Originally Posted by MacG
I was actually wondering that too, as I typed it. I was too lazy to research it, so I just added the 'usually' to cover my posterior.
I thought maybe I had it backwards, but it looks like there is indeed a bit of a contradiction. I'm also pretty sure that both Jersey and New York are quite solidly east of the Mississippi.
Anyone happen to know where Mike is from?
It's "K" for west, "W" for east...but that's for broadcast radio and TV stations. Note that the Wiki article was about broadcast stations, meaning the stations you listen to on your AM/FM transistor radio. It doesn't work that way for hams; in California you'll see W6es, K6es, N6es, and the occasional A6. The geographical distinction in the letters of the prefix isn't needed, because the number tells you where the ham was originally licensed.