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Your own "funny" (etc) call letter meanings
- Thread starter raccoonradio
- Start date
WVBF Framingham MA (now WROR): Very Brief Formats
From at least 45 years ago WPOP 1410 Hartford and WDRC 1360 were BIG rivals for the teens and other folks listening ear (top 10+) WPOP's unofficial call letters were we pi$$ on people and WDRC's calls were meant to say "WE Don't Really Care." Kinda dates us slightly older folk. The absolute worst call letters I've ever heard were WBBM-Chicago 780. I'll leave the readers to their own conclusions...
If this post offends, I am truly sorry.
If this post offends, I am truly sorry.
A few call letters I don't like and would have changed if I ran these stations:
WUSY Chattanooga TN sounds like "wussy" ..They also had "WUUS" at one one time on a different frequency. They have other bad calls in that town past and present..never mind what they were. .
Guess there's WSUX in Seaford, DE? Why would anyone want those calls?
WPST Trenton NJ makes me think of "p!ssed" ...they can't come up with something better?
WUSY Chattanooga TN sounds like "wussy" ..They also had "WUUS" at one one time on a different frequency. They have other bad calls in that town past and present..never mind what they were. .
Guess there's WSUX in Seaford, DE? Why would anyone want those calls?
WPST Trenton NJ makes me think of "p!ssed" ...they can't come up with something better?
Though not really call letters, Armed Forces Radio and Television Service, AFRTS has been known as "A-FARTS" and...
Alcohol First, Radio & TV Second. (But, you knew that. Didn't you?)
Alcohol First, Radio & TV Second. (But, you knew that. Didn't you?)
WDJC in Birmingham, Alabama for years has been known as "We Do Just Commercials". At least a decade ago, the reputation was well-earned.
ddsparxx said:Wow, I wonder how the FCC allows such call letters?
The University of North Texas were smart enough to name their station KNTU (A Hawaiian TV station was not.)
There's a low power TV station called KSEX
KPOO San Fransisco is run by Poor People's radio
KBOO Portland was named after a high octane strain of cannabis sativa (Berkeley Boo)....
I was checking out some historical facts about radio stations, and noticed something in particular about a station in my own backyard. It seems that many years ago the call letters of WBAP in Fort Worth were generally regarded as standing for "We Bring A Program." I had heard that from my grandparents and frankly that's pretty lackluster.
Some not so kind nicknames for WBAP came along over the years, though. During the Prohibition era there was "We Bring A Pint." My favorite was "We Bore All People." Hey, maybe that one's not so outdated after all!
Some not so kind nicknames for WBAP came along over the years, though. During the Prohibition era there was "We Bring A Pint." My favorite was "We Bore All People." Hey, maybe that one's not so outdated after all!
Just to be a bit retentive here..
it should be noted most early callsigns didn't stand for anything when they were issued. Especially, three-letter calls; W calls with A, B, or C as the 3rd letter; and K calls with W, Y, or Z as the 3rd letter. Most of these were assigned sequentially by the Commerce Department.
Look at any of the early 1920s station listings on David Eduardo's site; you'll see large blocks of sequential calls.
Many of the slogans you read of for these early stations were invented by the stations (or by a contest of their audience) to match the callsign, not the other way around.
it should be noted most early callsigns didn't stand for anything when they were issued. Especially, three-letter calls; W calls with A, B, or C as the 3rd letter; and K calls with W, Y, or Z as the 3rd letter. Most of these were assigned sequentially by the Commerce Department.
Look at any of the early 1920s station listings on David Eduardo's site; you'll see large blocks of sequential calls.
Many of the slogans you read of for these early stations were invented by the stations (or by a contest of their audience) to match the callsign, not the other way around.
w9wi said:
I'm sorry if you came to the conclusion that I was inferring that the government or any of its agencies made a decision about call letters "standing" for something. The original nickname for WBAP was suggested by Herbert Hoover, Secretary of Commerce at the time (and prior to that with the Federal Radio Commission). From the history of WBAP (available on their website), According to Hoover the call letters stood for "We Bring A Program." That can be viewed as an endorsement of sorts and not an official mandate, although to the audience the lines may have been blurred since the words came from a "government" person. After all, we're talking about the 1920's.
(just fwiw, my post wasn't directed at any particular person/post in this thread.)
I think it's probable that if Hoover did suggest that meaning for WBAP, he suggested it after the call had already been assigned. (I think if the station had wanted to select a specific callsign/slogan, they would have picked something more meaningful than "we bring a program" -- something like "WTEX" ("Texas") or "WVOD". ("Voice of Dallas")
I think it's probable that if Hoover did suggest that meaning for WBAP, he suggested it after the call had already been assigned. (I think if the station had wanted to select a specific callsign/slogan, they would have picked something more meaningful than "we bring a program" -- something like "WTEX" ("Texas") or "WVOD". ("Voice of Dallas")
Understood about the intent of your post. The call letters, as you suggested, had indeed already been assigned before Hoover made his comments at a dedication ceremony for WBAP.
WBAP's founder Amon Carter of Fort Worth (as Scott Fybush suggested in another thread) would have probably preferred to throw himself in front of a moving train than to have anything to do with Dallas!
w9wi said:
WBAP's founder Amon Carter of Fort Worth (as Scott Fybush suggested in another thread) would have probably preferred to throw himself in front of a moving train than to have anything to do with Dallas!
From Northwestern Ohio: WOHO-We're only half on, WTTF- We're the TurkeyF_____s, WFOB- We're full of bull. WFRO - Wolf Row ( once owned by the Wolf family)
WNRR- We're not real radio, WTOD- we're the other daytimer.
WNRR- We're not real radio, WTOD- we're the other daytimer.
The University of Minnesota Morris has a station: KUMM.
Yeah.
Currently they go by the moniker U-90, but more than once the phrase "Don't touch that dial! You got KUMM on it" was uttered without the call letters spelled out.
Yeah.
Currently they go by the moniker U-90, but more than once the phrase "Don't touch that dial! You got KUMM on it" was uttered without the call letters spelled out.
I once worked at 1230 AM WCUM in Cumberland, MD. Draw your own joke.
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