call letters

American  

plural noun

1. letters of the alphabet or such letters in combination with numbers for identifying a radio or television station, an amateur radio transmitting device, or the like.

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call letters British  

plural noun

1. the call sign of an American or Canadian radio station, esp that of a commercial broadcasting station

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Etymology

Origin of call letters

First recorded in 1910–15

Example Sentences

In his late 20s, he was working as an engineer in Kansas City at a station owned by MacMillan Petroleum Co. — which managed to land the local call letters KMPC.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 11, 2024

The call letters for WHYY, the PBS TV and NPR radio stations broadcasting from Philadelphia, stand, ambitiously, for “Wider Horizons for You and Yours.”

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 12, 2024

KGAY’s call letters aren’t a fluke but a savvy marketing tool.

From New York Times • Feb. 7, 2024

“We could have stayed in Belltown but it would have been difficult advancing that vision there. A lot of people don’t even know we exist. When I mention our call letters I still get, ‘Who?’

From Seattle Times • Aug. 15, 2023

He saw its call letters over the entrance of an office building, so he went in.

From "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut