mark@motown.altair.fr (09/27/89)
Henry Mensch <henry@garp.mit.edu> writes: >New Zealand >broadcast stations use a similar convention: the "ZL" becomes silent, >and the number indicates location (1=North Island, 2=South Island). Actually, it goes like this: ZL1xx = northern North Island, essentially Auckland ZL2xx = southern North Island, essentially Wellington ZL3xx = northern South Island, essentially Christchurch ZL4xx = southern South Island, essentially Dunedin It is true that the stations *never* announce the "ZL". One reason for this is a sentimental attachment of many New Zealanders for Mother England, whose stations' call signs really do start with numbers. Thus the Auckland station ZL1YA sounds British and serious when it calls itself "1YA". Newer FM and rock stations, of course, since they appeal to a younger audience who couldn't care less about Mother England, are discarding the number as well: ZL1ZM-FM, for example, just calls itself "ZM-FM", and the Auckland University campus station, ZL1BFM (I think), never identifies itself as anything other than "Bifim". ### T. Mark James #### opinions, errors etc are my own ### ### mark@bdblues.altair.fr #### ### +33 (1) 39 63 53 93 #### "The universe is a four-dimensional ################################ Moebius strip." -- R. D. Ladd