Wolfman Jack Big Broadcasts question

[johnbasalla]

I never heard, nor am clear on what was going on in relation to super-big station(s) in the 1960s. From what I understand Wolfman Jack, and others, would broadcast from Mexico ( Mexico city? ) with a monsterous amount of power, and at night much of the continental U.S. could hear it. I've heard of the power being as high at 250,000 watts, but whether that was true or not, I don't know. Some have said the stations were pumping so much power that it was actually dangerous. Any truth to that? When/why did it all start and when/why did it end. I would think that the U.S. wasn't thrilled with this/these station(s). If this would be better to move to the engineering board, I think that would be good.

 

[Silkie]

All I know is that I hid my little transistor radio under my pillow and listened. He was on XERB and had a flame throwing signal.

 

[oldiesfan6479]

In the mid-1960s on XERF 1570 Ciudad Acuna, Coahuila
(across from Del Rio, TX) with 250,000 watts.

Later in the 1960s, da Wolf originated from XERB 1090
Rosarito, Baja California with 50,000 watts, DA.

Side note: not da Wolf, but a high-powered Top 40 format
came out of XEROK 800 Ciudad Juarez (El Paso) in the
mid-1970s putting out 150,000 watts at night. I can
hear the X-ROCK 80 shotgun jingle now...

 

[BRNout]

In the mid-1960s on XERF 1570 Ciudad Acuna, Coahuila
(across from Del Rio, TX) with 250,000 watts.

Later in the 1960s, da Wolf originated from XERB 1090
Rosarito, Baja California with 50,000 watts, DA.

Didn't these 2 stations simulcast for a while?

 

[landtuna]

I never heard, nor am clear on what was going on in relation to super-big station(s) in the 1960s. From what I understand Wolfman Jack, and others, would broadcast from Mexico ( Mexico city? ) with a monsterous amount of power, and at night much of the continental U.S. could hear it. I've heard of the power being as high at 250,000 watts, but whether that was true or not, I don't know. Some have said the stations were pumping so much power that it was actually dangerous. Any truth to that? When/why did it all start and when/why did it end. I would think that the U.S. wasn't thrilled with this/these station(s). If this would be better to move to the engineering board, I think that would be good.

The idea was for the Mexican stations, which are not governed by U.S. power regulations, to blast a BIG signal as far as possible. U.S. AM stations at that time were limited to 50K watts but no such limitation existed on the other side of the border.

Wolfman's transmitter sites were within a few miles of the US-Mexican border (not anywhere near Mexico City) as the programming was primarily intended for the U.S. market.

As for the power being dangerous, you'd have to ask an engineer with medical background but I doubt people were actually living/working right next to the antenna farm. We have TV stations here in Phoenix pumping out 100,000 watts which are within a mile or so of homes. Aside from the occasional report of someone hearing the 5 o'clock news coming from their fillings I'm not aware of any "dangerous" side effects.

 

[johnbasalla]

Thanks, all. Now we're getting somewhere. The next big question is...what happened to the 250,000 watt stations. Are they still on-air but with much less power at night? If I can't get an answer here, I may ask elsewhere, ok?

 

[landtuna]

AFAIK those BIG signal stations across the border were all AM. Maybe FM killed them too.

I do remember hearing a few English language religious stations identified with Mexican calls. Maybe the original music stations flipped.

 

[radiowayne]

radiowayne notes that even though he forgets the name of the author, there is a really good book called "Border Radio" that gives a history of the various border blasters, personalities, and owners.

Wayne g. aka radiowayne

 

[oldiesfan6479]

Details on the aforementioned book:

http://www.utexas.edu/utpress/books/fowbor.html

 

[anotherguyTN]

In the 80's there was an attempt to bring back XERF at 250,000 watts with a CCM format, but it was eventually turned into a Dollar a Holler station. It didn't last long though.

 

[LKellerIII]

In the 80's there was an attempt to bring back XERF at 250,000 watts with a CCM format, but it was eventually turned into a Dollar a Holler station. It didn't last long though.

XERB's transmitter was in Rosarita Beach - near Tijuana. Wolfman Jack recorded his shows in Los Angeles, and the tapes were driven across the border to be played at the transmitter site.

I don't know about XERF, but I seriously doubt XERB (1090) pumped out anything more than 50,000 watts. I would think anything more powerful would have obliterated KNX at 1070, and KRLA at 1110 - but both of those stations had strong signals at night.

50K watt stations on AM clear channels at night can often be heard clearly for hundreds, or even thousands of miles in the station's directional path. I'm not clear why they would need 250K watts.

Los Angeles stations KFI 640 and KNX can both be clearly heard in Northern California at night. KGO 810 from San Francisco comes in clearly in parts of Los Angeles. I remember picking hearing KSL from Salt Lake City clearly at night in Los Angeles.

Mexico and the US have always had treaties, and cross border cooperation. I don't think there's any way a Mexican station could have gotten away with dominating the airwaves in the Western US for very long without consequences.

 

[KyDXIn]

Details on the aforementioned book:

http://www.utexas.edu/utpress/books/fowbor.html

Check out this site for a library near you a copy of the book.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/47176968&referer=brief_results

 

[kirkiefan]

XERF and John Brinkley were synonymous with each other. "Dr. Brinkley" aired brokered programming during the day from everybody fromk fundamentalist evangelicals to mail order pitchmen and then the Woflfman at night....until he was shot at forcing him to resign and move to XERB.

Comedian Jerry Clower mentioned it in one of his early standup monlogues "How I Backed Into Show Buisiness" when he said "...why'd 'ya think I was Dr.Brinkley from Del Rio!...I heard that some of you have dealt with HIM!" when he humerously compared himself with Brinkley and his brokered programming during his younger days as an ag fertilizer peddler. I think that track was featured on his 1974 MCA album "Clower Power."

ZZ Top exhaulted the station in the song "Heard It On The X."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XERF-AM

The "brinkley act" was put into action by the U.S. government to silence Dr. Brinkley and all border-blaster stations.

The former XERB is now XEPRS

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XEPRS-AM

 

[LKellerIII]

XERF and John Brinkley were synonymous with each other. "Dr. Brinkley" aired brokered programming during the day from everybody fromk fundamentalist evangelicals to mail order pitchmen and then the Woflfman at night....until he was shot at forcing him to resign and move to XERB.

Comedian Jerry Clower mentioned it in one of his early standup monlogues "How I Backed Into Show Buisiness" when he said "...why'd 'ya think I was Dr.Brinkley from Del Rio!...I heard that some of you have dealt with HIM!" when he humerously compared himself with Brinkley and his brokered programming during his younger days as an ag fertilizer peddler. I think that track was featured on his 1974 MCA album "Clower Power."

ZZ Top exhaulted the station in the song "Heard It On The X."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XERF-AM

The "brinkley act" was put into action by the U.S. government to silence Dr. Brinkley and all border-blaster stations.

The former XERB is now XEPRS

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XEPRS-AM

XERB has been XEPRS since the early 1970s. Shortly after Wolf left, the station picked those call letters for new branding as "Soul Express." It was a good station for awhile, too - with live and well known local LA R&B jocks like Tom Reed who billed himself as the Master Blaster.

But ultimately, border-radio blowtorches couldn't compete with FM stereo any better than other AM music stations could.

 

[elchupacabras]

As for the power being dangerous, you'd have to ask an engineer with medical background but I doubt people were actually living/working right next to the antenna farm. We have TV stations here in Phoenix pumping out 100,000 watts which are within a mile or so of homes. Aside from the occasional report of someone hearing the 5 o'clock news coming from their fillings I'm not aware of any "dangerous" side effects.

Dangerous to birds! My father-in-law is an electrical engineer. He told me that when he was getting his degree in the late sixties, he had the opportunity to tour the XEW transmitter site. (XEW, Mexico City, 250kw). He told me that birds would hit the tower and get "cooked" on contact! He indicates that the original site seemed to have a better ground conductivity than where it is now located. Nevertheless, I live 3 hours north of Mexico City and XEW comes in like a local station. An incredible amount of power!

 

[oldiesfan6479]

...he had the opportunity to tour the XEW transmitter site. (XEW, Mexico City, 250kw).
He told me that birds would hit the tower and get "cooked" on contact!

There is a similar story about birds and XEROK, concerning an "open feed line"
from the XMTR building to the tower and...ZAP!

 

[Silkie]

I can still hear a BC Powder commercial on a Wolfman Jack aircheck. Funny as all get out.

What'chu mean, you got a headache! My man, everybody's got a headache. We have splitting headaches, throbbing headaches, tax headaches, headaches from not eatin', headaches from overeatin' and driiinkiiin...
man, if you ain't got a headache, you don't know what's goin' on in the world. Eeeeverybody's got a headache, like I said, and Joe Tex got the answer. BC Powder.

 

[radioman148]

I can still hear a BC Powder commercial on a Wolfman Jack aircheck. Funny as all get out.

What'chu mean, you got a headache! My man, everybody's got a headache. We have splitting headaches, throbbing headaches, tax headaches, headaches from not eatin', headaches from overeatin' and driiinkiiin...
man, if you ain't got a headache, you don't know what's goin' on in the world. Eeeeverybody's got a headache, like I said, and Joe Tex got the answer. BC Powder.

The Wolfman was hysterical. BTW: did BC Powder work?

 

[Silkie]

I can still hear a BC Powder commercial on a Wolfman Jack aircheck. Funny as all get out.

What'chu mean, you got a headache! My man, everybody's got a headache. We have splitting headaches, throbbing headaches, tax headaches, headaches from not eatin', headaches from overeatin' and driiinkiiin...
man, if you ain't got a headache, you don't know what's goin' on in the world. Eeeeverybody's got a headache, like I said, and Joe Tex got the answer. BC Powder.

The Wolfman was hysterical. BTW: did BC Powder work?

It's only aspirin. It is still being sold, so I reckon it did. The commercial was recorded by Joe Tex. It's just funny.

 

[radioman148]

I can still hear a BC Powder commercial on a Wolfman Jack aircheck. Funny as all get out.

What'chu mean, you got a headache! My man, everybody's got a headache. We have splitting headaches, throbbing headaches, tax headaches, headaches from not eatin', headaches from overeatin' and driiinkiiin...
man, if you ain't got a headache, you don't know what's goin' on in the world. Eeeeverybody's got a headache, like I said, and Joe Tex got the answer. BC Powder.

The Wolfman was hysterical. BTW: did BC Powder work?

It's only aspirin. It is still being sold, so I reckon it did. The commercial was recorded by Joe Tex. It's just funny.

I think I remember it. I may have it on an aircheck.