Station identification is the practice of any type of radio station that identifies itself, usually with a call sign. In this sense, a radio transmitter is any device authorized to broadcast anywhere in the radio spectrum, on any band, by any means and for any purpose whatsoever. Station identification is used due to the large number of signals available over-the-air. Not only radio and television signals are broadcast, but also radio signals from police, emergency services and private companies as well as amateur radio signals. The FCC has recognized the need for anyone hearing a live signal to be able to set a certain amount of time and immediately know which transmitter is being listened to and where the signal is coming from. On radio, the ID at the top of the hour must include the full and legal call sign (including all relevant suffixes, especially „FM“) as assigned by the FCC, followed by the station`s licensing community. Letters of appeal must be issued individually; Even if call letters are pronounced as a word for trademark purposes (like WHAM in Rochester, New York, which is pronounced like „Wham“), the legal identity must still spell out the individual letters. An example of correct identification of spoken word radio stations in the United States would be „WMAS-FM Enfield Springfield“ or „WLAN-FM Lancaster“. Often, these identifications can be artificially moved to be faster, to integrate more advertising or promotion into the sequence. Two-way land mobile devices (including public safety vehicles and business vehicles) must be identified by call sign. In the case of the GMRS service, this must be done by each station in the same way as amateur practice, with a time limit of fifteen minutes. Repeater systems used in land mobile radio and amateur radio services often have arrangements to announce the repeater call sign, either in voice code or Morse code. According to the FCC, broadcasters (and almost all other types of licensed stations) must provide clear and easy-to-understand station identification announcements.
It is in this context that the famous line, initiated and used as a „warning“ from radio networks to local affiliates, is inscribed: „We are now pausing for the identification of stations.“ Station identification is a practice prescribed by the Federal Communications Commission for all television and radio stations in the United States. Each translator (television and radio) must be identified separately or in conjunction with the „parent“ station. Example: KLMN Television is licensed and serves the Pleasantville, Minnesota market. It also wants to serve the community of Blue Lake, Minnesota, which is outside the main broadcast area of the lead translator in Pleasantville. Prairie Pioneer Broadcasting, the company that owns KLMN, will receive a low-power translator in Blue Lake to retransmit the main signal. Prairie Pioneer Broadcasting has two options: (1) run a legal ID that displays the correct station information for the parent KLMN signal and Blue Lake Translator, or (2) split the stream and send separate identifications on each station. The same goes for radio stations. Because digital radio technology allows a radio station to broadcast analog and digital at the same time, listeners can use their current radios to receive analog signals from radio stations that broadcast analog and digital signals. Receivers are marketed that include both reception modes, with the ability to automatically switch to analog signal if the digital signal cannot be detected or is lost by the receiver. For more information on digital radio, see www.fcc.gov/media/radio/digital-radio. Simply put, the legal ID is the legal call sign of a station, followed by the city for which the station is licensed. The only things allowed between calls and OCOL are the licensee`s name, frequency and channel number.
If a station is broadcast simultaneously, you must specify the frequency in each station`s ID. Citizen-band radio[9] no longer requires station or broadcasting identification, but operators are „encouraged“ to identify transmissions using one of the following methods: a previously assigned call sign, prefix „K“, followed by the initials and postal code of residence of the operator, the name of the operator or „description of the organization, including the name of the operator`s unit and, where appropriate, the number of the control unit.` The use of a „handle“ (nickname) is encouraged by CB Rule 17 only in conjunction with these methods, not alone. Most CB operators prefer self-assigned handles that reflect an aspect of their personality. It is generally considered a violation of CB etiquette to use real names, including those of the user. All television and radio stations have converted their political files to the online inspection file. Commercial radio stations in the top 50 radio markets defined by Nielsen Audio (formerly Arbitron) with 5 or more full-time employees have completed the conversion of all their policy files to the online file. All other radio stations were exempt from online filing until March 1, 2018, when they were required to upload new public files and policies to the online site in the future. With respect to their existing policy records as of 1 March 2018, these broadcasters have the option of uploading those existing documents to the online file or continuing to keep them in the broadcaster`s local public record until the end of the two-year retention period. Originally, the advent of digital television required broadcasters simulating both analog and digital on the same channel to include both call signs in all identifications. Both channels have the same basic call signs, with the only difference being the analog ending in „-TV“ and the digital ending in „-DT“ (originally „-HD“). Low-power plants are identified by the identifier „-LD“. After the digital transition in June 2009, broadcasters had a unique opportunity offered by the FCC to either retain the -DT designation on their digital signal or change analog calls with the suffix „-TV“ or without the suffix, if applicable.
In addition, a broadcaster could add the suffix „-TV“ to its calls for standardization between broadcasting groups, even if those calls were not shared by an FM or AM radio station. The PSIP also permanently carries the digitally encoded station ID. The first two standards are voluntary and interchangeable, and the broadcaster can only identify all channels by the basic call sign, although it is encouraged to distinguish each channel on the main channel (or for analogue LP/Class A stations broadcast digitally as a subchannel on an LMA sister or partner station). The main channel generally does not use a .1/-1 or DT1 suffix to identify itself beyond some PBS member stations, such as PBS stations in Milwaukee and smaller stations that sell subchannel space to other stations for their own switched programming. More robust electronic program guide data provided by a manufacturer or smart TV system (e.g. The Rokus backend TV firmware) over a broadband connection may be provided outside the PSIP stream to identify the broadcaster, but are not considered a standalone legal identification of the broadcaster. Like television, radio stations must also identify themselves throughout the broadcast day. The FCC defines the requirements in this regard in 47 CFR Part 73.1201. Here`s the breakdown: As people become more and more glued to their computers and other mobile devices, TV and radio stations digitally „broadcast“ or encode their content and retransmit it via a website. This happens for a variety of reasons and serves many different purposes.
Typically, this happens because the audience can receive more information (advertising and content) at the same time. While not so long ago, the media used their website to supplement the broadcast signal, more and more broadcasters are using their broadcast signal to complement their website.