Re: FCC Lenient on station ID?

["'A. Joseph Ross'" <lawyer@world.std.com>]

On Tue, 15 Apr 1997 barry@meol.mass.edu wrote:

> Recently, while listening to WPLM-AM, I heard the "top of the hour" station
> I.D. - It 
> was: "WPLM, AM and FM, Plymouth, Boston, Providence - jazzy 9-9-1". Not even
> a mention of the AM frequency. It should have been more like, "WPLM 1390,
> and WPLM-FM, 99.1 - Plymouth. Your Jazzy 99.1". 

Back in the late 50s and early 60s, it was the other way around.  Except
for WCRB, which always IDed with both the AM and FM frequencies, the many
stations which simulcasted on AM and FM used to ID in that same fashion,
never mentioning the FM frequency.  

> Also, WROR's top of the hour calls are: "1-0-5-point-7
> W-R-O-R <Framingham> Boston!", with the "Framingham" barely whispered before
> "Boston" - this is clearly to the letter, not spirit, of the law.

Unless they've changed the station's calls without any of us picking up on
it, this does NOT follow the letter of the law, since the station's calls
are WROR-FM, not WROR.

>   On television, I have seen "UPN-38", "WB56", "Fox 25", and "GBH 44"
> mentioned numerous times - never have I heard "WSBK-TV, Channel 38", "WLVI
> TV56", "WGBX 44" - at least 25 shows the call letters in the promo. Only in
> the fine, fine print did I ever see the COL.

I'm not sure about the television rules, but isn't it sufficient if the
station shows its call letters and COL on the screen somewhere?

> The only problem I have seen on
> 28 is the signoff message - definitely illegal! "Good morning! WJAR TV
> channel 10, Providence, will end our broadcasting day", followed by a quick
> "TV28, WLWC, New Bedford". 

I'm not sure this is illegal.  Someone familiar with the regs can probably
chime in here, but I think all they have to do at sign-off is ID their
call letters, COL, and maybe channel or frequency.  So what's illegal
about that?

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  A. Joseph Ross, J.D.                                          617/367-0468
  15 Court Square                                       lawyer@world.std.com
  Boston, MA 02108-2573                        http://world.std.com/~lawyer/
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