XETRA (AM): Difference between revisions
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#REDIRECT [[XEWW-AM]] |
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:''For other meanings of '''XETRA''', see [[XETRA]]'' |
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{{Infobox Radio Station | |
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name = XETRA-AM | |
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area = [[Tijuana, Baja California]], [[San Diego, California]], [[Los Angeles, California]], [[Southern California]] | |
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branding = ''"W Radio 690 AM"''| |
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airdate = | |
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frequency = 690 ([[kilohertz|kHz]]) | |
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format = [[Spanish language|Spanish]] [[News radio|news]] / [[Talk radio|talk]] | |
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erp = 77,500 [[watt]]s daytime, 50,000 [[watt]]s nighttime | |
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class = A| |
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owner = [http://www.glradio.com Grupo Latino de Radio]| |
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website = [http://www.wradio690.com/ www.wradio690.com] | |
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callsign_meaning = "'''EXTRA''' NEWS" (previous all-news format) | |
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}} |
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'''XETRA-AM''' are the call letters of a [[border-blaster]] radio station licensed to the [[Tijuana]] / [[Playas de Rosarito|Rosarito]] area of [[Baja California]], [[Mexico]], with additional studio facilities in [[Burbank, California]]. They are a high-power station, with their 77,500 watt signal sometimes reaching as far as the middle of the [[San Joaquin Valley]], but otherwise covering nearly all of Southern California. It operates with 50,000 watts at night. |
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Because Mexican law prohibits ownership of television and radio stations by foreign operators, the station is owned by Mexican interests and managed by an American company. For many years, [[Clear Channel Communications]] operated this station, as well as a few others. |
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Its current format is Spanish-language [[talk radio]] under the brand name "[http://www.wradio.com.mx/ W Radio]." It primarily serves the [[Los Angeles]] radio market, even though the station has a stronger signal in [[San Diego]]. |
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==History== |
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It began its life as XEAK-AM (''"the Mighty 690"'', a moniker that its XETRA-AM successor would use in later years), playing the hits of its time. It signed off in 1961 after playing '''Mope Itty Mope''' by the [[Bosstones]] over and over for 3 days, and shortly after made Southern California broadcast history as they became "Extra News", the first 24-hour all-news station in Southern California. |
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In succeeding decades, XTRA (without the "E", as U.S. listeners would otherwise refer to) would switch formats numerous times. During most of the 1970s and 1980s it was a [[Beautiful music|Beautiful Music]] station, competing with [[KJQY|K-JOY]] on the FM dial. During its Beautiful Music years, XETRA became one of the first AM stations in the San Diego area to broadcast in stereo. |
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When interest in the Beautiful Music format died down in the late 70s, XETRA switched formats to Top 40/[[adult contemporary music]], once again billing itself as ''"the Mighty 690"''. When low ratings dictated the format didn't work, they switched to an oldies format, and XETRA called themselves ''"69 XTRA Gold"''. |
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Shortly after, XETRA had a brief stint as an all-news station, carrying syndicated programs such as [[Rush Limbaugh]], before becoming one of the U.S.'s first all-sports stations, billing as ''"XTRA Sports"'', affiliating themselves with [[ESPN Radio]]. For a number of years, the station was the broadcast home of the [[San Diego Chargers]] [[National Football League]] team. The station also briefly carried [[Stanford University]] football; the out-of-market team was carried because the son of station manager John Lynch was on scholarship with the team, the younger Lynch would go on to star in the [[National Football League]]. In the latter part of the 1990s and most of the 2000s, they decided to simulcast with [[Los Angeles]] station [[KTLK|KXTA]] in order to better serve the Los Angeles area. |
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The station's best-known sportscaster in the sports format is [[Lee Hamilton (sports)|Lee "Hacksaw" Hamilton]], who hosted a nightly sports talk program from 1987 until 2005, and was also the play-by-play voice of the Chargers from 1987 to 1996. Hacksaw is famous (and infamous) for his "best 15 minutes in radio" with "Hacksaw's Headlines" and using such phrases as "I am bleeping brilliant!" [[Jim Rome]] also got his start on the station. |
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In 2005, Clear Channel, which managed the station, chose to drop the station's all-sports format and replace it with [[pop standards]], in a format and branding swap with [[KLAC]] in Los Angeles. |
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In 2006, Clear Channel ceased management of the station after the [[Federal Communications Commission]] ruled that the stations licensed to Mexico had to be counted against the U.S. ownership caps (three AM stations and five FM stations). Since Clear Channel managed the stations, this was counted against their ownership limit under this ruling. Management interest of some of these outlets, including [[XETRA-FM]], [[XHRM-FM]], and [[XHITZ-FM]], was spun off into Finest City Broadcasting, owned by a former Clear Channel executive. However, management rights for XETRA-AM were sold to a firm called Grupo Latino de Radio, which introduced XETRA's current format. |
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The first day of broadcasts of W Radio was February 6, 2006. |
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The XETRA call sign was dropped accidentally in September 2006 for the call letters of [[XEWR]]. The calls were changed back to XETRA. The XEWR calls belong to a station in Juarez. |
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Another San Diego radio station, on the FM dial, also bills itself as XETRA ''(see [[XETRA-FM]] for details)''. |
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==See also== |
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*[[Border blasters]] |
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==References== |
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*Border Radio by Fowler, Gene and Crawford, Bill. Texas Monthly Press, Austin. 1987 ISBN 0-87719-066-6 |
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*Mass Media Moments in the United Kingdom, the USSR and the USA, by Gilder, Eric. - "Lucian Blaga" University of Sibiu Press, Romania. 2003 ISBN 973-651-596-6 |
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==External links== |
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*[http://www.wradio690.com W Radio 690 AM] |
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*[http://www.nya.us/wolfman.html Dedication of the Wolfman Jack Memorial in Del Rio, Texas] |
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{{San Diego AM}} |
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[[Category:Radio stations in Mexico]] |
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[[Category:Class A radio stations in North America]] |
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[[Category:Spanish Language radio stations]] |
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[[Category:News and Talk radio stations]] |
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Latest revision as of 10:09, 16 May 2008
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