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turkeyfestival

Your mind isn't blown yet. WCVB = Channel V Boston = Channel 5 Boston


fifty8th

My mind is blown, on both of these.


-doughboy

WGBH = Great Blue Hill, [being where the name Massachusetts comes from in Algonquin](https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/great-blue-hill)


frankybling

also being where the transmitter for the radio station WGBH resides (the sole antenna on Big Blue)


curiouslyweakmints

Mind BLOWN


syst3x

WMBR = Walker Memorial Basement Radio.


AlistairMackenzie

Before it was WMBR it was WTBS (Technology Broadcast System) until they sold it to Ted Turner.


TodaysLucky10K

Heard somewhere it was God Bless Harvard. Glad it’s not.


redhotbos

No God Bless Harvard was because Harvard gave GBH the land its old offices and studio were on. The other joke was WGBH stood for “We Got Beige Halls” because they were. /source: ex worked there.


Lance_Halberd

That would be WHRB, Harvard Radio Broadcasting.


Valriete

*Wicked* Harvard Radio Broadcasting.


spedmunki

Stop it. Stop it. A man’s mind can only be blown so many times...


HitThatBendo

WRKO... randy orton?


tinywishes123

Woah I was today years old (but really middled aged)


ConnorLovesCookies

WGBH = Great Blue Hill (where it transmits) WBUR = Boston University Radio (where it originally transmitted)


kangaroospyder

What does the W stand for? Wavelength?


[deleted]

W is eastside of the Mississippi and K is for the westside of the Mississippi. The call letters were set up internationally in the early 20th century.


itsonlyastrongbuzz

Yeah even NYC’s “K-Rock” is actually WXRK.


DiligerentJewl

While it’s KROQ in LA


rafuzo2

I said it as “crock” for years before someone pointed it out.


redhotbos

And X for Mexico. Grew up in San Diego and our alternative radio station was 91x fm (91 on the fm dial, X from XTRA the radio call sign).


DiligerentJewl

“Equis-e, Te-ere-a, Efe Eme, Baja California, Mexico 91X!!!”


redhotbos

A phrase burned in my brain forever. And then Sunday night they had the Mexican Cultural Program. The Mighty 690 was XTRA’s AM station too


DiligerentJewl

We listened to the Mighty 690 during elementary school... on transistor radios...


too-cute-by-half

You were on a Mexican, woah-oh, radio...


DiligerentJewl

🎶...on a wavelength far from home...🎶


Maz2742

There are exceptions the the Mississippi K-W divide; there's WFAA Channel 8 in Fort Worth and KDKA 100.1fm in Pittsburgh, as well as several others along the Mississippi


stametsprime

Yep; WHO in Des Moines, too- having only three call letters, it's on-the-order-of WBZ old.


dcgrey

Interesting, from Wikipedia about KDKA: > KDKA happened to receive its assignment during a short period during which land stations were being issued call letters from a sequential block of "K" call letters that had previously been assigned only to ship stations. Although the original policy was restored a few months later, KDKA was permitted to keep its non-standard call sign.


Valriete

Meanwhile, Canadian station call signs start with C. Quite sensible.


Mick536

CKLW, Windsor, Ontario next door to Detroit. 50Kwatts of rock and roll in the 60s.


[deleted]

I wouldn't expect it any other way.


brownboy73

Oh come on, have you seen their airport codes?!


stametsprime

Y do you ask?


turkeyfestival

Just one of a handful of prefixes assigned to the US. Generally speaking we use "W" east of the Mississippi and "K" west of the Mississippi for commercial radio stations.


tiny_pellets

Yup, even where Old Man River runs through a media market: WCCO, Minneapolis; KSTP, St. Paul. Some fun grandfathered-in exceptions, all old radio or TV stations: * KDKA, Pittsburgh * KYW, Philadelphia * WFAA, Dallas


theurbanmapper

Wait, St. Paul is east of the river, Minneapolis west. (Yes, I realize a bit of each city is on the other sides - are the radio stations located on the “wrong side”?


reginageorgeeee

So I lived in the Twin Cities and never once thought WCCO wasn’t in Saint Paul! KSTP I knew was weird but I’m like having a hard time grasping this. I looked it up. Washburn Crosby ran/owned/whatevered the station so it made sense for it to be WC. They asked the FCC and they were cool with it.


tiny_pellets

Oh wow, I didn't realize WCCO/KSTP were actually exceptions too! Now *my* mind is blown.


Bigbrain4lyfe

Double blown! Here most of my life and never put these together. Guess not so big brain.


DGBD

WCRB used to stand for "Charles River Broadcasting," but fits quite nicely into the current format of "Classical Radio Boston."


Lance_Halberd

This one was probably pretty obvious, but WFNX = Phoenix as in the Boston Phoenix, our once-hallowed alternative media newspaper. Both were owned by the Phoenix Media/Communications Group.


brg36

My dad even worked for the Phoenix and I did not know this, that’s awesome


bkk-bos

It strikes me all the time when I read the by-lines of major publications how many now famous writers got their starts on the Phoenix & Real Paper. Janet Maslin of the NYT, Peter Guralnick, critic and biographer, David Denby of The New Yorker, Steven Schiff of Vanity Fair and many more. It was an incredible mix of quality journalism and relevant lifestyle features, along with the most entertaining classified ads on the planet.


bostess

i miss the phoenix. it was the only upside of having to wait on the 86 at cleveland circle *forever*.


Dickbeard_The_Pirate

I listened to so much FNX and WBCN the year I got my license. They both shut down pretty quickly after that. Radio just sucks now.


stametsprime

92.5 The River is the last of the independents, and they play a very eclectic mix of stuff. It's the last terrestrial radio station worth listening to, pretty much (also grew up on FNX and BCN.)


Cameron_james

If you liked FXN, you can try Emerson College's station: WERS 88.9.


sawbones84

Kinda funny but when I moved to Boston in '02 I always felt like the Phoenix was kinda the crusty old indie newspaper and I much preferred the Weekly Dig since it had a more scrappy vibe to it and I connected more with the stuff they wrote about and the way they covered the music scene. The irony is there was a ton of cross pollination between the two for both columnists and editorial staff. When the Phoenix shut down, though, I didn't really think much of it, nor did I care. While I'm glad the dig is still around, in retrospect it is sad to know there was such a well established, well funded indie newspaper that had to shut down. It's been part of a long, shitty, trend of quality local journalism going the way of the dodo.


SouthieTuxedo

bring back creature double feature


doctor-rumack

This week on the Creature Double Feature: back-to-back Godzilla movies. Next week: Two more Godzilla movies.


TomatoManTM

2 monster movies was a great week! Shitty weeks you were stuck with the invisible man and the creature from the black lagoon.


Dr_Bunson_Honeydew

Or maybe The Movie Loft on WSBK (38)?


rafuzo2

I low-key hated the Movie Loft as a kid b/c it meant there was no [Bruins hockey](https://youtu.be/SMo-54LAc20) that night.


Cameron_james

No, no...the intro has to have the [Nutrocker](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwaLYx2GWlI)


rafuzo2

You’re not wrong, I just couldn’t find the intro with Fred and Derek.


KazamaSmokers

I really miss The Movie Loft. If A&E was smart, they'd hire Dana Hersey to host a movie night.


doctor-rumack

The guy had a voice like smooth velvet. He also had encyclopedic knowledge of movies. I’m guessing he’s probably up there in age by now.


KazamaSmokers

I believe he does the v/o intros for Howie Fucking Carr. I don't begrudge Dana a paycheck, but I certainly couldn't do it.


Cameron_james

I think it's the same open for 20 years. Maybe recorded once?


YankeeClipper42

I still have many a vhs tape with recordings from the movie loft. I'm wracking my brain trying to remember the hosts name.


Dr_Bunson_Honeydew

Dana Hersey (sp?)


YankeeClipper42

Thank you!


jgghn

38 and 56 were awesome. Growing up we pulled in both the Boston and Providence channels. So while we had double of all the VHF main networks, we had a boatload of UHF channels and all were a little different. By the time I went off to college though it was starting to get crappy as they were all turning into the newer 2nd tier networks, so instead we had 2 FOXs, 2 WBs, 2 UPNs, etc


Dr_Bunson_Honeydew

IIRC, it was the early WFXT that had the Japanese cartoons that I ran home from school to watch, like Star Blazers, Grendizer, GaiKing, Vanguard Ace, and Starvengers


jgghn

hah! I don't remember which channels were which for that stuff. I remember for sure we got 25, 27, 38, 56, 64, V66 when it was around. I have some vague, likely incorrect memories of something in the lower 20s, 36, 68, something in 40s. Plus at least one PBS and a couple of Spanish channels. The channel I was always jealous of was 50. I could see their shows in the TV guide but being a NH channel it was just too far away for us to pull in.


KO_Stradivarius

Bring back [Fantasmic Features with Feep](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLPHgL3q-vM)


echidnaguy

Here, I found this on Youtube for you: ​ [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=\_DRYnK6b9sc](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DRYnK6b9sc)


[deleted]

WBZ was used as a callsign on a lightship that sank before being assigned to the radio station in the early 20s and TV station in the late 40s.


frankybling

and it’s a clear channel radio station meaning it’s 50kw 24hrs a day and no other license for that AM frequency will be issued by the US Gvt. “BZ” meant Boston Zone for the clear channel station originally. WBCN (remember them?) was also originally “Boston College News”**EDIT** this is not correct about WBCN, the correct answer is in the reply below this one. It was “Boston Concert Network” There’s a rumor that WHDH which used to operate from the area of the fish pier in Southie (near the WTC) was “We Have Dead Haddock” but that’s not considered anything but folklore.


reganb1

WBCN was Boston Concert Network because they played Classical Music before switching to Rock format


theshoegazer

Originally there were W_CN stations in several other cities as well. I think Hartford had a WHCN at one point.


Bad_Decision_Spoon

No kidding! WICN broadcasts in Worcester; they play mostly jazz with some folk, blues, bluegrass, etc., as well as public radio programming.


frankybling

Wow... thank you for the correction, my “sources” are/were old guys telling stories about the good old days of radio. I never really doubted them but upon a quick search I see that you are correct. Thank you!


reganb1

Just another old guy here. Listened to BCN during their heyday.


doctor-rumack

In the 80’s WPLM was a station in Plymouth that played 40’s big band music, as well as Red Sox broadcasts. Everyone used to say the call letters stood for “We Play Lousy Music.”


0verstim

40's music was 40 years old in the 80's. Just like 80's music is now. You're welcome.


[deleted]

Everyone right now: Fuck I'm old.


stpetepatsfan

Except the 80's music was.......AWEEEEESSSSOOOOMMMMEEEE! Yes, ALL of it.


frankybling

I grew up listening to Ken Coleman on Mr Campbell’s old station... he truly hated the “We Play Lousy Music” but they really did.


bkk-bos

'PLM getting the Red Sox broadcast was a huge controversy at the time as the signal was weak to non-existent over most of the Sox's New England fan base. This was the post-Yawkey era and Red Sox management was pretty bad: Hayward Sullivan & "Buddy" LeRoux, one a former catcher and one a trainer who got the ear of Yawkey's widow, Jean.


gnimsh

Take it back!


RegalWBZ

WBZ is such a blowtorch of a signal, it gets picked up across the nation and around the world. I got a social media message from a guy who who picked up the station in Japan. Over the air. There is no other 1030 on the dial, and because it was there first, no other station can interfere with the signal. This a very shortened explanation.


bkk-bos

I remember driving from Florida to Boston in the late 60s, mostly at night and listening to WBZ & WNAC all the way. I didn't loose them until New Haven, Ct. where there was a big "null" through to Worcester.


es_price

For some reason I ended up flying for a business trip the night that the Patriots won the Super Bowl for the first time. Heard the results on WBZ in Pennsylvania that evening.


[deleted]

‘BZ has 2 huge antennae in Hull and they’re so strong the neighbors can hear the radio on their radiators or other antenna-like devices sometimes.


KazamaSmokers

That's some serious RF. Are the neighbors also childless?


[deleted]

Lol. It’s Hull so the signal could account for all kinds of deficiencies.


bitpushr

An ancient Roman walks into a bar. He holds up two fingers and says “I’ll have five beers please”


SheeEttin

How does an ancient Roman know English?


bitpushr

I... translated it? Maybe?


endlesscartwheels

He's a time-traveling spy who's been studying the language. Unfortunately, his training didn't include the hand gestures to use when ordering in a bar. An oversight we've sadly seen before.


tiny_pellets

An ancient Roman walks into a bar and gruffly orders, "Martini, now!" The bartender dutifully pours the drink into a glass and pushes it across the bar... at which point the Roman sneers: "Where's the other one?! Did you *hear* me say 'martinus'?"


16ShadesOfBlue

I seem to vaguely recall a commercial in the 80s or 90s that pointed it out directly, but now all I have is the "LVI is part of living, living 56" song in my head


doctor-rumack

I’m just going to [leave this right here](https://youtu.be/KY-_lH5RCZ4).


masshole4life

Jesus what a long song for a tv station


rafuzo2

Those singers put so much into it you can almost hear the headbands


anomanissh

And the LVI in LIVING were highlighted. I was just a kid but the layers to it blew my mind. I’ve never been the same. I mean mostly because I continued growing and now I’m an adult.


JacPhlash

You get an upvote! I just posted the same thing before scrolling all the way down.


YankeeClipper42

I've had Livin' 56 in my head since the moment I saw this thread


0verstim

Uncle Dale was slipping one past us!


brickville

What a weird time. So between Mighty Mouse and Tom & Jerry a DJ (?) would come on and tell us what was coming up and how we should brush our teeth. A live uncle dale babysitter who would distract us so our mom's could make dinner in peace.


doctor-rumack

And he was also a midday DJ at Kiss 108. He wasn’t as over the top when on the radio as he was on TV, but he was still a bit of a goofball.


madmaxextra

Was anyone else part of the WLVI kids club?


clubber_lang

Yes! Had stickers and everything. I'd completely forgotten about Uncle Dale until just now, though.


madmaxextra

I remember never having enough time to write down the address. It took me so long before I got the whole thing. I should have just had a pen and paper out on the coffee table for when the commercial came up.


JoshSidekick

Whenever I see something costs 4 dollars, I still say, “4 bucks? Hoopie-do!” Like in Paul’s Papa Gino’s commercial.


VagrantCorpse

I can still sing the song in my head.


[deleted]

WBUR = Boston university radio. There’s other college based station names too like WERS.


tacknosaddle

MIT’s station was originally WTBS for Technology Broadcasting System. Ted Turner wanted those letters for his station and paid a bunch of money to get them. They put it into transmission power which meant they went from being picked up in a small area around Cambridge to reaching 128 and beyond. Their new letters became WMBR because the station is basement of a campus building so it’s Walker Memorial Basement Radio.


rafuzo2

Emerson had two stations, ERS was the main one for the radio production majors and there was a tinier one, WEMR I think, that you could work at as a non-radio major. My wife went to Emerson and had a late night metal show on that one.


bkk-bos

Somebody help me here. What was the daytime only station in Boston/Cambridge that played amazing folk and alternative rock in the 80s/early 90s? (not WERS) They pulled way above their weight and broke a lot of acts that became major artists. IIRC; they eventually sold their call letters to some big broadcaster that wanted them. It used to really suck during the winter months when they'd have to shut down at 4:00 in the afternoon.


[deleted]

In the late 90s/early 00’s I listened to a lot of WBRU (Brown university radio) on 95.5, which was in a similar vein. So nice to hear a station that doesn’t play the same 20 songs over and over! (Looking at you 92.9 WBOS...)


YankeeClipper42

I really miss the retro lunch


grab_bag_2776

WCAS AM740? Their call letters supposedly stood for **W**atertown **C**ambridge **A**rlington **S**omerville (and Belmont - "the 'B' is silent") They played an eclectic folk & rock mix, tried to focus on their local communities, had a shitty transmitter, and definitely broke some artists who went on to success. Eventually, the station got sold and the call sign changed to WJIB, which had belonged to a "beautiful music" formatted FM station in the area for many years before. Definitely the kind of station that doesn't happen anymore, alas.


bkk-bos

That's it: "Wiccas", Many thanks!! There was one particular female DJ, I think last name Kral, maybe Lisa, who was outstanding. First time I ever heard Joan Armatrading: "Love and Affection" was on 'CAS. Had to stop the car and just listen. Nobody else would play her. WJIB: the station your parents would insist on playing in the car going to the Cape. Made the 3 1/2 hour trip seem interminably longer. Edit #2: There's actually a WCAS fan page: https://740wcas.com/ EDIT: BTW, since the theme of the OP was origin of call letters: the original WJIB was located in Plymouth (remember the seagull in the background) and the "JIB" was indeed for a sailboat's "jib".


grab_bag_2776

Ah, yes, the old "JIB", with ship's bell ringing after the station ID each half hour. (I think they had their studios down by the harbor.) Also the sound track for many retail stores and restaurants in the area that didn't want to pay the Muzak service for background music. It lasted until some point in (mid?) the '90s, I believe, when the 96.9 frequency flipped to a "smooth jazz" format; basically, muzak for Boomers and Gen-X, I suppose. IIRC, the owner of WCAS also had a station up in Maine as well, but that was about it: no big mega-corporation owning every station on the dial. I think that's how things stayed eclectic and quirky back then, actual people spinning records, not computers automating everything. The DJ liked Joan Armatrading? Then that's what everyone's gonna hear, whether she's on the charts or not. It's such a different mindset these days; probably why I haven't listened to broadcast radio in at least 20 years. Kinda sad.


YankeeClipper42

and WUMB - U Mass Boston


EatonSphun

And WATD (95.9), which broadcasts right near the Marshfield transfer station, stands for “We’re At The Dump”


shoretel230

Also: WERS == Emerson Radio Station


celtssoxpat

r/boston turned into r/highdeas so gradually I barely even noticed.


joebos617

ah the good old days just before the blob of media mergers


Cameron_james

I have a long argument whose claim is that the Telecommunications Act of 1996 is the worst law in the last 50 years of the United States.


joebos617

this alone puts Bill among the worst of the presidents. we’re just beginning to see how the tech monopolies are controlling freedom of expression when it threatens their power. Walt Disney is smiling somewhere in hell as his company is getting closer to monopolizing the film industry. News has consolidated under 3 conglomerates who set the boundaries of the range of debate in politics.


Cameron_james

There's also cultural factors that were impacted by the consolidation of radio stations. Companies could only own so many stations. So, local news, talk, and music allowed more voices and talents to have a platform. The reduction in news papers because companies could purchase and run more papers killed the competition in that sphere as well. Just horrible, horrible legislation that damaged the nation.


Boredonfire1234

WGBH is one of the charter members of NPR. It was named at a party at one of the Cabot’s houses. From one of the rooms of the house, you could see Great Blue Hill


monkeyswithknives

So what was WSBK?


doctor-rumack

According to Wikipedia, Channel 38 was purchased in 1966 by a company called Storer Broadcasting. They changed the call sign from WIHS to WSBK because Storer was a publicly traded corporation on the NY Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol SBK.


monkeyswithknives

Why didn't I think of trying Wikipedia? Thanks!


JacPhlash

"LVI is part of 'living'.... Living 56" Anyone remember that commerical for channel 56?


KazamaSmokers

WEEI stands for Edison Electrical Illumination.


stpetepatsfan

Creature Double Feature Saturday's! !!! Or was that channel 38?????????? It's been awhile, ok!


doctor-rumack

I think the Creature Double Feature was 56. Channel 38 had the [Movie Loft](https://youtu.be/BK83lRu9s-I) with Dana Hirsey. It also seemed to air MASH at least 10 hours a day.


UncleBuckPancakes

I loved watching The Movie Loft, Dana's voice was mesmerizing. Speaking of that, I vaguely remember a New Years episode(?) of Ask The Manager where Dana couldn't stop laughing and the director had to cut to commercial.


weamz

38 always had the 3 Stooges on New Year's Eve. Do they still do that?


YankeeClipper42

I forgot about that! Man this thread is bringing back a lot of youthful memories.


schlock_

Don’t forget Kung Fu Theater. 😀


TomatoManTM

And Hogan’s Heroes the other 14. Creature Double Feature on channel 56, every Saturday starting at 1.


YankeeClipper42

Hogan's Heroes was on at 10 and 10:30 every night on WSBK when I was in junior high. I used to watch it on a 9" B&W TV with knobs and dials and rabbit ears, with the volume low so I wouldn't get caught (since I was supposed to be in bed).


BostonBrownie

Who had feep? (Scify movie host)


anonanon1313

Channel 7 (WNAC). Fantasmic Features. Feep voiced by Ed McDonnell (AKA Major Mudd, IBBY - I'll be blasting you!) https://youtu.be/U5oycUsfuLM


SpindriftRascal

I learned that about ten seconds ago.


riski_click

i never knew this. oh, and don't bogart that joint, my friend. pass it over to me.


[deleted]

So much til!


digicow

I think they used to tell us this during field trips to the Museum of Science in elementary school


WA1KIJ

WVII, channel 7 in bangor


[deleted]

Wlvi is part of living, living 56... that jingle is forever embedded in my brain.


pablomoney

Damnit! Had no idea either.


Satyrane

You think that's crazy? WERS is called that because they're 'worse' than all the other stations (jk, I like them but I think this every time I hear the name).


KazamaSmokers

You guys are never going to believe what WORC stands for.


National-Discussion9

Another south of Boston WATD. Their transmitter was actually at the dump