Before there were TVs and streaming platforms, there was radio. It might not be the popular media source that it once was, but radios have done well to stand the test of time. It\u2019s been more than a century since the first radio communication was made, but there\u2019s a question that\u2019s been plaguing us for a while now. Why do all these stations start with a \u201cK\u201d or \u201cW\u201d? It\u2019s a widespread thing here in the States, and for the longest time, we weren\u2019t sure why.<\/p>\n

The call signs<\/h2>\n

This mystery stems from the days of the telegraph when call signs were used to identify operators. These signs (which were essentially letter sequences) were continued by radio operators as technology developed. They tended to favor ones that already existed, rather than create new combinations.
\nThe repeated use of these signs created confusion, so in the 1910s the Bureau of Navigation decided to start using them for American ships. This is where the \u201cK\u201d and \u201cW\u201d first originated. Ships in the Great Lakes and the Pacific were identified with a \u201cW,\u201d while those in the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic used a \u201cK.\u201d
\nThese specific labeling sequences remained in rotation when commercial radio stations started getting licensed. Although the Western side of the States used \u201cW\u201d and the Eastern side used \u201cK\u201d in regards to ships, their positions were reversed for radio stations. That meant that any commercial station east of the Mississippi River had a \u201cK\u201d affixed to them, while those on the other side had a \u201cW\u201d. The reason for the switch is still unknown.
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