Radio Station Call Letters- Where did they come up with them

[Dirt Roads]

It's hard to find one in West Virginia that doesn't have some meaning:

WAJR (1440AM) Morgantown - named after Agnes J. Reeves Greer, owner of Preston County Power and Light and Greer Steel Company; wife of Deckers Creek coal baron Herbert Greer
WAGE (106.5FM) Oak Hill - Hourly Wages - on campus at Southern Appalachian Labor School
WAMN (1050AM) Green Valley - West Virginia Amen - formerly a Christian Music format station
WBES (950AM) Charleston - formerly West Virginia's Beautiful Entertainment Station
WBRB (101.3FM) Buckhannon - The Bear in Buckhannon
WBTH (1400AM) Williamson - named after founders Francis Wagner, William Booker, George Taylor, and William Hogg
WBTQ (102.3FM) Weston - formerly WSSN
WBYG (99.5FM) Point Pleasant - Byg Country 99.5
WCBC (107.1FM) Keyser - Cumberland Broadcasting Corporation
WCHS (580AM) Charleston - city abbreviation
WCIR (103.7FM) Beckley - Christianity in Radio, formerly Christ is Risen
WCLG (100.1FM) Morgantown - named after WCLG-AM founder C. Leslie Golliday
WCST (1010AM) Berkeley Springs - named after Charles Samuel Trump, a major player in the founding of the station
WCWV (92.9FM) Summersville - Central West Virginia
WCDE (89.9FM) Elkins - on campus of Davis and Elkins College
WDNE (1240AM/98.9FM) Elkins - home town of Davis and Elkins College
WDTF (107.9LP) Berkeley Springs - Defenders of the Faith, Inc.
WDUQ (99.1FM) Benwood - owned by Kol Ami Havurah, named after the Hebrew root דוח; call letters formerly associated with Duquesne University in Pittsburgh
WEIR (1430AM) Weirton
WELC (1150AM/98.7FM) Welch
WELK (94.7FM) Elkins
WEMM (107.9FM) Huntington - named after founder Dr. E. M. Mortenson - former sister station WHRD named after the Marshall Thundering Herd
WEPM (1340AM) Martinsburg - Eastern Panhandle Mountaineer, the local WVU sport broadcast
WETZ (1330AM) New Martinsville - the county seat of Wetzel County
WFBY (93.5FM) Buckhannon - named after the FBI Fingerprint Headquarters in nearby Clarksburg
WFSP (1560AM) Kingwood - Free State of Preston - county seat of Preston County
WFGH (90.7FM) Fort Gay - named after the former Fort Gay High School
WHAW (980AM) Lost Creek - named after founder Harold A. McWhorter and his wife Wilma - he applied for WHAM which was already assigned to the power station in Rochester, New York
WHIS (1440AM) Bluefield - named after founder Hugh Ike Shott
WHJC (1360AM) Matewan - We Herald Jesus Christ - Southern Gospel format
WJAW (630AM) St. Marys - named after owner John A. Wharf III dba JAWCO
WJLS (560AM/95.7FM) Beckley - named after founder Joe L. Smith
WJYP (1300AM) St. Albans - Joyful Praise - formerly Christian Music format
WKEE (100.5FM) Huntington - originally WHTN-FM - city abbreviation
WKJL (88.1FM) Clarksburg - Where King Jesus Live - local KLove station
WKLP (1390AM) Keyser - simulcast of WCMD-AM/WCMD-FM Cumberland MD - city abbreviation
WKMM (96.7FM) Kingwood - Kingwood Mountain Music
WKVW (93.3FM) Marmet - Kanawha Valley, West Virginia
WKYW (102.9LP) Keyser - KeYser, West Virginia
WLOL (89.7FM) Star City - Light of Light Catholic Community
WLUX (1450AM) Dunbar / WNUX (98.7FM) Montgomery / WOUX (105.3FM) St. Marys - United Catholic Radio
WMMN (920AM) Fairmont - named after Gov. Matthew Mansfield Neely, who had been a prominent lawyer in Fairmont
WMON (1340AM) Montgomery
WMOV (1360AM/106.7FM) Ravenswood - Mid-Ohio Valley
WMUL (88.1FM) Huntington - on campus Marshall University
WNMP (88.5FM) Marlinton - Marlinton, Pocahontas County
WOVK (98.7FM) Wheeling - Ohio Valley Kountry; formerly WWVA-FM
WPHP (91.9FM) Wheeling - Wheeling Park Patriots - on campus Wheeling Park High School
WPKM (96.3LP) Parkersburg - on campus WVU Parkersburg
WPWV (90.1FM) Princeton
WRLB (95.3FM) Rainelle - Rainelle and Lewisburg
WRLF (94.3FM) Fairmont - formerly owned by Fantasia Broadcasting - named afterco-owner Rosemary L. Fantasia
WRON (1400AM) Ronceverte
WRRL (1130AM) Rainelle
WRRR (93.9FM) St. Marys - owner Seven Ranges Radio
WRSG (91.5FM) New Middlebourne - on campus at Tyler Consolidated High School - named after the Ruth Stealey Green Foundation, a local benefactor
WRVC (930AM/94.1FM) Huntington - River Cities Radio
WSCW (1410AM) South Charleston
WSGB (1490AM) Sutton - the three former high schools in Braxton County were Sutton, Gassaway and Burnsville
WSHC (89.7FM) Shepherdstown - on campus at Shepherd University, formerly Shepherd College
WSJE (91.3FM) Summersville - St. John the Evangelist Catholic Parish
WSLW (1310AM) White Sulphur Springs - White Sulphur and Lewisburg, West Virginia
WTCF (103.3FM) Wardensville - The Cross FM - local KLove station
WTHM (92.5FM) Ravenswood - Worship to His Majesty - Christian News/Talk format
WTHQ (1030AM) Point Pleasant - formerly WBGS - Big River Radio
WTNJ (105.9FM) Mt. Hope - named after radio engineer Anthony P. (Tony) Gonzalez and Rahall Broadcasting founder Nick Joe Rahall, Sr. (father of Rep. Nick Joe Rahall II)
WVAF (99.9FM) Charleston - West Virginia FM
WVAM (1450AM) Parkersburg - West Virginia AM - formerly WPAR
WVAQ (101.9FM) Morgantown - West Virginia Q102
WVAR (600AM) Richwood - not for Richwood, but rather for West Virginia Radio
WVBD (100.7FM) Fayetteville - West Virginia's Big Daddy
WVBL (88.5FM) Bluefield
WVBY (91.7) Beckley
WVCU (97.7LP) Concord - on campus Concord University
WVDS (89.5FM) Petersburg - West Virginia Educational Broadcasting Authority - Dolly Sods
WVGV (89.7FM) West Union - West Virginia's Gospel Voice
WVEP (88.9FM) Martinsburg - West Virginia Educational Broadcasting Authority - Eastern Panhandle
WVHU (800AM) Huntington
WVHV (89.5LP) Harrisville
WVKM (106.7FM) Matewan - West Virginia Public Broadcasting - West Virginia/Kentucky/Matewan (does this make any sense?)
WVLY (1370AM) Moundsville - (Ohio River) Valley
WVMD (101.7FM) Romney - West Virginia and Maryland (but what about Virginia, which is just as close to Romney?)
WVMR (1370AM) Frost (91.9FM) Hillsboro - Allegheny Mountain Radio, a specialty radio service serving the National Radio Quiet Zone and surrounding areas
WVNP (89.9FM) Wheeling - West Virginia Educational Broadcasting Authority - Northern Panhandle
WVPB (88.5FM) Charleston - West Virginia Public Broadcasting flagship station
WVPG (90.3FM) Parkersburg - twofer! West Virginia Public Broadcasting in Parkersburg
WVPM (90.9FM) Morgantown - West Virginia Public Broadcasting in Morgantown
WVPW (88.9FM) Buckhannon - West Virginia Educational Broadcasting Authority - not Buckhannon, but rather named for Weston
WVRR (88.1FM) Point Pleasant - this is a stretch, but they say West Virginia RiveR
WVSR (102.7FM) Charleston - West Virginia Super Radio
WVTS (1240AM) Dunbar - West Virginia's Talk Station
WVUS (1190AM) Grafton - another stretch, but they say West Virginia United States
WVWC (92.1FM) Buckhannon - reboot of the former call letters of the on campus station at West Virginia Wesleyan College
WVWP (101.1LP) Wayne - West Virginia Wayne Pioneers - on campus at Wayne High School
WVWS (89.3FM) Webster Springs
WVWV (89.9FM) Huntington - West Virginia Public Broadcasting - West Virginia, West Virginia!!!
WWVA (1170AM) Wheeling - the home of Jamboree USA (now the Original Wheeling Radio Jamboree), second only to the Grand Ole Opry Jamboree
WWNR (620AM) Beckley - another twofer!  New River Radio, also named after Rahall Broadcasting founder Nick Joe Rahall, Sr.
WWSA (96.9LP) St. Albans - owned by the city itself
WWVU (91.7FM) Morgantown - on campus at the flagship West Virginia University
WWYO (970AM) Pineville - county seat of Wyoming County
WXDC (92.9FM) Berkeley Springs - formerly WDHC - Down Home County
WXTH (101.7LP) Richwood - Christ in the Highest - owned by Riverside Baptist Church
WYKM (1250AM) Rupert - Your Kountry Music
WYNL (94.5FM) Dunbar - Your New Life - contemporary Christian music
WYRC (92.3LP) Spencer - K-12 student station associated with Roane County High School
WZST (100.9FM) Westover - play on letters - also formerly known as the W. Z. Star
WZUM (88.1FM) Bethany - formerly WVBC - on campus at Bethany College - associated with WZUM-AM originally in Carnegie, Pennsylvania and known as The Zoom

And of course, WOAY in Oak Hill (860AM) which is named after its sister television station, a misreading by the FCC of poor handwriting for the requested television call letters WOAK.

[Henry]

• WNFL AM - name changed about 1970 when it broadcast NFL Packers games

Of course Titletown would have something named that. Was there ever a WMLB or KMLB for broadcasting major league baseball games? Also, what about KNFL for football?

[zachary_amaryllis]

Who can forget denver's legendary KAZY? or St. Louis's KSHE?

Are call letters like... vanity plates? Like, when you apply for a license, you either get a 'default' one that has no special meaning, or pay extra to get a certain one?

I know you can do that with phone numbers for an extra fee (though I once got one in a specific prefix for free...)

I can't help but think Norfolk's WAVY-TV isn't just happy coincedence.

[golden eagle]

• WNFL AM - name changed about 1970 when it broadcast NFL Packers games

Of course Titletown would have something named that. Was there ever a WMLB or KMLB for broadcasting major league baseball games? Also, what about KNFL for football?

There is a KMLB-AM in Monroe, LA. They're a news/talk station. I'm not aware if they air any Major League Baseball games.

There is also WMLB-AM in the Atlanta area, airing conservative talk.

[SP Cook]

Are call letters like... vanity plates? Like, when you apply for a license, you either get a 'default' one that has no special meaning, or pay extra to get a certain one?

I don't think the FCC charges extra.  You can just ask for any combination that nobody else has, as long as it doesn't violate "standards"  or is too similar to a competing station.  As I mentioned upthread, a station in Clarksburg, WV, where the FBI has a major laboratory, wanted WFBI, but was turned down.    Although there were two stations that got WSEX approved.  There is a TV station, WDAM in Mississippi.

[golden eagle]

Are call letters like... vanity plates? Like, when you apply for a license, you either get a 'default' one that has no special meaning, or pay extra to get a certain one?

I don't think the FCC charges extra.  You can just ask for any combination that nobody else has, as long as it doesn't violate "standards"  or is too similar to a competing station.  As I mentioned upthread, a station in Clarksburg, WV, where the FBI has a major laboratory, wanted WFBI, but was turned down.    Although there were two stations that got WSEX approved.  There is a TV station, WDAM in Mississippi.

WDAM is named after the original owner's initials, David A. Matison.

[Route66Fan]

Some that I can think of offhand:
KMZU 100.7FM, Carrollton, MO - Mizzou (When they changed callsigns from KAOL-FM to KMZU in 1982, they had the branding Mizzouland 101.)
KRLI 103.9FM, Malta Bend, MO - Curly (Original slogan from 1996-2012, when they changed from Standards to Contemporary Hit Radio as "103.9, the Grenade". In 2013, they switched to Classic Country & branded themselves as "Curly Country 103.9.).
KROL 1430AM, Carrollton, MO
KMMO 1300AM & KMMO 102.9FM, Marshall, MO.
KCHI 1010AM & KCHI 102.5FM, Chillicothe, MO.

[golden eagle]

Some that I can think of offhand:
KMZU 100.7FM, Carrollton, MO - Mizzou (When they changed callsigns from KAOL-FM to KMZU in 1982, they had the branding Mizzouland 101.)
KRLI 103.9FM, Malta Bend, MO - Curly (Original slogan from 1996-2012, when they changed from Standards to Contemporary Hit Radio as "103.9, the Grenade". In 2013, they switched to Classic Country & branded themselves as "Curly Country 103.9.).
KROL 1430AM, Carrollton, MO
KMMO 1300AM & KMMO 102.9FM, Marshall, MO.
KCHI 1010AM & KCHI 102.5FM, Chillicothe, MO.

What about KGMO in Cape Girardeau? I'm assuming it stands for Kape Girardeau, MO.