Sec. 73.1201  Station identification.

    (a) When regularly required. Broadcast station identification 
announcements shall be made: (1) At the beginning and ending of each 
time of operation, and (2) hourly, as close to the hour as feasible, at 
a natural break in program offerings. Television broadcast stations may 
make these announcements visually or aurally.
    (b) Content. (1) Official station identification shall consist of 
the station's call letters immediately followed by the community or 
communities specified in its license as the station's location: 
Provided, That the name of the licensee or the station's frequency or 
channel number, or both, as stated on the station's license may be 
inserted between the call letters and station location. No other 
insertion is permissible.
    (2) A station may include in its official station identification the 
name of any additional community or communities, but the community to 
which the station is licensed must be named first.
    (c) Channel--(1) General. Except as otherwise provided in this 
paragraph, in making the identification announcement the call letters 
shall be given only on the channel identified thereby.
    (2) Simultaneous AM (535-1605 kHz) and AM (1605-1705 kHz broadcasts. 
If the same licensee operates an AM broadcast station in the 535-1605 
kHz band and an AM broadcast station in the 1605-1705 kHz band with both 
stations licensed to the same community and simultaneously broadcasts 
the same programs over the facilities of both such stations, station 
identification announcements may be made jointly for both stations for 
periods of such simultaneous operations.
    (3) Satellite operation. When programming of a broadcast station is 
rebroadcast simultaneously over the facilities of a satellite station, 
the originating station may make identification announcements for the 
satellite station for periods of such simultaneous operation.
    (i) In the case of a television broadcast station, such 
announcements, in addition to the information required by paragraph 
(b)(1) of this section, shall include the number of the channel on which 
each station is operating.
    (ii) In the case of aural broadcast stations, such announcements, in 
addition to the information required by paragraph (b)(1) of this 
section, shall include the frequency on which each station is operating.
    (d) Subscription television stations (STV). The requirements for 
official station identification applicable to TV stations will apply to 
Subscription TV stations except, during STV-encoded programming such 
station identification is not required. However, a station 
identification announcement will be made immediately prior to and 
following the encoded Subscription TV program period.

[ 34 FR 19762 , Dec. 17, 1969, as amended at  37 FR 23726 , Nov. 8, 1972;  39 FR 6707 , Feb. 22, 1974;  39 FR 9442 , Mar. 11, 1974;  41 FR 29394 , July 16, 
1976;  47 FR 3791 , Jan. 27, 1982;  48 FR 51308 , Nov. 8, 1983;  56 FR 64872 , 
Dec. 12, 1991]