List of North American broadcast station classes

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.

Contents 1 AM 1.1 AM classes and clear channels 2 FM 2.1 FM classes 2.2 FM zones 3 TV 3.1 Full-power stations (USA) 3.2 Full-power stations (Canada) 3.3 Class A television (USA) 3.4 Low-power TV (USA) 3.5 Low-power TV (Canada) 3.6 FCC service table 4 See also 5 References 6 External links

AM

• A (former I): clear-channel stations, 10 kW to 50 kW day and night (Class I-N stations are only assigned to the non-conterminous United States, and then with a minimum power of 10 kW (and a maximum power of 50 kW) and Class B efficiency (although higher efficiency is acceptable)
• B (former II and III): 250 W to 50 kW (to 10 kW on 1620 kHz to 1710 kHz)
• D (former II-D, II-S, III-S): daytime 250 W to 50 kW, nighttime under 250 W or off-air, field strength up to 140 mV/m at 1 km, no new stations except downgraded B
• C (former IV): 250 W to 1 kW (also grandfathered 100 W)
• TIS/HAR: travelers' information stations up to 10 W transmitter output power, licensed by NTIA (not FCC) in U.S. national parks
• Unlicensed broadcasting (see low-power broadcasting): 100 mW DC input to final amplifier, no license needed, may be measured at edge of campus for school stations

Notes

• In the Western Hemisphere (ITU region 2), medium wave AM broadcasts are on channels spaced 10 kHz apart from 530 kHz to 1700 kHz, with certain classes restricted to subsets of the available frequencies.
• With few exceptions, 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. The exceptions are cited in relevant international treaties.
• While U.S. and Canadian Class A stations are authorized to operate at a maximum of 50,000 watts day and night (and a minimum of 10,000 watts at night, if grandfathered), certain existing Mexican Class A stations, and certain new Cuban Class A stations are authorized to operate at a higher power. Certain Mexican Class A stations are authorized to operate at less than 50,000 watts nights, if grandfathered, but may operate at up to 100,000 watts days.
• 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 (commonly known as "graveyard" frequencies). Other countries may use other frequencies for their Class C stations.
• Canada also defines Class CC (Carrier Current, restricted to the premises) and LP. (less than 100 watts)^[1]
• 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

AM classes and clear channels

• The following chart is a list of available classes and clear-channel station listings in North America.^[2]

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	CBK Watrous, Saskatchewan: Class A (I-A) CBT Grand Falls-Windsor, Newfoundland and Labrador: Class A (I-B) XEWA San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí: Class A (I-A) WFLF Pine Hills, Florida: Class B (II-B)
Regional	550	B,D
Regional	560	B,D
Regional	570	B,D
Regional	580	B,D
Regional	590	B,D
Regional	600	B,D
Regional	610	B,D
Regional	620	B,D
Regional	630	B,D
Clear	640	A,B,D	KFI Los Angeles, California: Class A (I-A) KYUK Bethel, Alaska: Class A (I-N) CBN St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador: Class A (I-B)
Clear	650	A,B,D	WSM Nashville, Tennessee: Class A (I-A) KENI Anchorage, Alaska: Class A (I-N)
Clear	660	A,B,D	WFAN New York City: Class A (I-A) KFAR Fairbanks, Alaska: Class A (I-N) KTNN Window Rock, Arizona: Class B (II-B)
Clear	670	A,B,D	WSCR Chicago, Illinois: Class A (I-A) KDLG Dillingham, Alaska: Class A (I-N) KBOI Boise, Idaho: Class B (II-A)
Clear	680	A,B,D	KNBR San Francisco, California: Class A (I-B) KBRW Barrow, Alaska: Class A (I-N) WRKO Boston, Massachusetts: Class B (II-B) WCBM Baltimore, Maryland: Class B (II-B) WPTF Raleigh, North Carolina: Class B (II-B)
Clear	690	A,B,D	CINF Montreal, Quebec: Class A (I-A) XEWW Tijuana, Baja California: Class A (I-B) WOKV Jacksonville, Florida: Class B (II-B)
Clear	700	A,B,D	WLW Cincinnati, Ohio: Class A (I-A) KBYR Anchorage, Alaska: Class A (I-N)
Clear	710	A,B,D	WOR New York City: Class A (I-B) KIRO Seattle, Washington: Class A (I-B) KSPN Los Angeles, California: Class B (II-B) WAQI Miami, Florida: Class B (II-B)
Clear	720	A,B,D	WGN Chicago, Illinois: Class A (I-A) KOTZ Kotzebue, Alaska: Class A (I-N) KDWN Las Vegas, Nevada: Class B (II-A)
Clear	730	A,B,D	CKAC Montreal, Quebec: Class A (I-B) XEX Mexico City: Class A (I-A)
Clear	740	A,B,D	CFZM Toronto, Ontario: Class A (I-A) KCBS San Francisco, California: Class B (II-B) WYGM Orlando, Florida: Class B (II-B) KRMG Tulsa, Oklahoma: Class B (II-B) KTRH Houston, Texas: Class B (II-B)
Clear	750	A,B,D	WSB Atlanta, Georgia: Class A (I-A) KFQD Anchorage, Alaska: Class A (I-N) CBGY Bonavista, Newfoundland and Labrador: Class A (I-B) KMMJ Grand Island, Nebraska: Class B (II-B) KXL Portland, Oregon: Class B (II-B)
Clear	760	A,B,D	WJR Detroit, Michigan: Class A (I-A) KFMB San Diego, California: Class B (II-B)
Clear	770	A,B,D	WABC New York City: Class A (I-A) KKOB Albuquerque, New Mexico: Class B (II-A) KCHU Valdez, Alaska: Class A (I-N) KTTH Seattle, Washington: Class B (II-B)
Clear	780	A,B,D	WBBM Chicago, Illinois: Class A (I-A) KNOM Nome, Alaska: Class A (I-N) KKOH Reno, Nevada: Class B (II-A)
Regional	790	B,D
Clear	800	A,B,D	XEROK Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua: Class A (I-A) CKLW Windsor, Ontario: Class B (II-B)
Clear	810	A,B,D	KGO San Francisco, California: Class A (I-B) WGY Schenectady, New York: Class A (I-B) WHB Kansas City, Missouri: Class B (II-B) WKVM San Juan, Puerto Rico: Class B (II-B)
Clear	820	A,B,D	WBAP Fort Worth, Texas: Class A (I-A) KCBF Fairbanks, Alaska: Class A (I-N)
Clear	830	A,B,D	WCCO Minneapolis, Minnesota: Class A (I-A) KLAA Orange, California: Class B (II-B)
Clear	840	A,B,D	WHAS Louisville, Kentucky: Class A (I-A) KXNT North Las Vegas, Nevada: Class B (II-B)
Clear	850	A,B,D	KOA Denver, Colorado: Class A (I-B) KICY Nome, Alaska: Class A (I-N) WEEI Boston, Massachusetts: Class B (II-B) WTAR Norfolk, Virginia: Class B (II-B)
Clear	860	A,B,D	CJBC Toronto, Ontario: Class A (I-A)
Clear	870	A,B,D	WWL New Orleans, Louisiana: Class A (I-A) KSKO McGrath, Alaska: Class A (I-N)
Clear	880	A,B,D	WCBS New York City: Class A (I-A) KRVN Lexington, Nebraska: Class B (II-A)
Clear	890	A,B,D	WLS Chicago, Illinois: Class A (I-A) KBBI Homer, Alaska: Class A (I-N) KDXU St. George, Utah: Class B (II-A)
Clear	900	A,B,D	XEW Mexico City: Class A (I-A) CKBI Prince Albert, Saskatchewan: Class A (II-B)
Regional	910	B,D
Regional	920	B,D
Regional	930	B,D
Clear	940	A,B,D	CINW Montreal, Quebec: Class A (I-B) XEQ Mexico City: Class A (I-A) KYNO Fresno, California: Class B (II-B)
Regional	950	B,D
Regional	960	B,D
Regional	970	B,D
Regional	980	B,D
Clear	990	A,B,D	CBW Winnipeg, Manitoba: Class A (I-A) CBY Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador: Class A (I-B) WDYZ Orlando, Florida: Class B (II-B)
Clear	1000	A,B,D	WMVP Chicago, Illinois: Class A (I-B) KOMO Seattle, Washington: Class A (I-B)
Clear	1010	A,B,D	CBR Calgary, Alberta: Class A (I-A) CFRB Toronto, Ontario: Class A (II-B) (Class II-B promoted to Class A) WINS New York City: Class B (II-B)
Clear	1020	A,B,D	KDKA Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Class A (I-A) KOAN Eagle River, Alaska: Class A (I-N) KCKN Roswell, New Mexico: Class B (II-A) KTNQ Los Angeles, California: Class B (II-B)
Clear	1030	A,B,D	WBZ Boston, Massachusetts: Class A (I-A) KTWO Casper, Wyoming: Class B (II-A)
Clear	1040	A,B,D	WHO Des Moines, Iowa: Class A (I-A)
Clear	1050	A,B,D	CFGP Grande Prairie, Alberta: Class A (I-B) XEG Guadalupe, Nuevo León: Class A (I-A) WEPN New York City: Class B (II-B)
Clear	1060	A,B,D	KYW Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Class A (I-B) XEEP Mexico City: Class A (I-B)
Clear	1070	A,B,D	KNX Los Angeles, California: Class A (I-B) CBA Moncton, New Brunswick: Class A (I-B)
Clear	1080	A,B,D	WTIC Hartford, Connecticut: Class A (I-B) KRLD Dallas, Texas: Class A (I-B) KUDO Anchorage, Alaska: Class A (I-N) KFXX Portland, Oregon: Class B (II-B)
Clear	1090	A,B,D	KAAY Little Rock, Arkansas: Class A (I-B) WBAL Baltimore, Maryland: Class A (I-B) XEPRS Rosarito Beach, Baja California: Class A (I-B) KPTK Seattle, Washington: Class B (II-B)
Clear	1100	A,B,D	WTAM Cleveland, Ohio: Class A (I-A) KNZZ Grand Junction, Colorado: Class B (II-A) KFAX San Francisco, California: Class B (II-B)
Clear	1110	A,B,D	WBT Charlotte, North Carolina: Class A (I-B) KFAB Omaha, Nebraska: Class A (I-B) KDIS Pasadena, California: Class B (II-B)
Clear	1120	A,B,D	KMOX St. Louis, Missouri: Class A (I-A) KPNW Eugene, Oregon: Class B (II-A)
Clear	1130	A,B,D	KWKH Shreveport, Louisiana: Class A (I-B) WBBR New York City: Class A (I-B) CKWX Vancouver, British Columbia: Class A (I-B) KFAN Minneapolis, Minnesota: Class B (II-B)
Clear	1140	A,B,D	WRVA Richmond, Virginia: Class A (I-B) XEMR Apodaca, Nuevo León: Class A (I-B) KHTK Sacramento, California: Class B (II-B)
Regional	1150	B,D
Clear	1160	A,B,D	KSL Salt Lake City, Utah: Class A (I-A) WYLL Chicago, Illinois: Class B (II-B)
Clear	1170	A,B,D	KFAQ Tulsa, Oklahoma: Class A (I-B) WWVA Wheeling, West Virginia: Class A (I-B) KJNP North Pole, Alaska: Class A (I-N)
Clear	1180	A,B,D	WHAM Rochester, New York: Class A (I-A) KOFI Kalispell, Montana: Class B (II-A)
Clear	1190	A,B,D	KEX Portland, Oregon: Class A (I-B) XEWK Guadalajara, Jalisco: Class A (I-B)
Clear	1200	A,B,D	WOAI San Antonio, Texas: Class A (I-A) WCHB Taylor, Michigan: Class B (II-B)
Clear	1210	A,B,D	WPHT Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Class A (I-A) KGYN Guymon, Oklahoma: Class B (II-A)
Clear	1220	A,B,D	XEB Mexico City: Class A (I-A) WHKW Cleveland, Ohio: Class B (II-B)
Regional	1230	B	Stations in Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the United States Virgin Islands
Local	1230	C	Stations in coterminous 48 states
Regional	1240	B	Stations in Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the United States Virgin Islands
Local	1240	C	Stations in coterminous 48 states
Regional	1250	B,D
Regional	1260	B,D	CFRN Edmonton, Alberta: Class A (III-B) (Class III-B promoted to Class A, but operating on a Class III frequency)
Regional	1270	B,D
Regional	1280	B,D
Regional	1290	B,D
Regional	1300	B,D
Regional	1310	B,D
Regional	1320	B,D
Regional	1330	B,D
Regional	1340	B	Stations in Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the United States Virgin Islands
Local	1340	C	Stations in coterminous 48 states
Regional	1350	B,D
Regional	1360	B,D
Regional	1370	B,D
Regional	1380	B,D
Regional	1390	B,D
Regional	1400	B	Stations in Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the United States Virgin Islands
Local	1400	C	Stations in coterminous 48 states
Regional	1410	B,D
Regional	1420	B,D
Regional	1430	B,D
Regional	1440	B,D
Regional	1450	B	Stations in Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the United States Virgin Islands
Local	1450	C	Stations in coterminous 48 states
Regional	1460	B,D
Regional	1470	B,D
Regional	1480	B,D
Regional	1490	B	Stations in Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the United States Virgin Islands
Local	1490	C	Stations in coterminous 48 states
Clear	1500	A,B,D	WFED Washington, D.C.: Class A (I-B) KSTP Saint Paul, Minnesota: Class A (I-B)
Clear	1510	A,B,D	WLAC Nashville, Tennessee: Class A (I-B) WWZN Boston, Massachusetts: Class B (II-B)
Clear	1520	A,B,D	WWKB Buffalo, New York: Class A (I-B) KOKC Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: Class A (I-B) KGDD Oregon City, Oregon: Class B (II-B)
Clear	1530	A,B,D	KFBK Sacramento, California: Class A (I-B) WCKY Cincinnati, Ohio: Class A (I-B)
Clear	1540	A,B,D	KXEL Waterloo, Iowa: Class A (I-B) ZNS-1 Nassau, Bahamas: Class A (I-A) KMPC Los Angeles, California: Class B (II-B) WDCD Albany, New York: Class B (II-B)
Clear	1550	A,B,D	XERUV Xalapa, Veracruz: Class A (I-B) CBE Windsor, Ontario: Class A (I-B) KKOV Vancouver, Washington: Class B (II-B)
Clear	1560	A,B,D	KNZR Bakersfield, California: Class A (I-B) WQEW New York City: Class A (I-B)
Clear	1570	A,B,D	XERF Ciudad Acuña, Coahuila: Class A (I-A)
Clear	1580	A,B,D	CKDO Oshawa, Ontario: Class A (I-A) KMIK Tempe, Arizona: Class B (II-B) KBLA Santa Monica, California: Class B (II-B)
Regional	1590	B,D
Regional	1600	B,D
Regional	1610	B,D
Regional	1620	B,D
Regional	1630	B,D
Regional	1640	B,D
Regional	1650	B,D
Regional	1660	B,D
Regional	1670	B,D
Regional	1680	B,D
Regional	1690	B,D
Regional	1700	B,D

See also: North American Radio Broadcasting Agreement (NARBA)

FM

Class / ERP / HAAT / Typical range

• 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]
  • LP (Canada): 10-50W ERP
  • VLP (Canada): up to 10W ERP
• 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.

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:^[3]

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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 kW 600 m (1,969 ft)	60 dBu (1.0mV/m)	91.8 km (57.0 mi)	67.7 km (42.1 mi)

Historically, there were local "Class A" frequencies (like A.M. radio's class C stations) to which only class A stations would be allocated & the other frequencies could not have a class A. According to the 1982 F.C.C. rules & regulations those frequencies were: 92.1, 92.7, 93.5, 94.3, 95.3, 95.9, 96.7, 97.7, 98.3, 99.3, 100.1, 100.9, 101.7, 102.3, 103.1, 103.9, 104.9, 105.5, 106.3 & 107.1.

FM zones

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.

TV

Full-power stations (USA)

• VHF low (2-6): 100 kW video analog; 45 kW digital (sliding scale varying with height)
• VHF high (7-13): 316 kW video analog; 160 kW digital (sliding scale varying with height)
• UHF all (14-69): 5 MW video analog; 1MW digital

Notes:

• All Full power analog television station transmissions in the USA were terminated at midnight Eastern Daylight Time on June 12, 2009.^[4][5] Many broadcasters replaced their analog signal with their digital ATSC signal on the same transmission channel at that time.
• Analog audio power was limited to 22% of video.^[6]
• For U.S. analog stations, the -TV suffix was required if there was a radio station with the same three- or four-letter callsign. Stations not required to use the -TV suffix could optionally request it if desired.
• All U.S. digital stations received a -DT suffix during the analog-to-digital transition. At analog shutdown, the FCC assigned each digital station the callsign its associated analog station had used. (with a -TV suffix if the analog station had one, without the -TV suffix if the analog station didn't have it) Stations could optionally choose to keep the -DT suffix.^[7] Most stations did not keep the -DT suffix.^[8]

Full-power stations (Canada)

• Class A: UHF, 10 kW video/100m EHAAT
• Class B: UHF, 100 kW video/150m EHAAT
• Class C: UHF, 1000 kW video/300m EHAAT (?)
• Class D: UHF, more than 1000 kW/300m EHAAT
• Class R: VHF, 100 kW low-band (channels 2-6), 325 kW high-band. (channels 7-13)
• Class S: VHF, more than 100 kW low-band/325 kW high-band.

Notes:

• Official definitions of these classes are difficult to locate. The values above are inferred from the Industry Canada database. There is some ambiguity about the difference between Classes C and D.
• 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 operated on Channel 3 at over 600 kW but was not subject to international co-ordination due to its location 500 km north of the border.
• In Canada, the callsigns of all private TV stations have the -TV suffix. Most CBC Television and Télévision de Radio-Canada TV callsigns end in the letter T and have no suffix. A few Radio-Canada stations, purchased by the CBC from private owners, retain the old -TV callsigns.
• Canadian digital stations all receive the -DT suffix. (this includes CBC and Radio-Canada stations) The Industry Canada database shows -PT suffixes for the channel allotments for permanent post-transition digital operation but when licences are issued for these permanent digital stations, -DT callsigns are used.

Class A television (USA)

Class-A stations (U.S.) (suffix: -CA or -CD for digital class A):

• VHF all (2-13): 3 kW video; 3 kW 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. [4] Additionally, class-A stations, LPTV stations, and translators are the only stations currently authorized to broadcast both analog and digital signals, unlike full-power stations which must broadcast a digital signal only.

Low-power TV (USA)

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; 3 kW 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. [5]

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.

Low-power TV (Canada)

In Canada, there is no formal transmission power below which, a television transmitter is broadcasting at low power. Industry Canada considers that a low power digital television undertaking "shall not normally extend a distance of 20 km in any direction from the antenna site," based on the determined noise-limited bounding contour.^[9]

FCC service table

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
Television allotment (analog)	TA	An allocation of a frequency to a city of license 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 call sign, identifier is a date (yymmdd) followed by a sequential two-letter value in the US FCC database.
Full-service TV (analog)	TV	-TV or none (such as "WABC-TV" and "WMYD") Since the shutdown of all full power analog stations in June 2009, used only for historical records.
Class A (analog)	CA	-CA, -LP, or a translator-style call sign (such as "WALV-CA", "WKGK-LP", and "W33BY")
Low-power station (analog) or translator	TX	-LP, none (rare), or a translator-style call sign (such as "WLPC-LP", (example needed), and "W66BV")
Low-power TV (analog LPTV)	TL	Usually placed under TX class; these use the -LP suffix or translator-style call signs.
TV boosters	TB	Rare. These use the parent station's call sign plus a sequential number, such as WSTE1, WSTE2, WSTE3. Nameplates for on-channel repeaters bear the parent station's call sign, followed by "booster".[10] See distributed transmission. If the station is digital, and has on-channel boosters, they would typically be named WSTE-DT1, WSTE-DT2, WSTE-DT3 and so on.
TV auxiliary (analog backup) service	TS	no specific suffix (uses same call sign as main transmitter)
NTSC (analog) petition for a channel change	NN	no specific suffix; uses same call sign as the station which made a request for a number/channel change (for NTSC/analog stations, and low-power repeaters, such as those registered as TX).
Digital Television (full power)	DT	-DT, -TV or none (such as KGLA-DT, WSKY-TV or WMAK) Some stations formerly used -HD but this has become obsolete (though it may sometimes still be seen identifying the station's main subchannel in a PSIP listing). The -DT suffix, optional for digital-only stations, was used primarily to distinguish a DTV transmission from an analog signal of the same broadcast (or is seen identifying the main subchannel of a station on a PSIP display); likewise, -TV is optional except if the eponymous radio stations exist.
Digital Class-A	DC	-CD or -LD (such as "WDNI-CD" and "WTSN-LD") Some stations briefly used -DC as well (this has since become obsolete). A scant few still use translator-style call signs with the -D suffix (such as "W23BV-D").
Digital Low-power	LD	-LD or translator-style calls with -D suffix (such as "WBND-LD" and "W38EA-D") Some stations briefly used -DL as well (this has since become obsolete).
Digital special temporary authority (STA)	DS	no specific suffix; uses same call sign as station making a request for permission from the FCC to use a channel, power level or transmitter location not permanently allocated for one particular station. Temporary assignments retain, unmodified, the call sign of the corresponding permanent allocation; this includes translator-style calls (a format, such as W55ZZ-D, based on RF channel number plus a sequential identifier) even on those temporarily moving to another frequency.
Digital auxiliary (backup) service	DX (not to be confused with DXing)	no specific suffix (uses same call sign as main transmitter)
Digital rulemaking petition	DR	no specific suffix; uses same call sign as station making this 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 6 MHz LM allocation does not itself carry a TV-style call sign.[11]

See also

• North American call sign - How call signs and classes are used in North America
• ITU prefix - How callsigns and classes are used worldwide
• Low-power broadcasting
• Class A television service

References

External links

• FCC AM classes
• FCC FM classes
• FCC LPTV Facts
• FCC LPTV classes
• FCC Class-A TV Information

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