kHz
The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose expression in terms of SI base units is s−1, meaning that on ...
radio station
Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radio ...
in
Monterrey
Monterrey ( , ) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León, Mexico, and the third largest city in Mexico behind Guadalajara and Mexico City. Located at the foothills of the Sierra Madre Oriental, the city is anchor ...
,
Nuevo León
Nuevo León () is a state in the northeast region of Mexico. The state was named after the New Kingdom of León, an administrative territory from the Viceroyalty of New Spain, itself was named after the historic Spanish Kingdom of León. With a ...
,
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
. Its
transmitter
In electronics and telecommunications, a radio transmitter or just transmitter is an electronic device which produces radio waves with an antenna (radio), antenna. The transmitter itself generates a radio frequency alternating current, which i ...
is in
Guadalupe, Nuevo León
Guadalupe is a city and surrounding municipality located in the state of Nuevo León, in northern Mexico. It is part of the Greater Monterrey Metropolitan area.
The municipality of Guadalupe, which lies adjacent to the east side of Monterrey, a ...
.FCCdata.org/XEG /ref> XEG was known as a
border blaster
A border blaster is a broadcast station that, though not licensed as an external service, is, in practice, used to target another country. The term "border blaster" is of North American origin, and usually associated with Mexican AM station ...
in the 1950s, 60s and 70s. It now uses the name ''La Ranchera de Monterrey'' and broadcasts a Classic Ranchera
radio format
A radio format or programming format (not to be confused with broadcast programming) describes the overall content broadcast on a radio station. The radio format emerged mainly in the United States in the 1950s, at a time when Radio broadcasting, ...
.
XEG is one of a handful of North American AM stations to broadcast at 100,000
watt
The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named after James Wa ...
s around the clock. No commercial AM stations in the U.S. or Canada run more than 50,000 watts. XEG is non-directional at night but uses a
directional antenna
A directional antenna or beam antenna is an antenna which radiates or receives greater power in specific directions allowing increased performance and reduced interference from unwanted sources. Directional antennas provide increased performance ...
by day.
History
XEG received its concession on February 21, 1944. In 1950, the advertising time on XEG came under the control of
Harold Schwartz
Harold Schwartz (March 13, 1910 – December 22, 2003) was an American businessman and real estate developer who along with his son, H. Gary Morse, founded the active adult retirement community The Villages, Florida.
Early life
Harold Schwartz ...
of
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
1090 AM
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1 ...
Rosarito
Rosarito is a coastal city in Playas de Rosarito Municipality, Baja California, situated on the Pacific Coast of Mexico. As of 2010, the city had a population of 65,278. Located south of the US-Mexico border, Rosarito is a part of the greater S ...
,
Baja California
Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...
, the station made famous in the movie '' American Graffiti''.
During the mid- and late 1970s, XEG (then at 150 kW power, directional north) was known for its nighttime English-language R&B/
Soul music
Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues. Soul music became po ...
shows. For 4–6 hours per night, taped transcriptions from KGFJ (
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
)
disc jockey
A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include Radio personality, radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music f ...
s made specifically for XEG were audible throughout much of the Southern, Southwestern and Midwestern U.S.
In the late 1970s, XEG's powerful nighttime signal attracted several U.S. ministries, including Billy James Hargis. But between programs, commercials occasionally offered suspicious-sounding medicines which promised to "cure cancer" and other illnesses. By 1982, XEG was known as "The Golden Gospel Giant".
The XEG mailing address announced on the air was antiquated: "Post Office Box 28, St. Louis, 66,
Missouri
Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...
." This was more than a decade after ZIP codes were introduced across the U.S. As of November 2014, QSL (reception report) cards were still mailed out from St. Louis.
AM radio waves are of a much lower acoustical quality than FM, but during hours of darkness the Earth’s ionosphere drops sharply, typically from an altitude of roughly 600 miles to 30 miles, and the much longer wave length of the AM transmissions causes them to be refracted off of that lowered layer so that they “skip” back to ground level several hundred miles away. Accordingly, that causes the border blaster stations like XEG to be valuable as a commercial advertising medium far from their transmitters on the south side of the US border. Depending on atmospheric conditions, multiple skips can result in acceptable night time AM reception as far north as Canada.
References
*Wolfman Jack's old station howling once again. - ''Dallas Times Herald'', January 2, 1983. - primarily about
XERF
XHRF-FM () and XERF-AM () are radio stations in Ciudad Acuña, Coahuila, Mexico. Originally only on the AM band, XERF is a Mexican Class A clear-channel station transmitting with of power. Now branded as ''La Poderosa'', XHRF-FM and XERF-A ...
but it also includes background information on the border-blasters.
*Border Radio by Fowler, Gene and Crawford, Bill. Texas Monthly Press, Austin. 1987
*Mass Media Moments in the United Kingdom, the USSR and the US, by Gilder, Eric. - "Lucian Blaga" University of Sibiu Press, Romania. 2003