XEWW-AM
| Company type | Radio broadcaster |
|---|---|
| Industry | Broadcasting |
| Founded | January 7, 1934 in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico |
| Headquarters | Rosarito , Mexico |
Area served | Southern California and Baja California |
| Products | Spanish-language talk programming |
XEWW-AM (690 kHz) is a radio broadcaster authorized to serve the Rosarito/Tijuana region of Baja California, Mexico, featuring a Spanish-language talk programming format.
Transmitter
Classified as a high-powered Class A station, XEWW transmits with 77,000 watts during daytime hours, reaching as far north as the San Joaquin Valley. Its signal encompasses nearly all of Southern California along with most parts of Baja California. At nighttime, in compliance with the Rio Treaty to protect Canadian Class A stations on AM 690, it reduces power to 50,000 watts and utilizes a five-tower directional antenna system. The transmitter site located in Rosarito is optimized to extend coverage southward into Baja California while reducing interference with U.S. stations KIRN (670 AM) and KSPN (710 AM).
XEAC and XEAK
The station XEAC commenced operations on January 7, 1934, broadcasting from the Agua Caliente resort in Tijuana initially on either 820 or 815 kHz. By 1938, it was transmitting at 980 kHz with 5,000 watts under the ownership of Jorge Rivera. After the NARBA frequency adjustments, XEAC shifted to 690 kHz.
In the early 1950s, XEAC established a television outlet first designated as XEAC-TV, which was later renamed XETV. In 1957, California Broadcasters, Inc., created by Rivera and based in Hollywood’s Knickerbocker Hotel, assumed control over U.S. sales and programming rights and rebranded the station as XEAK. The concession was transferred to Radiodifusora del Pacífico in 1958.
An upgrade from 5,000 to 50,000 watts was enabled by manageable protections for Canadian Class I-A station CBF Montreal. XEAK attained Class I-B status on AM 690 and earned the nickname "The Mighty 690," operating as a Top 40 station that played prominent U.S. hits—a tradition later carried on by its successor XETRA-AM.
Enter Gordon McLendon
In 1961, radio pioneer Gordon McLendon acquired financial control of the U.S. subsidiary, giving him authority over programming decisions. Working alongside the concession holder, he relocated the transmitter closer to Rosarito’s shoreline to improve signal penetration into Los Angeles. He also introduced one of America’s earliest all-news radio formats. On May 6, 1961, XEAK was rebranded as XETRA (marketed as "X-TRA News"), promoting itself as "everywhere over Los Angeles."
X-TRA News featured a primarily "rip-and-read" style with two anchors alternating fifteen-minute shifts reading news from Associated Press and United Press International wire services. Initially emphasizing hard news content, it gradually incorporated more local news stories from Los Angeles.
As a border blaster competing against U.S.-based stations, XETRA faced opposition from the Southern California Broadcasters Association due to its misleading implication of being a local Los Angeles station without holding a license there. They threatened Federal Communications Commission intervention, prompting McLendon to consider pursuing an antitrust lawsuit. Despite these challenges, audience numbers increased; by 1965 McLendon asserted that XETRA had surpassed KNX (AM) in listenership and by 1966 the station employed around fifty staff members.
On March 11, 1968, KFWB (980 AM) switched to an all-news format that outperformed XETRA in this genre. Responding to this competition, McLendon changed XETRA’s format to automated beautiful music aligned with his Los Angeles station KOST. By the mid-1970s, McLendon had divested his interest back to the original concessionaire.
XETRA in the 1970s and 1980s
During the 1960s, XETRA was among the first to demonstrate AM stereo using the Kahn independent sideband system, although radios capable of decoding this AM stereo signal were never manufactured. Subsequent trials took place on stations in the United States and Canada. Today, AM 690 no longer broadcasts in AM stereo.
In the 1970s, XETRA predominantly aired a beautiful music format, competing with San Diego's KJQY. As the popularity of easy listening waned, the station switched back to a Top 40 format on September 19, 1980, branding itself as "the Mighty 690." Later on, it transitioned to an oldies format under the name "69 XTRA Gold."
XTRA Sports
Following this period, XETRA briefly embraced a news/talk format featuring syndicated programs such as Rush Limbaugh. It then became one of the earliest all-sports radio stations in the United States, adopting the brand "XTRA Sports" and affiliating with ESPN Radio.
The station was home to broadcasts of the San Diego Chargers and for a time aired Stanford University football games, influenced by station manager John Lynch, whose son played for Stanford. This son, John Lynch, went on to achieve prominence as an NFL player.
In 1996, control of XETRA transferred to XETRA Comunicaciones, S.A. de C.V. Throughout the late 1990s and into the 2000s, XETRA simulcasted with Los Angeles’s KXTA, broadening its Southern California audience.
Among its notable broadcasters was Lee "Hacksaw" Hamilton, who hosted sports talk shows from 1987 until 2005 and served as Chargers play-by-play announcer until 1996. Hamilton gained recognition for his dynamic delivery and memorable catchphrases. Additionally, nationally syndicated host Jim Rome launched his career at XETRA and occasionally referred to it as "Nifty 650," despite its actual frequency. Broadcaster Jeanne Zelasko also began at the station providing updates on traffic, weather, and sports.
End of the sports format and Clear Channel operations
In 2005, while under Clear Channel Communications management, XETRA replaced its all-sports programming with an adult standards format through a swap with Clear Channel’s Los Angeles station 570 KLAC, which then adopted the "AM 570 LA Sports" branding.
The following year, Clear Channel ended its management of XETRA after the Federal Communications Commission determined that Mexican-licensed stations count toward U.S. ownership limits. Since Clear Channel managed multiple Mexican-licensed stations targeting San Diego, this exceeded regulatory caps. Consequently, management of several stations including XETRA-FM, XHRM-FM, and XHITZ-FM was spun off into Finest City Broadcasting, owned by a former Clear Channel executive.
Meanwhile, management rights for XETRA-AM were sold to Grupo Latino de Radio—an American subsidiary of Grupo PRISA, which also holds significant interests in Televisa Radio (Radiópolis)—restoring XETRA’s previous programming style.
Spanish-language talk
On February 6, 2006, "W Radio" launched on the station, featuring much of its content sourced from Mexico City's XEW-AM, which syndicates talk programming to affiliated stations throughout Mexico.
On December 19, 2007, AM 690 changed its call sign to XEWW to reflect its affiliation with "W Radio," retiring the "XETRA" call letters on AM after nearly five decades; however, XETRA-FM retained those call letters.
On November 24, 2012, XEWW functioned as an overflow outlet for an English-language broadcast of a USC Trojans football game due to scheduling conflicts on flagship stations KSPN and KLAA. The station also carried C.D. Guadalajara soccer matches and aired Major League Soccer games featuring CD Chivas USA until 2014.
XEWW served as an alternate channel for English-language broadcasts of Los Angeles Lakers NBA games when conflicts occurred on KSPN. Beginning with the 2019–20 season, coverage of USC Trojans football and men's basketball shifted to KABC.
Chinese-language programming
In July 2018, the station's lease was acquired by H&H USA, which transitioned the format to Chinese-language content under the brand URadio 690. This lineup featured Mandarin and Cantonese news, talk shows, and music, all produced from studios located in Irwindale, California. Programming was created by Phoenix Radio, a subsidiary linked to the partially state-owned Chinese media company Phoenix Television, which also maintained a minority ownership interest in H&H USA.
Concerns were raised in 2020 by Senator Ted Cruz, who alleged that XEWW was broadcasting propaganda aligned with the Chinese government aimed at Chinese American audiences. The issue centered on Phoenix Television’s connections to Chinese state entities. In response, Cruz introduced an amendment to the Communications Act of 1934 intended to prevent FCC-licensed stations from altering their broadcast language without certifying that they are free from foreign government influence. At this time, XEWW was operating under special temporary authorization while awaiting FCC approval.
On June 23, 2020, the FCC denied H&H’s request to operate XEWW from U.S.-based studios due to insufficient disclosure regarding Phoenix Television’s involvement. The decision highlighted that without complete transparency about Phoenix Radio’s participation, the FCC could not properly assess the proposed operation. Following this ruling, XEWW broadcasted a continuous loop of programming for three years.
Radio Resources programming
In May 2023, H&H entered into a partnership with syndicator Radio Resources, Inc. to deliver English-language programming on XEWW. The content primarily consisted of cover versions and remixed tracks of well-known songs. XEWW did not air commercial advertisements during this period but continued to broadcast public service announcements originating from Mexico.
Return to Spanish-language talk
On October 14, 2023, XEWW reverted to Spanish-language talk radio under the name "La Voz del Pueblo" ("The Voice of the People"), with the lease held by Primer Sistema de Noticias, owned by former Baja California governor Jaime Bonilla Valdez. PSN’s programming is also broadcast on multiple AM stations including XHPRS-FM 105.7 and XHBJ-TDT 45.1.
See also
Sources
- Border Radio by Fowler, Gene and Crawford, Bill. Texas Monthly Press, Austin. 1987
- Mass Media Moments in the United Kingdom, the USSR and the USA, by Gilder, Eric. - "Lucian Blaga" University of Sibiu Press, Romania. 2003