The 411 - Radio station call letters ("CITI" FM etc)

The practice of radio stations in the United States starting with "K" and those in Canada starting with "C" has historical roots in international radio regulations. It's important to note that while this was a general guideline, there have been exceptions in both countries.

United States (K Stations):

In the early 20th century, when radio technology was still developing, there were few regulations governing the assignment of call signs to radio stations. As a result, various stations used a wide range of call signs, often chosen by the station owners themselves.

In 1912, the United States adopted the Radio Act, which introduced a more structured approach to call sign assignments. Under this system, radio stations east of the Mississippi River were generally assigned call signs beginning with "W," while stations west of the Mississippi River were assigned call signs beginning with "K."

The reason for using "K" in the west and "W" in the east was simply alphabetical, with "K" coming before "W" in the English alphabet. For example, stations in California might have call signs like KXYZ, while stations in New York might have call signs like WABC.

This system of assigning call signs based on location became the standard in the United States, although there were exceptions and special cases. Some stations received permission to use call signs that did not follow this rule.

Canada (C Stations):

In Canada, a similar system was used, but with "C" as the initial letter for call signs. This practice was established by the Canadian government to distinguish Canadian stations from those in the United States and other countries.

Over time, the use of "C" as the initial letter became a standard for Canadian radio and television stations, with some exceptions and variations.

It's important to note that both the United States and Canada have made exceptions to these rules over the years, and not all stations in these countries follow the "K" or "C" convention. Special cases, changes in regulations, and station name changes have led to variations.

In the United States, some radio stations east of the Mississippi River have "K" call signs due to historical reasons, and there are also a few "W" stations west of the Mississippi. In Canada, there are stations with call signs that do not start with "C."

In summary, the use of "K" for U.S. stations and "C" for Canadian stations in their call signs is a historical convention that was established to provide structure and organization in the early days of radio broadcasting. While it remains a general guideline, there have been exceptions in both countries.

Source: Some or all of the content was generated using an AI language model