1 of 1- RadioActive
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Two Cdn. Radio Stations In Different Places Have The Same Call Letters
I always thought call letters were "one to a customer." Those letters were yours and no one else could use them.
How then to explain the fact that there are two stations in Ontario that are known as "CINA?"
The first one is well known here - the station at 1650 in the X-band broadcasts Bollywood programming. It's owned by Neeti P. Ray, who recently took over CHAM, CKOC and CKWW. That's on the AM band. Meanwhile over in Windsor, there's a CINA-FM on 102.3, with a similar format, also owned by Ray.
I was surprised that they weren't required to get separate call letters for this second station, but apparently they didn't have to. So there's a CINA in Toronto and a CINA in Windsor. I wonder if this has happened for any other station in Canada?
I know it's happened in the U.S. WBEN-AM is in Buffalo, as everyone knows. But there's a WBEN-FM in Philadelphia, which calls itself "BEN-FM." This one is even odder. The former is owned by Audacy. The latter by Beasely. So they're not even corporately related. I know we've discussed this here before, but again, I always thought call letters were the one thing that belonged to a station and no one else could use them.
Apparently it's the same in Canada as the U.S. So could someone else pick up the CHUM-AM call letters if Bell does, indeed, shut down TSN? That would be a sad day in Canadian radio if it ever happened.
- Shorty Wave
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Re: Two Cdn. Radio Stations In Different Places Have The Same Call Letters
Good post RA. Speaking of CHUM, they once had CHUM-AM & CHUM-FM branding at the same time.
In fact, the owners, the Waters family, called the company CHUM. When they bought Citytv, they officially called the company CHUMCIty, and the building at 299 Queen was called the CHUMCity Building. Talk about working your call letters!
- mace
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Re: Two Cdn. Radio Stations In Different Places Have The Same Call Letters
There is also KCBS ch 2 Los Angeles and 740 KCBS San Francisco.
- Juggie1
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Re: Two Cdn. Radio Stations In Different Places Have The Same Call Letters
Call letters actually have 6 letters in the license in Canada. They will have the 4 letters we know plus the designation of -AM or -FM on the actual license. Best example is CHUM-AM is the licensed actual call letters for 1050 CHUM and CHUM-FM for 104.5 CHUM-FM.
In fact, if you ever hear the top hour legal id on TSN1050, it will say that TSN1050 is CHUMAM. A division of…
Last edited by Juggie1 (December 16, 2024 10:33 am)
- Radiowiz
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Re: Two Cdn. Radio Stations In Different Places Have The Same Call Letters
The real CKFM is in Toronto, but then there's also a CK FM, (that is what they call themselves)
It's different markets, so there's very little or no confusion, plus also CK FM has to identify themselves legally as CKLJ FM, when required to do so.
CK FM in Olds, Alberta:
RadioWiz & RadioQuiz are NOT the same person.
RadioWiz & THE Wiz are NOT the same person.
- paterson1
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Re: Two Cdn. Radio Stations In Different Places Have The Same Call Letters
Here is the post from June of this year, when we talked about this. Here is the Alberta station and their CKFM jingles. ...
Last edited by paterson1 (December 16, 2024 11:04 am)
- andysradio
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Re: Two Cdn. Radio Stations In Different Places Have The Same Call Letters
CINA and CINA-FM etc: Technically speaking these are different call letters as far as ISEDC is concerned. The '-FM' is legally part of the call sign. I think it is the same as in the states except there, they don't require the '-FM' that is mandatory as it is here. -AM is not part of a call sign but I guess it could be.
- RadioAaron
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Re: Two Cdn. Radio Stations In Different Places Have The Same Call Letters
andysradio wrote:
CINA and CINA-FM etc: Technically speaking these are different call letters as far as ISEDC is concerned. The '-FM' is legally part of the call sign. I think it is the same as in the states except there, they don't require the '-FM' that is mandatory as it is here. -AM is not part of a call sign but I guess it could be.
Yes, in the US the -FM is only needed if the same calls are in use on AM (or TV I think).
- RadioActive
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Re: Two Cdn. Radio Stations In Different Places Have The Same Call Letters
I understand the rules and I know this has come up before. I also get why Neeti Ray would want the calls on both of his similarly formatted stations. But it just seems to me this cheapens the calls, which I'm aware most radio owners now treat as an afterthought.
Does this mean I could start a talk station in say, Edmonton, and call it CFRB-FM? I doubt it would happen. But if what you're saying is true, it's conceivable that it could.
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Thread Starter- RadioAaron
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Re: Two Cdn. Radio Stations In Different Places Have The Same Call Letters
I understand the rules and I know this has come up before. I also get why Neeti Ray would want the calls on both of his similarly formatted stations. But it just seems to me this cheapens the calls, which I'm aware most radio owners now treat as an afterthought.
Does this mean I could start a talk station in say, Edmonton, and call it CFRB-FM? I doubt it would happen. But if what you're saying is true, it's conceivable that it could.
I believe if the stations aren't co-owned, you'd have to have permission from the first station.
- RadioActive
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Re: Two Cdn. Radio Stations In Different Places Have The Same Call Letters
Does it work that way in the U.S., too?
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Thread Starter- newsguy1
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Re: Two Cdn. Radio Stations In Different Places Have The Same Call Letters
It seems the oddity here is that one owner has opened a radio station called CINA in the Toronto market, but also opened a CINA in an entirely different market.
But having an am and an fm station in the same market with same call letters isn't that unusual.
In Vancouver I grew up with CKLG AM and CKLG FM.The FM side later rebranded as CFOX.
But they were still owned by Moffat.
- RadioActive
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Re: Two Cdn. Radio Stations In Different Places Have The Same Call Letters
It's very common to have stations on each band with the same call signs in the same market. But one in Toronto and the other in Windsor? That doesn't happen every day. I'm hard pressed to think of another case like this, although I suppose it's possible.
Speaking of which, if VOAR in St. John's, Newfoundland went off the air, could a station in Toronto then use those call letters? "V" was the original designation for Nfld. before they officially joined Canada. But it's a legit call sign in this country, grandfathered in. Could I grab it for somewhere else if the station using it went away? How far does this go?
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Thread Starter- RadioAaron
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Re: Two Cdn. Radio Stations In Different Places Have The Same Call Letters
Does it work that way in the U.S., too?
Once Scott Fybush gets here we'll know for sure, but I think so.
- andysradio
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Re: Two Cdn. Radio Stations In Different Places Have The Same Call Letters
... if VOAR in St. John's, Newfoundland went off the air, could a station in Toronto then use those call letters? "V"
Interesting question. There are many low-power FM stations through out the country that have VF#### calls - exclusively FM.
- MJ Vancouver
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Re: Two Cdn. Radio Stations In Different Places Have The Same Call Letters
It's very common to have stations on each band with the same call signs in the same market. But one in Toronto and the other in Windsor? That doesn't happen every day. I'm hard pressed to think of another case like this, although I suppose it's possible.
This has happened with the CBC. There was previously a TV station in Corner Brook, Newfoundland with the call letters CBYT. There is also a CBC Radio transmitter at the opposite end of the country called CBYT-FM, in Campbell River, BC.
There’s also CBK which is licensed to Watrous, Saskatchewan; CBK-FM is licensed to Regina.
Last edited by MJ Vancouver (December 16, 2024 3:48 pm)