Almost nobody will care about it, but the “streaming-schedule” page for a station now includes the call sign history of the “facility”. Example
In the way the FCC tries to organize things, a radio/TV station is a transmitter at a specific location with a certain permitted operations. Call Sign changes are when the call sign assigned to a facility changes.
A call sign can move between facilities without necessarily creating a new facility (owners often switch the call signs on two stations they own)
A station can change its operating parameters as long as it doesn’t physically move.
An inactive facility may have no call sign at all.
The FCC only has computerized data back to 1979 – but you will find some examples where a really old station has had its original license data entered by hand.
Awesome. Only back to 1979 ? Hmm there was a station in Christansburg VA that was 1260 AM WJJJ. It played rock & Roll in the 70’s, gone now, the tower and studio site is now a interchange. I think before it was WJJJ, it may have been WBCR. Can’t confirm that I just seen it in a advertisement in a old yearbook for the 50’s in the High School Library.
You can sort of tell older station call signs in a area, Like WBCR was for Blacksburg, Christiansburg, Radford, a triangle of sorts only about 15 miles separating them.
WRVA (Richmond,VA). There are lots of examples out there. You can tell the older call signs. I havn’t figured out WBT Charlotte? why just three letters?
“Git-r-Done” : )
For radio geeks, old call signs are a lot of fun. I once worked for WHJB…owned by Hugh J. Brennan way back when. The really old ones…KQV and KDKA in Pittsburgh and KYW in Philadelpha are holdovers. WBT must be a continually licensed old station. WSM…We Serve Millions…WGN…signed on by Wrigley Gum, if I recall….
Now days stations seems to get calls to reflect a corporate identity…all the “Froggy” stations WFGY type of stuff…not nearly as interesting as the older callsigns.
WPTF 680 AM in Raleigh used to have the call sign “We Protect The Family” –believe it or not!