This is a list of broadcast station classes applicable in much of North America under international agreements between the United States, Canada and Mexico. Effective radiated power (ERP) and height above average terrain (HAAT) are listed unless otherwise noted. All radio and television stations within 320 kilometers (about 200 miles) of the U.S.-Canada or U.S.-Mexico border must get approval by both the domestic and foreign agency. These are Industry Canada/Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) in Canada, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the U.S., and the Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes (SCT) in Mexico. Notes - In the Western Hemisphere (ITU region 2), medium wave AM broadcasts are on channels spaced 10 kHz apart from 530 kHz to 1710 kHz, with certain classes restricted to subsets of the available frequencies.
- Class A stations can be found only on the frequencies of 540 kHz, 640 to 780 kHz, 800 to 900 kHz, 940 kHz, 990 to 1140 kHz, 1160 to 1220 kHz, and 1500 to 1580 kHz.
- While Class A stations can only operate at a maximum of 50,000 watts day and night, from 1934 to 1939, Cincinnati's class A station 700 WLW broadcast at 500,000 watts under an experimental license. The signal was able to cover the entire continent and reach overseas, but was soon shut down due to complaints from competitors and stations in far away cities where the 700 kHz frequency was bleeding into nearby stations on the dial.
- Class B and D stations can be found on any frequencies from 540 kHz to 1700 kHz except where frequencies have been reserved for Class C stations.
- Class C stations can be found in the lower 48 US states on the frequencies of 1230 kHz, 1240 kHz, 1340 kHz, 1400 kHz, 1450 kHz, and 1490 kHz. Other countries may use other frequencies for their Class C stations.
- TIS stations can be found on any frequency from 530 kHz to 1700 kHz in the US, but may only carry non-commercial messages without music.
- Low-power AM stations located on a school campus are allowed to be more powerful, so long as their signal strength does not exceed roughly 14 to 45 µV/m² (depending on frequency) at a distance of 30 meters (98.4 ft) from campus.
- AM classes were previously assigned Roman numerals from I to IV in the US, with subclasses indicated by a letter suffix. Current class A is equivalent to the old class I; class B is the old classes II and III, with class D being the II-D, II-S, and III-S subclasses; and class C is the old class IV.
- The following conversion table compares the old AM station classes with the new AM station classes:
| Old Domestic Class | New Domestic Class | | I | A | | II | B | | III | B | | IV | C | | II-S | D | | III-S | D | II-D
(Daytime Only) | D | [edit] AM Classes and Clear Channels Channel
Type | Frequency
(kHz) | Available
Classes | Assignment
Old class designation in () | | ---- | 530 | ---- | In the USA, reserved for low power
AM Travelers' Information Stations | | Clear | 540 | A,B,D | Canadian/Mexican Clear | | Regional | 550 | B,D | All Stations | | Regional | 560 | B,D | All Stations | | Regional | 570 | B,D | All Stations | | Regional | 580 | B,D | All Stations | | Regional | 590 | B,D | All Stations | | Regional | 600 | B,D | All Stations | | Regional | 610 | B,D | All Stations | | Regional | 620 | B,D | All Stations | | Regional | 630 | B,D | All Stations | | Clear | 640 | A,B,D | KFI Los Angeles, CA: Class A (I-A)
KYUK Bethel, AK: Class A (I-N) | | Clear | 650 | A,B,D | WSM Nashville, TN: Class A (I-A)
KENI Anchorage, AK: Class A (I-N) | | Clear | 660 | A,B,D | WFAN New York, NY: Class A (I-A)
KFAR Fairbanks, AK: Class A (I-N) | | Clear | 670 | A,B,D | WSCR Chicago, IL: Class A (I-A)
KDLG Dillingham, AK: Class A (I-N)
KBOI Boise, ID: Class B (II-A) | | Clear | 680 | A,B,D | KNBR San Francisco, CA: Class A (I-B)
KBRW Barrow, AK: Class A (I-N) | | Clear | 690 | A,B,D | Canadian/Mexican Clear | | Clear | 700 | A,B,D | WLW Cincinnati, OH: Class A (I-A)
KBYR Anchorage, AK: Class A (I-N) | | Clear | 710 | A,B,D | WOR New York, NY: Class A (I-B)
KIRO Seattle, WA: Class A (I-B) | | Clear | 720 | A,B,D | WGN Chicago, IL: Class A (I-A)
KOTZ Kotzebue, AK: Class A (I-N)
KDWN Las Vegas, NV: Class B (II-A) | | Clear | 730 | A,B,D | Canadian/Mexican Clear | | Clear | 740 | A,B,D | Canadian Clear | | Clear | 750 | A,B,D | WSB Atlanta, GA: Class A (I-A)
KFQD Anchorage, AK: Class A (I-N) | | Clear | 760 | A,B,D | WJR Detroit, MI: Class A (I-A) | | Clear | 770 | A,B,D | WABC New York, NY: Class A (I-A)
KKOB Albuquerque, NM: Class B (II-A)
KCHU Valdez, AK: Class A (I-N) | | Clear | 780 | A,B,D | WBBM Chicago, IL: Class A (I-A)
KNOM Nome, AK: Class A (I-N)
KKOH Reno, NV: Class B (II-A) | | Regional | 790 | B,D | All Stations | | Clear | 800 | A,B,D | Mexican Clear | | Clear | 810 | A,B,D | KGO San Francisco, CA: Class A (I-B)
WGY Schenectady, NY: Class A (I-B) | | Clear | 820 | A,B,D | WBAP Fort Worth, TX: Class A (I-A)
KCBF Fairbanks, AK: Class A (I-N) | | Clear | 830 | A,B,D | WCCO Minneapolis, MN: Class A (I-A) | | Clear | 840 | A,B,D | WHAS Louisville, KY: Class A (I-A) | | Clear | 850 | A,B,D | KOA Denver, CO: Class A (I-B)
KICY Nome, AK: Class A (I-N) | | Clear | 860 | A,B,D | Canadian Clear | | Clear | 870 | A,B,D | WWL New Orleans, LA: Class A (I-A)
KSKO McGrath, AK: Class A (I-N) | | Clear | 880 | A,B,D | WCBS New York, NY: Class A (I-A)
KRVN Lexington, NE: Class B (II-A) | | Clear | 890 | A,B,D | WLS Chicago, IL: Class A (I-A)
KBBI Homer, AK: Class A (I-N)
KDXU St. George, UT: Class B (II-A) | | Clear | 900 | A,B,D | Mexican Clear | | Regional | 910 | B,D | All Stations | | Regional | 920 | B,D | All Stations | | Regional | 930 | B,D | All Stations | | Clear | 940 | A,B,D | Canadian/Mexican Clear | | Regional | 950 | B,D | All Stations | | Regional | 960 | B,D | All Stations | | Regional | 970 | B,D | All Stations | | Regional | 980 | B,D | All Stations | | Clear | 990 | A,B,D | Canadian Clear | | Clear | 1000 | A,B,D | WMVP Chicago, IL: Class A (I-A)
KOMO Seattle, WA: Class A (I-B) | | Clear | 1010 | A,B,D | Canadian Clear | | Clear | 1020 | A,B,D | KDKA Pittsburgh, PA: Class A (I-A)
KCKN Roswell, NM: Class B (II-A)
KAXX Eagle River, AK: Class A (I-N) | | Clear | 1030 | A,B,D | WBZ Boston, MA: Class A (I-A)
KTWO Casper, WY: Class B (II-A) | | Clear | 1040 | A,B,D | WHO Des Moines, IA: Class A (I-A) | | Clear | 1050 | A,B,D | Mexican Clear | | Clear | 1060 | A,B,D | KYW Philadelphia, PA: Class A (I-B) | | Clear | 1070 | A,B,D | KNX Los Angeles, CA: Class A (I-B) | | Clear | 1080 | A,B,D | WTIC Hartford, CT: Class A (I-B)
KRLD Dallas, TX: Class A (I-B)
KUDO Anchorage, AK: Class A (I-N) | | Clear | 1090 | A,B,D | KAAY Little Rock, AR: Class A (I-B)
WBAL Baltimore, MD: Class A (I-B) | | Clear | 1100 | A,B,D | WTAM Cleveland, OH: Class A (I-A)
KNZZ Grand Junction, CO: Class B (II-A) | | Clear | 1110 | A,B,D | WBT Charlotte, NC: Class A (I-B)
KFAB Omaha, NE: Class A (I-B) | | Clear | 1120 | A,B,D | KMOX St. Louis, MO: Class A (I-A)
KPNW Eugene, OR: Class B (II-A) | | Clear | 1130 | A,B,D | KWKH Shreveport, LA: Class A (I-B)
WBBR New York, NY: Class A (I-B) | | Clear | 1140 | A,B,D | WRVA Richmond, VA: Class A (I-B) | | Regional | 1150 | B,D | All Stations | | Clear | 1160 | A,B,D | KSL Salt Lake City, UT: Class A (I-A) | | Clear | 1170 | A,B,D | KFAQ Tulsa, OK: Class A (I-B)
WWVA Wheeling, WV: Class A (I-B)
KJNP North Pole, AK: Class A (I-N) | | Clear | 1180 | A,B,D | WHAM Rochester, NY: Class A (I-A)
KOFI Kalispell, MT: Class B (II-A) | | Clear | 1190 | A,B,D | KEX Portland, OR: Class A (I-B) | | Clear | 1200 | A,B,D | WOAI San Antonio, TX: Class A (I-A) | | Clear | 1210 | A,B,D | WPHT Philadelphia, PA: Class A (I-A)
KGYN Guymon, OK: Class B (II-A) | | Clear | 1220 | A,B,D | Mexican Clear | | Regional | 1230 | B | Stations in AK, HI, PR, and the U.S.V.I. | | Local | 1230 | C | Stations in coterminous 48 states | | Regional | 1240 | B | Stations in AK, HI, PR, and the U.S.V.I. | | Local | 1240 | C | Stations in coterminous 48 states | | Regional | 1250 | B,D | All Stations | | Regional | 1260 | B,D | All Stations | | Regional | 1270 | B,D | All Stations | | Regional | 1280 | B,D | All Stations | | Regional | 1290 | B,D | All Stations | | Regional | 1300 | B,D | All Stations | | Regional | 1310 | B,D | All Stations | | Regional | 1320 | B,D | All Stations | | Regional | 1330 | B,D | All Stations | | Regional | 1340 | B | Stations in AK, HI, PR, and the U.S.V.I. | | Local | 1340 | C | Stations in coterminous 48 states | | Regional | 1350 | B,D | All Stations | | Regional | 1360 | B,D | All Stations | | Regional | 1370 | B,D | All Stations | | Regional | 1380 | B,D | All Stations | | Regional | 1390 | B,D | All Stations | | Regional | 1400 | B | Stations in AK, HI, PR, and the U.S.V.I. | | Local | 1400 | C | Stations in coterminous 48 states | | Regional | 1410 | B,D | All Stations | | Regional | 1420 | B,D | All Stations | | Regional | 1430 | B,D | All Stations | | Regional | 1440 | B,D | All Stations | | Regional | 1450 | B | Stations in AK, HI, PR, and the U.S.V.I. | | Local | 1450 | C | Stations in coterminous 48 states | | Regional | 1460 | B,D | All Stations | | Regional | 1470 | B,D | All Stations | | Regional | 1480 | B,D | All Stations | | Regional | 1490 | B | Stations in AK, HI, PR, and the U.S.V.I. | | Local | 1490 | C | Stations in coterminous 48 states | | Clear | 1500 | A,B,D | WFED Washington, D.C.: Class A (I-B)
KSTP St. Paul, MN: Class A (I-B) | | Clear | 1510 | A,B,D | WLAC Nashville, TN: Class A (I-B)
KGA Spokane, WA: Class A (I-B) | | Clear | 1520 | A,B,D | WWKB Buffalo, NY: Class A (I-B)
KOKC Oklahoma City, OK: Class A (I-B) | | Clear | 1530 | A,B,D | KFBK Sacramento, CA: Class A (I-B)
WCKY Cincinnati, OH: Class A (I-B) | | Clear | 1540 | A,B,D | KXEL Waterloo, IA: Class A (I-B) | | Clear | 1550 | A,B,D | Canadian/Mexican Clear | | Clear | 1560 | A,B,D | KNZR Bakersfield, CA: Class A (I-B)
WQEW New York, NY: Class A (I-B) | | Clear | 1570 | A,B,D | Mexican Clear | | Clear | 1580 | A,B,D | Canadian Clear | | Regional | 1590 | B,D | All Stations | | Regional | 1600 | B,D | All Stations | | Regional | 1610 | B,D | All Stations | | Regional | 1620 | B,D | All Stations | | Regional | 1630 | B,D | All Stations | | Regional | 1640 | B,D | All Stations | | Regional | 1650 | B,D | All Stations | | Regional | 1660 | B,D | All Stations | | Regional | 1670 | B,D | All Stations | | Regional | 1680 | B,D | All Stations | | Regional | 1690 | B,D | All Stations | | Regional | 1700 | B,D | All Stations | For listings of Clear Channel Stations in Canada and Mexico, visit the Clear-channel station page on Wikipedia. See also: North American Radio Broadcasting Agreement (NARBA) - C: 100 kW, 300 m to 600 m, 91.8 km
- C0: 100 kW, 300 m to 450 m, 83.4 km
- C1: up to 100 kW, under 300 m, 72.3 km
- C2: up to 50 kW, up to 150 m, 52.2 km
- C3: up to 25 kW, up to 100 m, 39.1 km
- B: up to 50 kW, up to 150 m, 65.1 km
- B1: up to 25 kW, up to 100 m, 44.7 km
- A: 100 W to 6 kW, up to 100 m, 28.3 km
- AA (Mexico): up to 3 kW, the former limit for A
- D: up to 250 W ERP, except U.S. non-translators to 10 W TPO
- L1 (U.S., also LP100): 50 W to 100 W ERP, up to 30 m, 5.6 km
- L2 (U.S., also LP10): 1W to 10 W ERP, up to 30 m, 3.2 km
- Unlicensed: 250µV/m at 3m in U.S., 100µV/m at 30m in Canada
Notes: - Canada protects all radio stations out to a signal strength of 0.5mV/m (54dBu), whereas only commercial B stations in the U.S. are. Commercial B1 in the U.S. is 0.7mV/m (57dBu), and all other stations are 1.0mV/m (60dBu). Noncommercial-band stations (88.1 to 91.9) are not afforded this protection, and are treated as C3 and C2 even when they are B1 or B. C3 and C2 may also be reported internationally as B1 and B, respectively.
- Class C0 is for former C stations, demoted at request of another station which needs the downgrade to accommodate its own facilities.
- In practice, many stations are above the maximum HAAT for a particular class, and correspondingly must downgrade their power to remain below the reference distance. Conversely, they may not increase power if they are below maximum HAAT.
- All class D (including L1 and L2 LPFM and translator) stations are secondary in the U.S., and can be bumped or forced off-air completely, even if they are not just a repeater and are the only station a licensee has.
- The United States is divided into separate regions that have different restrictions for FM stations. Zone I (much of the U.S. Northeast and Midwest) and I-A (most of California, plus Puerto Rico) is limited to classes B and B1, while Zone II (everything else) has only the C classes. All areas have the same classes for A and D.
- Power and height restrictions were put in place in 1962. A number of previously-existing stations were grandfathered in, such as KRUZ in Santa Barbara, California and WMC-FM in Memphis, Tennessee.
[edit] FM classes - The following table lists the various classes of FM stations, the reference facilities for each station class, and the protected and city grade contours for each station class:[2]
FM
Station
Class | Reference
(maximum)
facilities for
station class
(ERP / HAAT) | FM
protected
or primary
service
contour | Distance to
protected or
primary
service
contour | Distance to 70
dBu city-grade
or principal
community
coverage
contour | | Class A | 6.0 kW
100 m (328 ft) | 60 dBu (1.0mV/m) | 28.3 km (17.6 mi) | 16.2 km (10.1 mi) | | Class B1 | 25.0 kW
100 m (328 ft) | 57 dBu (0.7mV/m) | 44.7 km (27.8 mi) | 23.2 km (14.4 mi) | | Class B | 50.0 kW
150 m (492 ft) | 54 dBu (0.5mV/m) | 65.1 km (40.5 mi) | 32.6 km (20.3 mi) | | Class C3 | 25.0 kW
100 m (328 ft) | 60 dBu (1.0mV/m) | 39.1 km (24.3 mi) | 23.2 km (14.4 mi) | | Class C2 | 50.0 kW
150 m (492 ft) | 60 dBu (1.0mV/m) | 52.2 km (32.4 mi) | 32.6 km (20.3 mi) | | Class C1 | 100.0 kW
299 m (981 ft) | 60 dBu (1.0mV/m) | 72.3 km (44.9 mi) | 50.0 km (31.1 mi) | | Class C0 | 100.0 kW
450 m (1,476 ft) | 60 dBu (1.0mV/m) | 83.4 km (51.8 mi) | 59.0 km (36.7 mi) | | Class C | 100.0 kW
600 m (1,969 ft) | 60 dBu (1.0mV/m) | 91.8 km (57.0 mi) | 67.7 km (42.1 mi) | [edit] FM zones  FM broadcast zones in the U.S. Zone I in the U.S. includes all of Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and West Virginia. It also includes the areas south of latitude 43.5°N in Michigan, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont; as well as coastal Maine, southeastern Wisconsin, and northern and eastern Virginia. Zone I-A includes California south of 40°N, as well as Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. -
[edit] Full-power stations - VHF low (2-6): 100 kW video, 10 kW audio; 45 kW digital (sliding scale varying with height)
- VHF high (7-13): 316 kW video, 31.6 kW audio; 160 kW digital (sliding scale varying with height)
- UHF all (14-69): 5 MW video, 500 kW audio; 1MW digital
Notes: - All Full power analog television station transmissions in the USA were terminated at midnight Eastern Time on June 12, 2009[3][4]. Many broadcasters will replace their analog signal with their digital ATSC signal on the same transmission channel.
- Power-level limitations are not firmly enforced in Canada, and Industry Canada has been known to license stations for power levels much higher than the generally-accepted limits. For example, CFRN-TV in Edmonton, Alberta operates on Channel 3 at over 600 kW but is not subject to international co-ordination due to its location 500 km north of the border.
- Some U.S. and all Canadian TV stations have the -TV suffix. Some early digital-only television stations in the U.S. have the suffix of -DT (though some early on in the adaptation to digital television had the suffix of -HD, which has since been discontinued).
[edit] Class A Class-A stations (U.S.) (suffix: -CA or -CD for digital class A): - VHF all (2-13): 3 kW video; 300 W digital
- UHF all (14-69): 150 kW video; 15 kW digital
The class-A television class was created in 2000 by the FCC to allocate and protect some low-power affiliates. Class-A stations are still low-power, but are protected from RF interference and from having to move should a full-service station request that channel. [1] [edit] Low-power TV LPTV (secondary) (suffix: -LP, or a sequential-numbered callsign in format W##XX with no suffix for analogue or with -D suffix for digital, or -LD for low-power digital stations): - VHF all (2-13): 3 kW video; 300 W digital
- UHF all (14-69): 150 kW video; 15 kW digital
- Experimental
- Unlicensed: not allowed except for medical telemetry, and certain wireless microphones
The LPTV (low-power television) service was created in 1982 by the FCC to allocate channels for smaller, local stations, and community channels, such as public access stations. LPTV stations that meet additional requirements such as children's "E/I" core programming and Emergency Alert System broadcasting capabilities can qualify for a Class A (-CA) license. [2] Broadcast translators, boosters, and other LPTV stations are secondary, unless they have upgraded to class A. Class A is still considered LPTV with respect to stations in Canada and Mexico. The United States Federal Communications Commission lists the following services on their website for television broadcasting: | Broadcast class | Service | Suffixes used or call sign examples | | TV full-service | TV | -TV, none (such as "WABC-TV" and "WMYD") | | Class A | CA | -CA (sometimes uses -LP, or even translator-style call signs) | | Low-power station/translator | TX | -LP, none (such as "WLPC-LP" or a translator-style sequential-per-channel identifier like "W66BV") | | Television allotment | TA | An allocation of a frequency to a city of licence for which no corresponding call sign or license has been assigned. FCC placeholder for possible future construction permits or frequencies allocated to non-US broadcast use. No callsign, identifier is a date (yymmdd) followed by a sequential two-letter value in the US FCC database. | | Low-power TV (LPTV) | TL | Usually placed under TX class; these use -LP or translator-style callsigns. | | TV boosters | TB | Rare. These use the parent station's calls plus a sequential number, such as WSTE1, WSTE2, WSTE3. Nameplates for on-channel repeaters bear the parent station's calls, followed by "booster".[5] See distributed transmission. | | TV auxiliary (backup) service | TS | none (uses same callsign as main transmitter) | | Digital television | DT | -DT, -TV, none (such as KGLA-DT, WSKY-TV or WMAK); some stations formerly used -HD but this has become obsolete. The -DT suffix is used primarily to distinguish a DTV transmission from an analog signal of the same broadcast, and appears as optional for digital-only stations; likewise -TV is optional except if the eponymous radio stations exist. | | Digital class-A | DC | -DC/-CD many stations have -CA for analog and -LD for digital | | Digital low-power | LD | -LD, translator-style calls or translator-style calls with -D suffix. (though some stations briefly used -DL as well; this has since become obsolete) | | Digital special temporary authority (STA) | DS | No change. This is used temporarily with permission from the FCC to use a channel, power level or transmitter location not permanently allocated for one particular station, until another becomes free for use. Temporary assignments retain, unmodified, the callsign of the corresponding permanent allocation; this includes translator-style calls (a format, such as W55ZZ, based on RF channel number plus a sequential identifier) even on temporarily moving to another frequency. | | Digital auxiliary (backup) service | DX (not to be confused with DXing) | -DT, same as associated main transmitter | | Digital rulemaking petition | DR | (request to add or modify a digital channel allocation) | | Land mobile use of a TV channel | LM | As "LM" is used in the FCC database to indicate reallocation of an entire channel, but not to identify individual users transmitting in that spectrum, a 6MHz LM allocation does not itself carry a TV-style callsign.[6] | | NTSC (analog) petition for a channel change | NN | Request for a number/channel change (for NTSC/analog stations, and low-power repeaters, such as those registered as TX). | [edit] See also [edit] References - ^ AM Broadcast Station Classes; Clear, Regional, and Local Channels
- ^ FM Station Classes and Contours
- ^ A New Era in Television Broadcasting - DTVTransition.org
- ^ Congress delays DTV switch
- ^ US CFR 47 Part 74G - 74.733 UHF translator signal boosters.
- ^ FCC TV query for -LM allocations
[edit] External links |
