Step 1 : Introduction to the question "What does the "W" in a radio station’s call sign typically indicate?"
...Most radio stations in the United States have call signs that begin with either “K” or “W,” a system that originated from international agreements in 1912 to assign specific letters to different countries. Stations east of the Mississippi River start with “W,” while those west of the river begin with “K.” These prefixes serve as geographic identifiers, helping distinguish the location of a radio station. Meanwhile, the letters “N” and “A” were reserved for military and government stations to distinguish civilian broadcasts from government communications.