Radio imaging guide
What Is Station Identification? FCC Legal ID Rules and 20 Examples
Station identification (a station ID or station ident) is the short announcement in which a radio station says its name, usually 3 to 10 seconds long and often over music. Licensed US stations must also air a legal ID, their call letters followed by their city, every hour; internet-only stations are not covered by that FCC rule.
What is a station ID?
A station ID is the line that tells listeners which station they are hearing: the name, sometimes a frequency or slogan, and a short piece of music or a sound effect around it. Stations run IDs between songs, coming out of ad breaks and at the top of the hour, so that someone who tunes in halfway through a song still learns the name. There are a few kinds:
- Legal ID: the call letters followed by the community of license. Licensed US broadcast stations are required to air it.
- Station ID (ident): the station name, often with a slogan, over an intro and a music bed. Usually 5 to 10 seconds.
- Short ID: just the name, 2 to 3 seconds, for back-to-back songs.
- Top-of-hour ID: a slightly longer ID that marks the new hour, often right before the news.
A line that carries the station's attitude rather than just its name is a sweeper or liner; see the radio sweeper generator.
What are the FCC rules for station identification?
In the US, station identification is a rule, not just branding. Section 73.1201 of the FCC rules (47 CFR §73.1201) sets out when broadcast stations must identify themselves and what the identification must contain. The key lines, quoted from the regulation:
“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.”
“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”
“No other insertion between the station's call letters and the community or communities specified in its license is permissible.”
“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.”
The only things the rule allows between the call letters and the community are the licensee's name, the station's frequency, its channel number and its network affiliation.
So a legal ID can be as short as “[Call letters], [City]”, or “[Call letters] [Frequency] FM, [City]” with the frequency inserted.
Which legal IDs follow the rule?
Follows the rule“[Call letters], [City].”
Call letters immediately followed by the community of license.
Follows the rule“[Call letters] [Frequency] FM, [City].”
The frequency is one of the items allowed in between.
Follows the rule“[Call letters], [City] and [Second town].”
An extra community may be added once the licensed community is named first.
Does not follow“[Call letters], the best mix of music, [City].”
A slogan is not one of the items allowed between the call letters and the community.
Does not follow“[Second town] and [City]: [Call letters].”
The call letters must come first, immediately followed by the licensed community.
Rule text checked on eCFR on Oct 3, 2026: 47 CFR §73.1201 · 47 CFR §73.801
Does your station need a legal ID?
Find your kind of station in the table. This is a summary of the rule text above, not legal advice.
| Station | Hourly legal ID required? | What to say | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Licensed US AM or FM station | Yes: at sign-on, at sign-off and hourly, as close to the hour as feasible | Call letters, then community of license; licensee name, frequency or network may go in between | 47 CFR §73.1201(a) and (b) |
| US low-power FM (LPFM) station | Yes, the same rule | Same as a full-power station | §73.801 lists §73.1201 among the rules that apply to LPFM stations |
| US TV or Class A TV station | Yes, the same schedule; the ID may be shown on screen or spoken | Call letters, then community of license; the major channel number may go in between | §73.1201(a) and (b)(1) |
| US radio station running HD Radio (DAB hybrid mode) | Yes, plus the digital signal has to be identified as a digital audio broadcast | The usual legal ID, said in a way that tells listeners they are hearing the digital signal | §73.1201(b)(1) |
| Internet-only station (no FCC license) | Not under §73.1201, which covers licensed broadcast stations; a stream has no call letters to give | Your station name; most streams still run an hourly ID | §73.1201 is part of the FCC rules for radio broadcast services (Part 73) |
| UK station | Not covered by the FCC rule; check the conditions of your own Ofcom licence | Your station name is the usual practice | — |
Do internet radio stations need a legal ID?
Not under the FCC station identification rule. Section 73.1201 is part of the FCC rules for licensed radio broadcast stations, and an internet-only stream has no FCC license and no call letters to announce.
That does not mean nothing applies to a stream (music licensing is a separate matter); it only means the hourly legal ID is a broadcast rule. Most internet stations still air an ID every hour and between songs, because a listener who arrives mid-song has no other way to hear the name.
What does “we now pause for station identification” mean?
It is the line an announcer used to cue the hourly ID break, best remembered from US television and radio of the past. The pause exists because of the hourly requirement in §73.1201(a): stations identify themselves “as close to the hour as feasible, at a natural break in program offerings”.
The same paragraph lets television and Class A television stations make the announcement visually or aurally, which is why TV stations can meet the rule with call letters on screen instead of a spoken ID.
What makes a good station ID?
- Say the name early. Put the station name in the first few words, before the slogan.
- One idea per ID. The name plus one slogan, or the name plus the frequency. A second slogan belongs in a sweeper.
- Write to the length. At about 13 characters per second, a 5-second ID holds around 65 characters of script and a 10-second ID around 130.
- Match the format. A rock station wants a loud read over a guitar bed; a hospital station wants a calm voice over soft ambient music.
- End clean. Finish on an outro sound or a hard stop so the next song can start straight away.
- Make several. Rotate a few versions so the same line does not come round every quarter of an hour.
One station ID at three lengths, measured
We made the same station's ID at three lengths in JingleLark with one voice (Nathan, a modern station host voice) at 1.0× speed, then measured each file with ffprobe. “Voice” is the generated read on its own; “finished ID” adds the intro, bed and outro the mixer laid around it. Copper Pines FM is a made-up station name.
Transcript: “Copper Pines FM.”
Sounds: Fast Swoosh intro · no bed · Bright Chime outro
Transcript: “You're listening to Copper Pines FM. The beat goes on, all night long.”
Sounds: Neon Stab intro · Neon Drive synthwave bed · Exit Sweep outro
Transcript: “It's the top of the hour on Copper Pines FM, independent radio streaming around the world, twenty-four hours a day.”
Sounds: Broadcast Open intro · Clean Start bed · Bell Tag outro
| Version | Script characters | Estimate at 13 characters/s | Voice, measured | Finished ID, measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Short ID | 16 | 1.2 s | 1.5 s | 2.7 s |
| Standard station ID | 70 | 5.4 s | 5.1 s | 5.9 s |
| Top-of-hour ID | 115 | 8.8 s | 7.2 s | 9.8 s |
What this shows: the 13-characters-per-second estimate landed within 1.6 seconds of the measured read in all three cases, and the intro and outro added about 1 to 3 seconds on top. Every script here is under 220 characters, so each ID cost 1 credit.
20 station ID examples you can adapt
Swap the bracketed parts for your own. Every line is under 220 characters, so each one is a single JingleLark credit.
Legal IDs (licensed US stations)
- 1.“[Call letters], [City].”
- 2.“[Call letters] [Frequency] FM, [City].”
- 3.“[Call letters], [Licensee name], [City].”
Standard station IDs
- 4.“You're listening to [Station name].”
- 5.“[Station name], the best mix of [genre] in [town].”
- 6.“This is [Station name], on [frequency] and online.”
- 7.“[Station name]. More music, less talk.”
- 8.“Wherever you are, you're tuned to [Station name].”
Short IDs
- 9.“[Station name].”
- 10.“[Station name], on air.”
- 11.“Only on [Station name].”
- 12.“[Station name]. Turn it up.”
Top-of-hour IDs
- 13.“It's the top of the hour on [Station name].”
- 14.“It's [time] on [Station name], streaming around the world.”
- 15.“[Station name] news is next, at the top of the hour.”
By format
- 16.“Rock: [Station name], where the guitars live.”
- 17.“Oldies: [Station name], the songs you grew up with.”
- 18.“Dance: [Station name]. Non-stop dance hits.”
- 19.“Community: [Station name], made by your neighbours, for your neighbours.”
- 20.“Hospital: [Station name], keeping you company on every ward.”
Want to hear finished IDs by format? The radio station ID maker has five, for rock, oldies, dance, community and hospital radio.
How to make a station ID with JingleLark
Type your script, pick a radio voice and generate the voiceover. Then choose an intro, a background bed and an outro; JingleLark mixes them with automatic ducking and loudness normalisation, and you download the finished ID as MP3 or WAV.
A script up to 220 characters costs 1 credit, and mixing, re-mixing, previews and downloads are free. The Starter pack is $14.9 for 50 credits, and credits never expire. Downloaded IDs are royalty-free for radio, with no per-play fees.
To load your IDs into RadioDJ, AzuraCast and other playout software, see how to add jingles to playout software.
Related guides and tools
Station identification FAQ
How often does a radio station have to identify itself?
Under 47 CFR §73.1201, a licensed US broadcast station must identify itself at the beginning and end of each time of operation, and hourly, as close to the hour as feasible at a natural break in programming. Internet-only stations are not covered by that rule.
What has to be in a legal ID?
The station's call letters immediately followed by the community named in its license. The FCC rule allows only the licensee's name, the frequency, the channel number and the network affiliation to be inserted between the two.
How long should a station ID be?
Most station IDs run 3 to 10 seconds. In our measured examples, a 16-character name-only ID came out at 2.7 seconds finished, a 70-character ID at 5.9 seconds and a 115-character top-of-hour ID at 9.8 seconds.
Can I use JingleLark station IDs on air?
Yes. Station IDs you download from JingleLark are royalty-free for radio, podcasts, social and paid ads, with no per-play fees, and the licence does not expire.
How much does a station ID cost on JingleLark?
A script up to 220 characters is 1 credit, and mixing and downloads in MP3 or WAV are free. Packs start at $14.9 for 50 credits, credits never expire, and new accounts get 1 free credit.
Can I make a station ID for free?
Yes, to start. New accounts get 1 free credit, which covers one script up to 220 characters, and mixing and downloads in MP3 or WAV are free. For more IDs, packs start at $14.9 for 50 credits that never expire.
Make your station ID
Type your station name, pick a radio voice and download a mixed station ID as MP3 or WAV.