TELECOM Digest OnLine - Sorted: Re: 'K' v. 'W' Television Station Callsigns

Re: 'K' v. 'W' Television Station Callsigns

Garrett Wollman (wollman@lcs.mit.edu)
Fri, 22 Oct 2004 02:06:16 UTC

In article <telecom23.505.3@telecom-digest.org>, Neal McLain
<nmclain@annsgarden.com> wrote:

> WOI(AM) and WOI-FM are licensed to Iowa State University. WOI-TV is a
> commercial station (ABC affiliate) serving the Des Moines/Ames/
> Marshalltown DMA [...]. ISU does not operate a TV station

However, ISU *did* operate a TV station, namely WOI-TV. It was sold
to a private owner within the last couple of decades.

> WWL(AM) and WWL-TV are now located in New Orleans, LA.

Formerly owned by Loyola University.

>> WOW Omaha, Nebraska

> AM only; sister TV is WOWT.

AM is now KOMJ.

>> WRR Dallas, Texas

> FM only (PAT: classical music, streamed online!)

Started out on the AM facility that's now KTCK, if I remember correctly.

>> WBAP Ft. Worth, Texas

> AM only.

Amon Carter's TV station was channel 5, now NBC-owned KXAS. The radio
stations are owned by Disney/ABC.

>> WNAX Yankton, South Dakota

> AM only.

WNAX's sister FM has been WNAX-FM several times in the past (as
recently as 2001 when I was there).

>> and, some hair-splitting (Metro area crosses the river,
>> transmitter_could_ be on the Illinois side of the Missippi):

>> WIL St. Louis, Missouri

> FM only. Transmitter is located in Missouri.

>> WRTH St. Louis, Missouri

> The FCC has no record of this callsign.

I had no trouble finding it in the FCC database. In any case, WRTH
*is* the station that was WIL. St. Louis also has the unusual case of
KWK, Granite City, Ill.

>> WACO Waco, Texas.

> FM only.

Formerly on AM (as with all of these examples outside of Minnesota and
Louisiana).

> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Is there a 'WIL' (one /L/) in
> St. Louis? The reason I ask is because there is a 'WILL' (two /L/)
> at the University of Illinois in Champaign, 580 KC on AM band.) PAT]

Yes and no. There is no longer a "WIL" in St. Louis; that station is
now WRTH. There is still a "WIL-FM", but according to the FCC's rules
as written, there can never be a "WIL" again. However, the Commission
accepted a frankly ridiculous argument from the owners of KKHJ (930
Los Angeles) to get its old callsign (KHJ) back. (KHJ's historic FM
sister is most recently KRTH, ironically enough.)

Garrett A. Wollman | As the Constitution endures, persons in every
wollman@lcs.mit.edu | generation can invoke its principles in their own
Opinions not those of| search for greater freedom.
MIT, LCS, CRS, or NSA| - A. Kennedy, Lawrence v. Texas, 539 U.S. ___ (2003)

Post Followup Article Use your browser's quoting feature to quote article into reply
Go to Next message: Dave Close: "Re: 'K' v. 'W' Television Station Callsigns"
Go to Previous message: Neal McLain: "Re: 'K' v. 'W' television station callsigns"
May be in reply to: Neal McLain: "'K' v. 'W' Television Station Callsigns"
Next in thread: Dave Close: "Re: 'K' v. 'W' Television Station Callsigns"
TELECOM Digest: Home Page