching set of call letters. Bristol's other FM's are WQBE, WKYQ, WXBQ. Bristol eventually sold WKDQ.

 

[radioboymark]

The three letter calls were assigned in order and were only assigned "meanigs" later like World's Largest Store

I think this is wrong. I understand that stations chose call letters without even talking to the government - in face there was no government agency (FCC, FRC) until 1926. WLS came on the air in 1924.

 

[fybush]

Call letter threads are lots of fun, but they sometimes end up getting pretty full of misinformation, too.

Fortunately, many of the legends and tall tales about early call letter assignments were debunked (or, in some cases, confirmed) authoritatively more than a decade ago, when Thomas White put out the first edition of his "Mystique of the Three-Letter Callsigns."

It's free for the reading right here: http://earlyradiohistory.us/3myst.htm

A few of the key points White makes include:

*Requested three-letter callsigns: There were some, in the period after 1922 when three-letter calls were no longer being routinely assigned to new stations. WLS was requested, and yes it really does mean "World's Largest Store." WLW was not requested, and any "World's Largest Wireless" meaning was assigned later as PR puffery. There was a lot of PR puffery in early radio!

WGL was apparently a requested call in 1928, replacing the earlier WCWK ("Chester W. Keen"). The WGL calls had been used in Philadelphia and New York on unrelated stations.

*Calls were assigned from day one: It's true that there was no FRC until 1927, and no FCC until 1933, but the Department of Commerce was issuing licenses - and callsigns - almost from the start of broadcast radio. Only the very earliest ancestors of broadcast radio, stations like "San Jose Calling" (later KQW/KCBS), operated without calls. Everyone else had calls, and they were largely assigned sequentially in the first few years of broadcasting. White addresses some of the sequences in "Mystique," and others here: http://earlyradiohistory.us/pion622l.htm

Of those first stations licensed up until June 1922, only two Indiana stations survived. WBAA was a sequential call assigned in April 1922, while WGAZ South Bend was sequential in June 1922, but later changed calls to the requested WSBT when that option became available.

And having thrown all that into the pot, let me add one callsign that I don't think has been mentioned yet in this thread: WIND stands not for the "WINDy city" of Chicago, but for "INDiana," since the station was originally licensed to Gary (and still transmits from NW Indiana.)

 

[radiorob2.0]

The three letter calls were assigned in order and were only assigned "meanigs" later like World's Largest Store

I think this is wrong. I understand that stations chose call letters without even talking to the government - in face there was no government agency (FCC, FRC) until 1926. WLS came on the air in 1924.

True. Call letters at that time were sequentially assigned. You couldn't request an available set like today. WGBF however played the system. The call letters WGBF were close to being assigned. G.B. Finke somehow reserved (over the table or under) that call letter assignment to his station.

You can still receive generic call letters today based on an available sequence. WLME Cannelton (now Lewisport, KY) was an issued set of call letters because none were requested.

 

[fybush]

You can still receive generic call letters today based on an available sequence. WLME Cannelton (now Lewisport, KY) was an issued set of call letters because none were requested.

What is now WBAA-FM at Purdue was also sequentially assigned, right between WFUB 97.3 Orange MA (now WJDF) and WFUD 107.3 Honeoye Falls NY (now WHTK-FM). Alas, the calls were changed before "WFUC West Lafayette" became a broadcast reality.

 

[radiorob2.0]

You can still receive generic call letters today based on an available sequence. WLME Cannelton (now Lewisport, KY) was an issued set of call letters because none were requested.

What is now WBAA-FM at Purdue was also sequentially assigned, right between WFUB 97.3 Orange MA (now WJDF) and WFUD 107.3 Honeoye Falls NY (now WHTK-FM). Alas, the calls were changed before "WFUC West Lafayette" became a broadcast reality.

There is sequential set of "K" call issued in Michigan. It seems someone at the FCC mistook "MI" for Minnesota. Nobody seem to mind so the call letters remained.

 

[buttonpusher812]

Here are a few. Some have already been mentioned but I believe that these are correct after some conversations with some folks who should know. All from the Terre Haute area...

WTHI - "With Terre Haute's Interest" , some others that are passes around. W.... Terre Haute Indiana or Tony Hulman Inc or with Tony Hulmans Interest. Tony was of course the one who put the AM-FM and TV on the air. 1948 was when the former AM was put on along with the FM. FM was put on for a while in the old FM band (45 mhz band) in 49 or 50 then taken off since no one was listening, then in the mid to late 50's it was put back on in the new and current FM band. The TV was put on in '54.

WVTS - was Wabash Valley Transcription Service. That was changed in the mid to late 80's to WMGI to stand for "Magic 101" to fit the new A/C format that was put on to replace the old HOT 101 Top 40 format which was the TM Century automation format.

The old and current WPFR - Paul Ford Radio - who owned the first 102.7 and then sold it. The first studio was on his back porch where the cows could stop by and stick their head in the window according to some accounts. They also played 45's with an old "record changer". Bet that sounded great to hear the song run out and then all of the noise while the next record dropped and then started the next song. He now owns the old WTHI AM at 1480, and the Clinton FM station. Both 1480 and Clinton are WPFR. He also owns AM 800 in Casey Ill WKZI which of course stands for Casey. All three have studios in Dennison Ill and are simulcast Moody Bible Net.

The old WBOW stood for Banks Of the Wabash.

Anyone remember the old 1300 AM WAAC. "Wack" stood for At Americas Crossroads.

As far as I know the other calls that have existed in the market over the years haven't had any special meaning.

 

[epmark]

I was able to find only one "K" callsign in Michigan: KTGG-AM in Spring Arbor, MI

 

[dfwrunner]

Here are a few. Some have already been mentioned but I believe that these are correct after some conversations with some folks who should know. All from the Terre Haute area...

WTHI - "With Terre Haute's Interest" , some others that are passes around. W.... Terre Haute Indiana or Tony Hulman Inc or with Tony Hulmans Interest. Tony was of course the one who put the AM-FM and TV on the air. 1948 was when the former AM was put on along with the FM. FM was put on for a while in the old FM band (45 mhz band) in 49 or 50 then taken off since no one was listening, then in the mid to late 50's it was put back on in the new and current FM band. The TV was put on in '54.

WVTS - was Wabash Valley Transcription Service. That was changed in the mid to late 80's to WMGI to stand for "Magic 101" to fit the new A/C format that was put on to replace the old HOT 101 Top 40 format which was the TM Century automation format.

The old and current WPFR - Paul Ford Radio - who owned the first 102.7 and then sold it. The first studio was on his back porch where the cows could stop by and stick their head in the window according to some accounts. They also played 45's with an old "record changer". Bet that sounded great to hear the song run out and then all of the noise while the next record dropped and then started the next song. He now owns the old WTHI AM at 1480, and the Clinton FM station. Both 1480 and Clinton are WPFR. He also owns AM 800 in Casey Ill WKZI which of course stands for Casey. All three have studios in Dennison Ill and are simulcast Moody Bible Net.

The old WBOW stood for Banks Of the Wabash.

Anyone remember the old 1300 AM WAAC. "Wack" stood for At Americas Crossroads.

As far as I know the other calls that have existed in the market over the years haven't had any special meaning.

I was wondering if anyone would mention WAAC. Also, nobody seems to remember WBOQ any more around 107 fm.

 

[buttonpusher812]

WBOQ was picked up around '75 and went with an MOR gold type of format. Before that it was WBOW-FM and a simulcast of 1230-AM. AOR was on '77 or '78 then Country was on around '79 to about late '81 or '82. AOR was on in late '82 to early '83. WZZQ came along in early '81 or so before the format change from County to AOR. This is all give and take a few months to a year.

 

[Corky Marlowe]

Just thought of another one...WJHS/Columbia City, for Columbia City Joint High School

 

[ChiefEngineer]

Indiana's first FM

WMLL Martin L. Liech

Located on the WGBF site and antenna built by ESI - later ERI.

Originally in the old FM band during WW2 and later in the current FM band before they turned it off.

 

[radiorob2.0]

Indiana's first FM

WMLL Martin L. Liech

Located on the WGBF site and antenna built by ESI - later ERI.

Originally in the old FM band during WW2 and later in the current FM band before they turned it off.

They were one of the first dozen FM licenses issued. It's a shame they gave up in the fifties. If only they had held out for another fifteen years later.

The Leich family donated the license and equipment, it either became what is now WPSR or WUEV. Too many loud headphones destroyed the brain cell that had that detail.

 

[ChiefEngineer]

Thye kept detailed log books on the daily operation of the station. Erwin's handwriting. The weather, signal propogation, and any transmitter quirks. WGBF kept corresponding books as far back as their beginning in the 1920's. The handwritten journals were kept in the bomb shelter portion of the transmitter site.

One of the coolest things ever seen was the thrift concious cable they used. 6 to 8 copper wires surrounding a single copper wire. We use heliax but this was the heliax of the day. The concrete and pea gravel posts are still used but at some point in the 1990's the line was repalced with heliax. All made on site materials were "green" in that they were thrifty and used the mind to overcome the costs and non available product issues of the day.

 

[Bomba]

WBWB-FM (96.7), Bloomington, IN: call letters referencing William Brown, as in "William Brown, William Brown," the original developer, I believe, of Century Village, the "Collonial Williamsburg"-style of buildings (offices, hotel, restaurant, and Brown's office), where WBWB-FM's B97 studios are located, including the transmitter, located at the intersection of Third Street/Indiana highway 46 and Indiana 446, on the east side of Bloomington.

WSKT-FM (formerly 92.7), Spencer, IN: call letters referencing then-owner's daughter's name, KaTie.

WIUS-FM Cable/AM/WIUX-LP, Indiana University--Bloomington: call letters referencing "Indiana University Student," as in Indiana University's student-run radio station.

WGTC-FM (92.3 FM & AM 1370), Bloomington, IN: call letters referencing the slogan of the former country station's slogan, "We've Got The Country!"

 

[Apollo7979]

WHON (930) Richmond, IN: We're the Heartland Of the Nation

WKBV (1490) Richmond, IN: William Knox of BrookVille (the station's original owner and city of license when it went on the air in the 1920's)

WJEF (91.9) Lafayette, IN: JEFferson high school

WKHY (93.5) Lafayette, IN: Klassic Hits for You

WBPE (95.3) Brookston/Lafayette: Bob Plays Everything

WSHP (95.7) Attica/Lafayette: rocket SHiP

WLQI (97.7) Rensselaer: calls represent the former name of the station... "Lucky"

WIBN (98.1) Earl Park/West Lafayette: Warren Iroquois Benton Newton (primary counties the station served when it signed on in 1983)

WNJY (former calls of 102.9) Delphi/Montecello: Enjoy

WIMC (103.9) Crawfordsville: Western Indiana's Music Connection

WCDQ (106.3) Crawfordsville: a play on Lexington, KY's then modern AC WCDA and former on-air ID as a hot AC "CD 106.3"

WGLM (former calls of 106.7) West Lafayette: We're Greater Lafayette's Music

WEDJ (107.1) Danville/Indianapolis: a play on the word, Edge, which is what the station originally went by in its first week as an active rocker about a decade ago

WMRS (107.7) Montecello: Montecello's Radio Station