Radio call letters: What do they mean?
 

Frank Dresser wrote:

"Gerard M Foley" wrote in message
...
The old call signs, like WBZ, WTIC, WEAF, WJZ, WCAU, KDKA, WGY, WGN, WOO,
KYW, KOA, KFI didn't mean anything. The three and four letter call
signs
were shared with coastal stations, point-to-point stations and ships.
Broadcasters got what was left. WLIT, Lit Brothers Department Store in
Philadelphia was the first station I remember that had a call sign that
meant anything.

73

Broadcasters could get the calls originally assigned to ships for their
radio stations.

"The Tribune obtains the call letters WGN (World's Greatest Newspaper) from
Great Lakes skipper Carl D. Bradley."

http://wgngold.com/timeline/1920s1930s.htm

I'm not sure how it came about, but I seem to recall WOWO Ft. Wayne, IN saying
"Westinghouse Owned, Westinghouse Operated".

dxAce
Michigan
USA

Radio call letters: What do they mean?
 

The old call signs, like WBZ, WTIC, WEAF, WJZ, WCAU, KDKA, WGY, WGN, WOO,
KYW, KOA, KFI didn't mean anything.

Wrong, on at least two counts:

WGN: World's Greatest Newspaper (referring to the owner, The Chicago
Tribune)
WTIC: referred to owner Traveler's Insurance Company

Radio call letters: What do they mean?
 

In article ,
"Gerard M Foley" wrote:

The old call signs, like WBZ, WTIC, WEAF, WJZ, WCAU, KDKA, WGY, WGN, WOO,
KYW, KOA, KFI didn't mean anything.

KFI - "farm information". The station originally had a fair amount of
agricultural reporting. When I listened to it in the 60s it still had a farm
report every morning.

--
John Rethorst
jrethorst at post dot com

Radio call letters: What do they mean?
 

Gerard M Foley wrote:
The old call signs, like WBZ, WTIC, WEAF, WJZ, WCAU, KDKA, WGY, WGN, WOO,
KYW, KOA, KFI didn't mean anything. The three and four letter call signs
were shared with coastal stations, point-to-point stations and ships.
Broadcasters got what was left. WLIT, Lit Brothers Department Store in
Philadelphia was the first station I remember that had a call sign that
meant anything.

73


I can't believe that anyone missed WLS, World's Largest Store, Chicago.
It was originally owned by Sears.
Here's Jeff Miller's great site on early call sign meanings.
http://members.aol.com/jeff560/call192x.html

Charlie.
--
To respond by Email remove never- from address

Radio call letters: What do they mean?
 

"Doug Smith W9WI" wrote in message
...

KYW is somewhat of a mystery, not falling into any of the known
categories of how a Eastern station got a K call. Them and KQV,
Pittsburgh.

Here is a link to hundreds of call letter meanings

http://nelson.oldradio.com/origins.call-list.html

Radio call letters: What do they mean?
 

WTIC = Travelers' Insurance Company

Radio call letters: What do they mean?
 

In article ,
Doug Smith W9WI wrote:
...
As Gerard said, most older calls didn't mean anything. Most of the
three-letter calls, and four-letter calls with A or B as the second
letter, especially. I'm pretty sure WIBG is one of these assigned in
order by the government calls.

I believe so. But you probably meant to say "third letter" like the B
in WIBG. Checking my Citizens Radio Call Book vol. 6 (1925), I found
these likely suspects:
KFAB Lincoln, NE
WABI Bangor, ME
WBAP Fort Worth, TX
WBBM Chicago
WCAO Baltimore, MD
WCAU Philadelphia, PA
WCBM Baltimore, MD
WDAF Kansas City, MO
WEAN Providence, RI
WFAA Dallas, TX
WGAL Lancaster, PA
WHAM Rochester, NY
WHAS Louisville, KY
WHBQ Memphis, TN
WJAR Providence, RI
WMAQ Chicago
WNAC Boston, MA
WOAI San Antonio, TX
WQAM Miami, FL
WSAI Cincinnati, OH
WSAR Fall River, MA
and many others that have since gone off the air.
--
.................David Marston at MV