Understanding Call Letters of a TV Station and Radio Call Signs

A TV station’s or radio station’s call letters are a special set of letters that are given to it in the United States. The station can be recognized and set itself apart from other stations thanks to these letters. Call signs and station identification (ID) are additional names for call letters. In the US, radio and television stations are governed and given call letters by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

Since the early years of radio communication in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, radio call signs have been in use. The letters in radio call signs were given according to the station’s precise geographic location. The eastern half of the country’s radio stations were assigned call signs that began with the letter “W,” while the western half’s stations were given call signs that began with the letter “K.” Call signs for radio stations in Alaska and Hawaii began with the letters “A” and “K,” respectively.

Call signs were first used by radio stations in 1912, although the FCC wasn’t established to oversee radio communications until 1923. The FCC began giving radio stations call letters and then expanded the practice to TV stations.

Like radio stations, call letters for TV stations are given based on their location. To differentiate them from local radio stations, TV stations are given additional letters. For instance, the call letters KGO-TV and KGO, respectively, are used for radio and television stations in San Francisco.

Instead of the usual four call letters, some radio stations only use three. This is due to the fact that radio stations founded before 1930 only received three letters. These radio stations were given permission to retain their initial three-letter call signs when the FCC started allocating call signs with four letters.

As a side aside, “cafeteria” is a word that is native to the United States. The word “cafetera,” which means coffeehouse or café in Spanish, is where it gets its name. The term “self-service restaurant” was initially used in the US in the early 20th century, and it has since spread throughout the country.

In conclusion, a TV or radio station’s call letters are a special set of letters provided to it in order to assist identify and set it apart from other stations. Early radio communication introduced the usage of radio call signs, which was later extended to TV stations. Some radio stations have three call letters since they were founded before the FCC started allocating four-letter call signs. Call letters are assigned based on geographic location.