 | |
| Broadcast area | San Cristóbal de las Casas,Chiapas |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 760kHz |
| Branding | Radio Uno |
| Programming | |
| Format | Public radio |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Gobierno del Estado de Chiapas |
| History | |
First air date | November 3, 1973 |
| Technical information | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Class | B |
| Power | 5,000watts (day) 500watts (night)[1] |
Transmitter coordinates | 19°23′49″N99°6′6″W / 19.39694°N 99.10167°W /19.39694; -99.10167 |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Website | XERA-AM |
XERA is aradio station inMexico, broadcasting on760 AM inSan Cristóbal de las Casas,Chiapas,Mexico. The station's callsign was most famous for its use on a border blaster atVilla Acuña,Coahuila.
XERA also broadcasts on FM at 101.5 MHz. It is not licensed for this frequency; the only FM station on the frequency in Chiapas isXHDB-FM in Tonalá.
From 1935 to 1939, XERA was the call sign of aborder blaster licensed to Ramón D. Bósquez Vitela in September 1935 toCompañía Mexicana Radiodifusora Fronteriza inVilla Acuña,Coahuila. This station was the successor toXER which had been situated at the same location but whose transmitter had been dismantled after the station ceased broadcasting in February 1933. Like XER, it was under the control ofJohn R. Brinkley of the U.S. state ofKansas. XERA ceased transmissions in 1939. After losing control of XER when it was shut down by the Mexican government in 1933, Brinkley dismantled the original XER transmitter but attempted to get a new concession for Villa Acuña. Months later in September 1935 he was granted a new concession via his partnership of Cía Mexicana Radiodifusora Fronteriza, a company which was represented by Bósquez as the owner; this was officially awarded on November 18 of that year. The original station broadcast on 960 kHz.
Brinkley used the old buildings of XER but installed a new 500 kilowatt transmitter with help from two Texas radio engineers. The antenna for XER had been omnidirectional, but the new directional antenna of XERA allowed Brinkley to claim that his station had aneffective radiated power of one megawatt. One of his Texas engineers called XERA "the world's most powerful broadcasting station," which was a slogan that he would use again in the 1960s for two more of his engineering endeavors: theUnited States military transmitters which communicated with theU.S.submarine fleet, and again for the offshorepirate stationSwinging Radio England.
Following the signing of various international treaties with the United States, the Mexican government forced XERA off the air in the closing days of 1939, by which time it had moved to 800 kHz. The station's programming, featuring quack doctor religious cures and Nazi propaganda, and the station's reputation for breaking laws and evading taxes, put the station in the sights of both Mexican and American authorities. On June 16, 1941, theOfficial Journal of the Federation ran a decree expropriating the station, also noting that "the Federal Government has an urgent need to obtain a radio station as powerful as XERA to dedicate it to the service of the Federation ... and that it is currently not possible to obtain it from the United States of America, given the conditions that dominate in Europe".[2] Again the equipment was removed and the location would not become the site of another, unrelated border blaster until years later followingWorld War II in 1947. See the history ofXERF for details.
On November 3, 1973, a newXERA-AM took to the air inSan Cristóbal de las Casas, owned by the government of the state of Chiapas and the state's first public radio station.
From 1985 to 1990, this station was operated by theInstituto Mexicano de la Radio under a co-operation agreement that saw IMER launch two radio stations in the state. When the government of Chiapas opted to retake control of XERA, IMER built a replacement station,XECHZ-AM Chiapa del Corzo.[3]
Programming on XERA-AM is broadcast in various languages includingTzeltal andTzotzil.