Directional ex-Class IA AMs

[A. Joseph Ross]

On 24 Nov 2009 at 7:54, Dan.Strassberg wrote:

> Yes, but better to say 660 became WNBC and 880 became WCBS in November
> 1946, because nearly everybody who sees WABC immediately thinks of
> 770, which did not switch its calls from WJZ to WABC until several
> years after 880 gave up the WABC calls. What confusion there would
> have been if there had been a three-way call sign change in New York
> on the same day in November 1946! But this does bring up the question
> of what became of the WABC calls after 880 gave them up. I wonder
> whether anyone had yet thought of "warehousing" calls back in the
> 1940s. I suspect somebody had already done that, although I know of no
> examples. Was it pure luck that the WABC call sign was unused after
> the Blue Network changed its name to ABC and wanted the WABC calls for
> its New York City O&O? Or had somebody taken the calls, requiring the
> newly renamed network to pay them off in order to transfer them to 770
> in New York? And if the WABC calls were in use when ABC Inc wanted
> them for 770 in New York, who had the calls at that time? The answers
> to those questions might make some great radio trivia.
 
Indeed it would.  

The oldest example of warehousing call letters that I know of is when 
WNBC became WRCA, and the WNBC calls were put on channel 30 in 
Connecticut.  I assume that was an attempt to warehouse the calls.

And another bit of radio/TV trivia would be why RCA/NBC decided to 
change WNBC to WRCA and its Los Angeles station to KRCA.  And then 
why the decided to change back.  Anyone know anything they can share?

-- 
A. Joseph Ross, J.D.                           617.367.0468
 92 State Street, Suite 700                   Fax 617.507.7856
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