Re: XETRA

["Mark Casey" <map@map.com>]

Rob heard just about the same ID that XETRA had when I was in SoCal in 1982.
It was definately "X-E-T-R-A, Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico" at that time, barely
audible under some music or intentionally placed noise.

The interesting part was the "Non-Legal" ID, which they ran several times an hour. It went
like this:

"It's 71 degrees in Los Angeles, 72 degrees in Hollywood and at the Mighty Six Ninedey"
It was ALWAYS the same temp in Hollywood and at the station.
Given the coastal locations, even over 100 miles apart, that might be possible sometimes,
but......every time?

Of course the average person thought the station was in Hollywood.

Also interesting is that they did not often mention San Diego, where they have a killer
signal, and where they target audience now.

As I remember , they were playing an oldies format at the time.

XETRA has a great signal in the LA coastal area days, good at night, and still great in
most of Orange County, even at night, but it gets hit with the usual computers & etc
noise, once you get inland more than 10-20 miles or north & east of LA(where most of the
80's & 90's expansion has taken place in So Cal)


Mark Casey  K1MAP  Hampden, MA
map@map.com


> In December, 1983, I was driving across the Mojave Desert on I-40
> westbound,

With a decent car radio, you can still get them well almost all the way to Vegas on I-15.

 listening to one of the only receivable AM stations (there were
> none on FM) when the top of the hour rolled around and I heard:
>
> ...(drum roll with something being mumbled under it)... THE MIGHTY
> SIX-NINETY!!!
>
> That got my curiosity aroused; the station gave out no clues as to its
> location other than references to "southern California" in commercials, so
> I listened very carefully to the next top-of-hour ID. I was able to make
> out -- just barely -- "equis ay tay erray ah, Baja California, Mexico".
>
>
> Rob Landry
> umar@nerodia.wcrb.com
>
>