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This page is a listing of Band I (54-88MHz) TV stations authorized in the USA and Canada. Only stations of at least 500 watts ERP are listed, and only stations east of the Mississippi River (about 90°W) are listed. Band I stations are known to operate in the Caribbean, Mexico, and northern South America, but I don't have adequate official information from these areas.
DAYTONA BEACH, FL WESH 100 NBC EL98iwListings start with the name of the city and state/province the station is authorized to serve - in this case, Daytona Beach, Florida. The transmitter is often located in a different city - and sometimes, in a different state or province. Next are the government-assigned call letters, WESH. In the USA, stations are required to identify once an hour with these call letters, either on the visual or aural transmitters. (or both) In Canada, identification is only required once a day. In both countries, many stations use their call letters much more frequently than is required by government regulations.
Following the call letters are the station's effective power in kilowatts. 100 kilowatts is the legal limit for Band I stations in the USA, and the vast majority of U.S. stations use this limit. Most U.S. stations listed with lower powers have unusually high antennas (more than 300m above average terrain in the northeastern U.S., more than 600m elsewhere) and are required to reduce power to compensate.
After the station's power comes its programming source. For most USA stations, this is one of the five major national networks. ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC are commercial general entertainment/sports/drama/information networks. Stations affiliated with a given network are not 100% in parallel with each other -- most are locally owned & managed and carry a considerable amount of programming arranged independently from their networks. PBS is a theoretically non-commercial cultural & educational network and the closest thing the U.S. has to "state TV". (PBS stations do air brief sponsorship announcements between programs) Except for a handful of stations in Puerto Rico (which are marked as broadcasting in Spanish), all listed U.S. stations broadcast in the English language.
In Canada, all listed stations are commercial. CBC is Canada's "state broadcaster", but does air regular commercials within programs. I believe CBC's programming is now 100% Canadian in origin. Other Canadian networks carry a considerable amount of U.S. and other foreign programming. Some Canadian stations listed broadcast in the French language, and are so marked.
The final column in the listings is the worldwide grid locator of the station's transmitter.
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