DASH TV....

[Garrett Wollman <wollman>]

<<On Thu, 4 Nov 1999 11:05:38 -0500, "Mike Fitzpatrick" <fitzradio@map.com> said:

> Why do some TV stations have a -TV suffix on them. 

Because callsigns are unique.

All AM stations have three- (grandfathered) or four-letter callsigns.
All stations in other services may have three- (grandfathered), four-,
five- (grandfathered), or six-letter callsigns.  In the case of five-
and six-letter callsigns, the last two letters *must* indicate the
service in which the station is operating.  (Certain secondary
services excepted.)

Some examples:

WBZ (grandfathered, AM station in Boston)
WRR (grandfathered, FM station in Dallas)
WUNR (AM station in Brookline)
WBOS (AM station, and later FM station, in Brookline)
WCVB (analog TV station in Boston)
WCVBDT (digital TV station in Boston)
WBZTV (grandfathered, analog TV station in Boston)
WBZDT (grandfathered, digital TV station in Boston)
WJZTV (grandfathered, analog TV station in Baltimore)
WBOSFM (former callsign of 92.9 Brookline, when 1600 Brookline was WBOS)
WRORFM (FM station in Framingham)
WHDHTV (analog TV station in Boston)
WHDHDT (digital TV station in Boston)
WLNETV (analog TV station in New Bedford)
WLNELP (low-power analog TV station in Providence)

The hyphen is not legally a part of the callsign, except on boosters:

WRKI-1 (Norwalk booster for WRKI Brookfield)
WRKI-2 (Bridgeport booster for WRKI Brookfield)
WGGY-A (application for a Hazleton booster for WGGY Scranton; if
	approved will become WGGY-2)

And, of course, translator and some LPTV callsigns are generated
mechanically:

W32AY (25th translator granted east of the Mississippi R. on channel 32)

-GAWollman