Is this call sign available?

How broadcast call signs work

New AM, FM and TV call signs are four letters, starting with K west of the Mississippi River and W east of it, with -FM, -TV or -LP (LPFM) added when needed; LPTV stations use -LD and Class A TV -CD. A station asks for its call in the FCC's LMS once it has a construction permit, first come, first served.

There is no waiting period: when a station changes its call sign, the old one can be reserved by anyone as soon as the change takes effect. Stations under common control can share a base call across services (KXXX and KXXX-FM); otherwise using another station's base call in a different service needs that station's consent. FM and TV translators get call signs assigned in order (K or W, the channel, two letters) and can't pick them.

Sources

• 47 CFR 73.3550: requests in LMS, K/W and the Mississippi, four letters and suffixes, shared and secondary calls, ship calls.
• 47 CFR 74.791 and 74.1283: LPTV, Class A and translator call signs.
• FCC 98-324 (1998), paragraph 16: a changed call sign is available to others once the change is effective.
• Station data: the FCC's LMS public database (facility records and call sign requests), updated every morning.

Not a product of the FCC. Need a call sign reserved, or a station filed? Nexus Broadcast does FCC filings and engineering.