SIMILARITY OF ACR CALL SIGNS POTENTIAL MISCOM.

Narrative

ACR XXX0; ACR XXX1; ACR XXX9 ALL ON FREQ 124.125 AT ZME AT PM30 LCL DURING ACR X ARR PUSH. NUMEROUS REPEATS OF ATC CLRNCS REQUIRED TO ISSUE CTL INSTRUCTIONS TO CORRECT ACFT. ALL ACFT UNDER CTL OF SECTOR 61. COMPLAINTS TO ZME HAVE RESULTED IN NO ACTION BEING TAKEN IN THE PAST. ZME UPPER LEVEL MGMNT SEEMS TO BE OVERLY CONCERNED WITH ALLOWING ACR X MARKETING CONSIDERATIONS TO OVERRIDE THE OBVIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. LIKE THE RECENT INCIDENT AT JFK; A CALL SIGN MIX-UP AND THE POTENTIAL FOR A SEPARATION LOSS ARE HIGHLY LIKELY IN THIS TYPE ENVIRONMENT. SUGGEST SIMILAR CALL SIGNS BE PUT INTO OTHER AREAS; OR NOT USED AT ALL. DUE TO ZME'S MGMNT BEING UNABLE TO CORRECT THIS ISSUE; THIS INFO IS BEING FORWARDED TO THE NTSB AS WELL. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR IS AN ATC SPECIALIST WORKING THE MEM E SECTOR. THE SUBJECT ACR ASSIGNS FLT NUMBERS SEQUENTIALLY; EASIER FOR THEIR SCHEDULING; ETC; BUT CONSEQUENTLY LESS SAFE IN THE ATC/FLC COM. WHEN 4 FLTS ARE DEPARTING VERY CLOSE TO EACH OTHER WITH ONLY THE LAST NUMBER BEING DIFFERENT; IT IS EVIDENT OF THE POTENTIAL MISCOM; IE; ACR 1234; 1235; 1236 ALL DEPARTING AND RECEIVING CLRNCS ABOUT THE SAME TIME. RPTR SAYS THAT COMPLAINTS TO THE ACR GO UNANSWERED BECAUSE ONE OF THE RETIRED CTLRS WAS HIRED BY THE ACR AND HE STONEWALLS ACTION BECAUSE IT IS EASIER FOR THE ACR TO CONTINUE WITH THE PRESENT PROC. RPTR ALSO SAYS THAT PLTS COMPLAIN BUT ALSO GET NO RESPONSE.