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Old October 16th 06, 12:21 AM posted to rec.radio.shortwave
Doug Smith W9WI Doug Smith W9WI is offline
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First recorded activity by RadioBanter: Jul 2006
Posts: 82
Default Same call sign in different areas?

David Eduardo wrote:
"Brenda Ann" wrote in message
The correct answer is that there are no 6 letter calls in the US. When
the stations with the KCBS call legally identify themselves, it is done as
"KCBS [COL]" Legal station ID's do not have the AM/FM/TV suffix, nor even
the frequency/channel of operation.


That is 100% incorrect. If there are an AM, and FM and a TV with the same
first 4 letters of the calls, the license of the FM says "WXXX-FM" and the
TV is "WXXX-TV." The legal ID is not legal if "FM" or "TV" are not read (or
visualed in TV) are not part of the ID. In fact, many FMs that used to share
calls with an AM that later changed to other calls are still "WXXX-FM" even
if there is no AM with the same calls.


It should be noted that the FCC allows a station to call itself anything
it wants, as long as it uses the right call letters at the top of the
hour. Channel 2 can call itself "KCBS-TV", "KCBS", "CBS 2", "Channel
2", or even "KNXT"* as long as it announces "KCBS-TV, Los Angeles" in
their hourly ID. On a TV station, that ID may be visual or aural -- it
doesn't have to be both -- so they could verbally announce "KCBS, Los
Angeles" as long as it said "KCBS-TV Los Angeles" on the ID slide.
--
Doug Smith W9WI
Pleasant View (Nashville), TN EM66
http://www.w9wi.com

* I would imagine they might get in trouble with the FCC and almost
certainly would get in trouble in the civil courts if they chose to use
the call letters of some other station in the same market. If Channel 2
in LA were to call itself "KNBC" - the call letters of channel 4 - I
don't think they'd get away with it!