-
Get involved.
We want your input!
Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.
After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.
After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/
Thanks in advance and have fun!
RadioDiscussions Administrators
N1WVQ said:
Most stations are more focused on the programming going out than actual legal IDs. They're just an irritating technicality to them. And nobody really complains.
Classical stations run long symphonies. They don't break in in the middle of a crescendo to announce their legal IDs, it would piss EVERYBODY off. Same with sports games or live concerts.
While the top of the hour rule is still mandatory overall (for most music/talk formats), exceptions can be made for certain programming. Just as long as you announce it once the program is over......
The following is the text of 47 CFR 73.1201, the FCC regulations governing station identification:
Title 47 Code of Federal Regulations
CHAPTER I
SUBCHAPTER C
PART 73
Subpart H
Sec. 73.1201 Station identification.
(a)
When regularly required. Broadcast station identification announcements shall be made:
(1)
At the beginning and ending of each time of operation, and
(2)
hourly, as close to the hour as feasible, at a natural break in program offerings.
Television broadcast stations may make these announcements visually or aurally.
(b)
Content.
(1)
Official station identification shall consist of the station's call letters immediately followed by the community or communities specified in its license as the station's location: Provided, That the name of the licensee or the station's frequency or channel number, or both, as stated on the station's license may be inserted between the call letters and station location. No other insertion is permissible.
(2)
A station may include in its official station identification the name of any additional community or communities, but the community to which the station is licensed must be named first.
(c)
Channel -
(1)
General. Except as otherwise provided in this paragraph, in making the identification announcement the call letters shall be given only on the channel identified thereby.
(2)
Simultaneous AM (535-1605 kHz) and AM (1605-1705 kHz) broadcasts. If the same licensee operates an AM broadcast station in the 535-1605 kHz band an AM broadcast station in the 1605-1705 kHz band with both stations licensed to the same community and simultaneously broadcasts the same programs over the facilities of both such stations, station identification may be made jointly for both stations for such periods of simultaneous operation.
Title 47 Code of Federal Regulations
CHAPTER I
SUBCHAPTER C
PART 73
Subpart H
Sec. 73.1201 Station identification.
(a)
When regularly required. Broadcast station identification announcements shall be made:
(1)
At the beginning and ending of each time of operation, and
(2)
hourly, as close to the hour as feasible, at a natural break in program offerings.
Television broadcast stations may make these announcements visually or aurally.
(b)
Content.
(1)
Official station identification shall consist of the station's call letters immediately followed by the community or communities specified in its license as the station's location: Provided, That the name of the licensee or the station's frequency or channel number, or both, as stated on the station's license may be inserted between the call letters and station location. No other insertion is permissible.
(2)
A station may include in its official station identification the name of any additional community or communities, but the community to which the station is licensed must be named first.
(c)
Channel -
(1)
General. Except as otherwise provided in this paragraph, in making the identification announcement the call letters shall be given only on the channel identified thereby.
(2)
Simultaneous AM (535-1605 kHz) and AM (1605-1705 kHz) broadcasts. If the same licensee operates an AM broadcast station in the 535-1605 kHz band an AM broadcast station in the 1605-1705 kHz band with both stations licensed to the same community and simultaneously broadcasts the same programs over the facilities of both such stations, station identification may be made jointly for both stations for such periods of simultaneous operation.
This is an outdated version of 73.1201. Here's the current version:
http://louise.hallikainen.org/FCC/FccRules/2012/73/1201/
It's been hacked up rather badly to include more permissible insertions (such as network affiliation) and to very vaguely require identification for digital signals.
http://louise.hallikainen.org/FCC/FccRules/2012/73/1201/
It's been hacked up rather badly to include more permissible insertions (such as network affiliation) and to very vaguely require identification for digital signals.
It would seem that technically, IDs for the entire group of stations (such as Jimmy Swaggart's network or Radio Maria) would be illegal and an AM/FM simulcast would need to give the frequencies of both (WLS Chicago 890, WLS-FM Chicago 94.7). Correct?
One legal ID as close as possible to the top of the hour, must be way too much to ask of the current "narrowcasters." God forbid that they should have to do 2 legal I.D.'s, one at the top one at the bottom of the hour, and someplace during the day do a "mechanical reproduction" announcement. Oh and taking transmitter readings twice an hour, how could they EVER survive.
Portions of today's programming have been electronically transcribed or mechanically reproduced, meaning that nothing can go wrong.....go wrong....go wrong :
How far back did your older version go? Frequency is an acceptable insertion at least back to 1996. (I strongly suspect somewhat longer)
To answer my own question, the name of the licensee was indeed a valid insertion in the old rules. I don't see it today, but I've heard it done on major-group stations in this (Nashville) market in the past few months.
To answer my own question, the name of the licensee was indeed a valid insertion in the old rules. I don't see it today, but I've heard it done on major-group stations in this (Nashville) market in the past few months.
There is a talk station near me that is pretty much automated, but they still screw up. Sometimes the ID gets cut off by the top hour jingle and cut in of CBS news.
When they cover sports events the TOH ID will usually blast in over top of the game announcers followed by the lead in to CBS news. Sometimes they get a few sentences into the news before someone cuts the audio to return the station to the game.
When they cover sports events the TOH ID will usually blast in over top of the game announcers followed by the lead in to CBS news. Sometimes they get a few sentences into the news before someone cuts the audio to return the station to the game.
What do you guys think of stations that do the ID way off the hour? I don't know what KKOB does lately, but it used to be that they were aware that it was 5:00, but the ID wouldn't play for another 10 minutes, when they should have played it when they were getting back to the music. Right now, I'm listening to WQSM Fayetteville. It's 1:46 and they are at commercial. I'll bet they do a legal id here in a few minutes. As a matter of fact, here it is at 1:48. WLTE used to be about 20 minutes early on the ID and KCDD would usually be about 7 minutes early.
bobdavcav said:
The rule specifies "a natural break" and not a specific time. The station, as are many others, is obviously thinking that there is no "natural break" in a music sweep. Since this has been going on for a looong time, it's obvious that the FCC is not really that concerned as long as the station does ID once an hour.
From a listener point of view, "who cares?"
It does raise the question, what's the point of having a legal ID requirement at all? If it doesn't happen at a predictable time, and is frequently "buried" such that ordinary listeners can't really tell what the contents are, and the Commission's enforcement staff (what of it there is) have no problems identifying which station is violating the regs even if they don't hear the ID.. then why bother requiring an ID?
I know I've said this before -- we should repeal the ID regulation altogether, at least for stations which transmit their callsign by some other means. (there are existing protocols in the HD Radio stream, in RDS for analog FM, and in the ATSC DTV standard)
I know I've said this before -- we should repeal the ID regulation altogether, at least for stations which transmit their callsign by some other means. (there are existing protocols in the HD Radio stream, in RDS for analog FM, and in the ATSC DTV standard)
Might be a good idea to transmit it digitally. I'd think "letter of the law" would indicate if you have time to do a top of the hour "fake ID" ("another hour of the best hair bend metal in the world on the new Hair 101.7") that you'd have time for the real one "WHHR Westnowhere"
borderblaster said:
Absolutely. If the ID is important enough to require, it needs to be required at a predictable time; if it's not important enough to require at a predictable time, then it's not important enough to require at all.
(as a DXer I really should be sticking up for the rule -- but as a broadcaster it's simply ceased to make sense)
- Status