XER (1932–1933), licensed to
Villa Acuña,
Coahuila
Coahuila, formally Coahuila de Zaragoza, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Coahuila de Zaragoza, is one of the 31 states of Mexico. The largest city and State Capital is the city of Saltillo; the second largest is Torreón and the thi ...
,
Mexico
Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
, was
John R. Brinkley's first high-powered
"border-blaster" radio station. It first came on the air in 1932. It was shut down by the Mexican authorities in 1933 and the Villa Acuña Broadcasting Company was dissolved.
History of XER
XER called itself the "Sunshine Station between the Nations", and it broadcast on 735 kHz, on the
AM band from Villa Acuña, Coahuila. The owner was Dr. John R. Brinkley of Kansas, who established a management company called Villa Acuña Broadcasting Company located just across the Rio Grande in
Del Rio, Texas
Del Rio (in Spanish language, Spanish, ''Del Río'', "from the river") is a city in and the county seat of Val Verde County, Texas, Val Verde County in southwestern Texas, United States. As of 2020 United States census, 2020, Del Rio had a popul ...
. It first signed on August 18, 1932, with a 50-kW transmitter and claimed 75 kW power output via an omnidirectional antenna. The engineering was by Will Branch of
Fort Worth
Fort Worth is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, covering nearly into Denton County, Texas, Denton, Johnson County, Texas, Johnson, Parker County, Texas, Parker, and Wise County, Te ...
, who had engineered
WBAP for
Amon Carter, owner of the ''
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
The ''Fort Worth Star-Telegram'' is an American daily newspaper serving Fort Worth and Tarrant County, the western half of the North Texas area known as the Metroplex. It is owned by The McClatchy Company.
History
In May 1905, Amon G. Car ...
''. For a brief period, XER-AM was licensed for one million watts, but XER was shut down by the Mexican authorities on February 24, 1933,
and the Villa Acuña Broadcasting Company of Del Rio, which had managed the station, was dissolved.
The XER call sign was assigned in 1943 to a new station in
Linares, Nuevo León
Linares is a small city in the state of Nuevo León, Mexico. The city serves as the administrative centre for the surrounding municipality of the same name and it is the largest urban centre of the so-called "orange belt" region. The city had a 20 ...
, which migrated to FM and is now
XHR-FM.
See also
*
XERA - after XER closed down in 1933, XERA reoccupied the station's original facilities in September 1935.
*
XERF - a later station which began broadcasting shortly after XERA was closed down
References
External links
"XER - The King of the Border Blasters"by John Schneider, 2015 (theradiohistorian.org)
Further reading
*Wolfman Jack's old station howling once again. - ''Dallas Times Herald'', January 2, 1983. - primarily about
XERF 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
{{DEFAULTSORT:XER (Villa Acuña)
Mass media in Ciudad Acuña
Radio stations established in 1932
Radio stations disestablished in 1933
Defunct radio stations in Mexico
1932 establishments in Mexico
1933 disestablishments in Mexico