Author Topic: The Great Game Show Depression 2 (Read 11864 times)

Gus · « **Reply #15 on:** June 20, 2005, 09:32:55 PM »

Not exactly K/W switching, but another story in the same vein: WJW in Cleveland had to change call letters in the 1970s due to ownership issues... I think... I wasn't alive then to understand the specifics of the incident, but I know that for some reason, they had to call themselves WJKW until 1987, when, they were allowed to revert back to the old three-letter WJW. Any Clevelanders know what all happened?

Also, a question: is WJW the only FOX station in the US with a three-letter callsign?

BrandonFG · « **Reply #16 on:** June 20, 2005, 09:38:46 PM »

[quote name=\'Gus\' date=\'Jun 20 2005, 08:32 PM\']Not exactly K/W switching, but another story in the same vein: WJW in Cleveland had to change call letters in the 1970s due to ownership issues... I think... I wasn't alive then to understand the specifics of the incident, but I know that for some reason, they had to call themselves WJKW until 1987, when, they were allowed to revert back to the old three-letter WJW. Any Clevelanders know what all happened?

Also, a question: is WJW the only FOX station in the US with a three-letter callsign?

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Didn't a "W" Cleveland station switch their call letters with a station Philly several years ago, thus resulting in Philly getting KYW, and a rare exception to the rule? If it's not Cleveland, then I believe it's a Midwest station that has a "W" instead of "K", and Philly is still KYW.

ObGameShow: Saw a season 1 Whammy! ep. yesterday. It really wasn't that bad.

SRIV94 · « **Reply #17 on:** June 20, 2005, 10:04:26 PM »

[quote name=\'Gus\' date=\'Jun 20 2005, 08:32 PM\']Also, a question: is WJW the only FOX station in the US with a three-letter callsign?

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A quick look at FOX's website shows one other--KDF-TV in Corpus Christi, TX.

Doug

Fedya · « **Reply #18 on:** June 20, 2005, 10:04:51 PM »

[quote name=\'fostergray82\' date=\'Jun 20 2005, 08:38 PM\'] If it's not Cleveland, then I believe it's a Midwest station that has a "W" instead of "K", and Philly is still KYW.

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I don't know if it's what you're thinking of, but there is a WHO in Des Moines.

SRIV94 · « **Reply #19 on:** June 20, 2005, 10:07:47 PM »

Now that I think about it, didn't WKYC in Cleveland (which also shares the same channel number as KYW/Philadelphia) have the original KYW calls?

Paging Don Howard. . .

Doug

dzinkin · « **Reply #20 on:** June 20, 2005, 10:09:51 PM »

[quote name=\'SRIV94\' date=\'Jun 20 2005, 10:04 PM\'][quote name=\'Gus\' date=\'Jun 20 2005, 08:32 PM\']Also, a question: is WJW the only FOX station in the US with a three-letter callsign?

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A quick look at FOX's website shows one other--KDF-TV in Corpus Christi, TX.

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The official call letters (per 100000watts.com) are actually K47DF, not KDF. Can the station ID as KDF on air, or do the real calls have to be somewhere on-screen at least?

rugrats1 · « **Reply #21 on:** June 20, 2005, 10:59:08 PM »

[quote name=\'dzinkin\' date=\'Jun 20 2005, 09:09 PM\']The official call letters (per 100000watts.com) are actually K47DF, not KDF. Can the station ID as KDF on air, or do the real calls have to be somewhere on-screen at least?
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They can do anything they want on air, as long as they announce the legal calls at least once an hour.

clemon79 · « **Reply #22 on:** June 20, 2005, 11:05:13 PM »

[quote name=\'rugrats1\' date=\'Jun 20 2005, 07:59 PM\']They can do anything they want on air, as long as they announce the legal calls at least once an hour.
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Do they have to be ANNOUNCED, like a radio station legal, or can they be displayed on-screen?

Don Howard · « **Reply #23 on:** June 20, 2005, 11:54:34 PM »

[quote name=\'Gus\' date=\'Jun 20 2005, 08:32 PM\']Not exactly K/W switching, but another story in the same vein: WJW in Cleveland had to change call letters in the 1970s due to ownership issues... I think... I wasn't alive then to understand the specifics of the incident, but I know that for some reason, they had to call themselves WJKW until 1987, when, they were allowed to revert back to the old three-letter WJW. Any Clevelanders know what all happened?

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The story is this. Once upon a time, there was a CBS television affiliate in Cleveland with the call letters WJW owned by the same company which had an AM radio station at 850 on your dial called WJW. In 1977, there was an ownership change at either the radio or TV station and since WJW Radio had the call letters first and since both outlets were no longer owned by the same company, WJW Television ei8ht became WJKW-TV 8. This remained so until 1985 when the WJW Radio talk programming moved over to clear channel {before those were dirty words} 1100 WWWE and the 1100 squad--except for Pete Franklin's Sportsline--were kicked over to AM 850, which then changed their call letters from WJW to WRMR. Since this freed up the WJW designation, TV 8 jumped on that dude and took those letters back for their use.
Quick post script: In 1994, TV 8 was owned by New World. Just before Labor Day of that year, they were the first CBS affiliate to switch to FOX. In the ensuing months, all of the New World affiliates would follow suit.

ObGameShows: Dick Goddard hosted Bowling For Dollars on TV 8 from 1977 to 1979. The highest jackpot was won by a lucky bowler who earned just over $3000 (split with a Pin Pal in the home audience).

Unrealtor · « **Reply #24 on:** June 21, 2005, 12:33:16 AM »

[quote name=\'dzinkin\' date=\'Jun 20 2005, 09:09 PM\']The official call letters (per 100000watts.com) are actually K47DF, not KDF. Can the station ID as KDF on air, or do the real calls have to be somewhere on-screen at least?

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K13VC in Austin was "KVC" every time but the legal ID (and even then the audio used "KVC-TV 13").

ObGameShow: KVC ran Osmond Pyramid opposite The Price Is Right, before it got kicked off the air in favor of the digital broadcasts of a Univision O&O that bills itself as Killeen-Austin, but is barely recievable in both cities, thanks to the fact that they are 60 miles apart.

DjohnsonCB · « **Reply #25 on:** June 21, 2005, 01:20:46 AM »

[quote name=\'Fedya\' date=\'Jun 20 2005, 09:04 PM\'][quote name=\'fostergray82\' date=\'Jun 20 2005, 08:38 PM\'] If it's not Cleveland, then I believe it's a Midwest station that has a "W" instead of "K", and Philly is still KYW.

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I don't know if it's what you're thinking of, but there is a WHO in Des Moines.

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Not only does Des Moines still have two TV stations beginning with W, they also have only three letters (WOI and WHO). They *could* change them to four-letter calls beginning with a K, but as was proven with the name change in one of their shopping centers and probably has been by now with the new name for their Sec Taylor Stadium, most folks there would likely just keep using the old name.

Despite this, Davenport's WOC became KWQC some years ago, whereas my current NBC station WOWT only met the change halfway; it was WOW until 1975.
Come to think of it, didn't Richie Cunningham have a DJ job on a radio station with those calls on an old "Happy Days"?

Ian Wallis · « **Reply #26 on:** June 21, 2005, 08:51:46 AM »

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Despite this, Davenport's WOC became KWQC some years ago, whereas my current NBC station WOWT only met the change halfway; it was WOW until 1975.
Come to think of it, didn't Richie Cunningham have a DJ job on a radio station with those calls on an old "Happy Days"?

Yes, in a 1975 episode. They also used the calls WZAZ on one episode. The fake calls KXIU were used on TV shows a lot too, but "I Dream of Jeannie" made a mistake with them. That show was set in Coco Beach, Florida, but used the fake "K" calls on an episode.

OK, maybe I watch things TOO closely!

ObGame Shows: Henry Winkler of "Happy Days" produced the last two years of "Hollywood Squares".

DrBear · « **Reply #27 on:** June 21, 2005, 10:46:30 AM »

The WZAZ call letters also make a ton of appearances in the Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker movies ("Airplane!" where WZAZ is the station "where disco lives forever") and it's entirely possible that the three, who are Wisconsin natives, might have had something to do with "Happy Days," although I don't know what.

ObGameShow: Robert Hays, who starred in "Airplane!" is no relation to Richard Hayes, who hosted "The Baby Game."

mystery7 · « **Reply #28 on:** June 21, 2005, 11:50:22 AM »

[quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Jun 20 2005, 10:05 PM\'][quote name=\'rugrats1\' date=\'Jun 20 2005, 07:59 PM\']They can do anything they want on air, as long as they announce the legal calls at least once an hour.
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Do they have to be ANNOUNCED, like a radio station legal, or can they be displayed on-screen?

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Both is best, but as long as the ID is given in at least one form at the top of the hour, everything's cool. Lots of stations do a quick bottom-screen ID (5 sec.) at the start of primetime shows since networks rarely ever take that "10-second pause for station identification", and go from one show right into the next.

And for what it's worth, an ID consists of call letters and city of license - no need for channel number.

Don Howard · « **Reply #29 on:** June 21, 2005, 12:25:53 PM »

[quote name=\'DrBear\' date=\'Jun 21 2005, 09:46 AM\']ObGameShow: Robert Hays, who starred in "Airplane!" is no relation to Richard Hayes, who hosted "The Baby Game."

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Plus! Robert co-starred with Donna Pescow on Angie, where in one episode their families competed on Family Feud with guest stars Richard Dawson and Gene Wood.