What do all those abbreviations in radio stations' names mean?

Question

This fact always interested me: WKNU, KPGN, KOAC, etc. are a kind of names that are hard to remember and if you hear it for the first time, it would probably confuse you. Why not just give them more recognizable names like: "Jazz FM", "Radio Freedom", etc. It would make a lot more sense.
And where did this habit come from (naming stations using abbreviations)? Thank you in advance.

Answer 1

The letters are just a way of identifying the station. That dates back to radio's first days, when KDKA signed on in 1920. Ham radio operators have call signs as well. Once the station is on the air, it usually identifies itself by the call letters at least once an hour. However, the rest of the time, it can call itself anything it wants -- Mix 104, Sports Radio 550, whatever.

When a new owner takes over a station, it can keep the old call letters -- which has some advantages because the listeners know it -- or it can request a change. Sometimes, the letters are taken for a reason. WLS in Chicago was picked because it stood for World's Largest Store (I forget the department store that also owned the station). WBEN in Buffalo used to be owned by the Buffalo Evening News. Some just fit with the geography -- I would guess Seattle took KING (all new stations west of the Mississippi start with K) because it was easy to promote.

Answer 2

I'd only add to the answers you've already gotten, that some radio and television stations are able to come up with a four letter combination that somewhat accurately reflect their location, and that is if these letter combinations are available. There are three tv stations in my state that do this WSYM means Say Yes to Michigan. WLAJ means Lansing and Jackson. WLNS means Lansing. Most stations east of the Mississippi River start with the letter W (the only exception I can think of is radio station KDKA in Pittsburgh). The stations west of the river begin with K. One other note, when radio station WJR in Detroit launched a television station in the 50's, they used the call letters WJRT, which I guess means WJR television.

Answer 3

What letter the name of a station starts with depends on where it is located. If I remember rightly, the system derives from an old method of identifying ships at see. Ships on the Atlantic were assigned letter codes starting with W and Ships on the Pacific got codes with a K. Then they started using the same system for radio stations on either side of the atlantic. So now you've got stations like WBUR (Boston/Atlantic) and KCSB (Santa Barbara/Pacific).

Answer 4

These are official FCC call signs. And must be used at certain intervals for station identification.
Some variations and letters may be in the form of "vanity signs" but must be approved and registered with the FCC.

Answer 5

Call signs for radio,television, and Amateur Radio Operator call signs are issued by the FCC Federal Communication Commission.

Answer 6

That is the stations FCC license number.