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58-556: The 1230 kHz frequency, and its pre- NARBA predecessor of 1200 kHz, were occupied from August 1936 to February 1954 by WTHT, a station owned by The Hartford Times newspaper. WTHT was Hartford's third radio station, affiliated with the Mutual Broadcasting System from 1936 to 1945 and ABC from 1945 to 1954. An FM adjunct, WTHT-FM 106.1, operated from 1948 to 1950. The Times and General Tele-Radio, owner of Hartford station WONS, both applied for channel 18 after

116-411: A "Radio Moving Day", but he refused on the grounds that "My experience has been that proclamations by the mayor mean just exactly nothing and I issue as few as I can.") The frequency changes affected "about a thousand stations in seven countries". The following chart reviews the assignments before and after March 29, 1941, including information about individual U.S. and Canadian stations, and summarizes

174-516: A clear channel were known as Class I-B. The Agreement assigned six Class I-A frequencies each to Mexico and Canada, and one to Cuba. Reflecting the existence of improved radio design, the Agreement also reduced the "same market" minimum frequency separation from 50 to 40 kHz. (Mexico elected to further adopt a 30 kHz "same market" spacing, unless this was in conflict with an adjoining nation's "border zone" allocations.) This closer spacing

232-533: A major reallocation went into force in the U.S. on November 11, 1928, following the standards set by the Federal Radio Commission 's (FRC) General Order 40 . At that time, the AM band was defined as 96 frequencies, running in 10 kilocycle-per-second (kHz) steps from 550 to 1500 kHz, which were divided into what became known as "Local", "Regional", and "Clear Channel" frequencies. The only provision

290-489: A music source in the 1970s, combined with new Canadian government rules imposing domestic ownership of and minimum domestic music content on Canadian-based stations, made it difficult for CKLW to continue to compete for listeners with Detroit-based, US-licensed FM music stations, which offered clean stereo sound and faced no program content or music playlist restrictions. CKLW abandoned the Top 40 format and its efforts to compete in

348-667: A station in Hartford; Regional Broadcasting Company specified East Hartford; and John Deme–owned Manchester Broadcasting Company proposed a station in Manchester. The FCC issued a decision favoring Deme in July 1957. WINF began broadcasting on May 18, 1958, from studios in the Manchester Shopping Parkade. In the 1980s, the studios were moved to Wethersfield Avenue in Hartford. In 1994, the studios were moved to

406-456: A station's existing vertical radiator towers, an important factor for readjusting directional antenna parameters to accommodate the new frequency. Individual stations were specified to be Class I, II III or IV, with the class determining the maximum power a station could use and its interference protection standards. In all of the participating countries Class I and II stations were exclusively assigned to Clear Channel frequencies, while Class III

464-685: Is KRPI located in Ferndale, Washington . It is owned by BBC Broadcasting, Inc., a Washington state company with studios in Richmond, British Columbia . The station airs a mixture of music, news and talk focused on the South Asian communities in Metro Vancouver . To improve reception of the station within its target market, KRPI applied and received an FCC construction permit to increase its nighttime power from 10 to 50 kilowatts, change

522-520: Is a broadcast station that, though not licensed as an external service , is, in practice, used to target another country. The term "border blaster" is of North American origin, and usually associated with Mexican AM stations whose broadcast areas cover large parts of the United States , and United States border AM stations covering large parts of Canada . Conceptually similar European broadcasting included some pre-World War II broadcasting towards

580-524: Is licensed to the northwesternmost municipality in the region ( Youngstown ), operates with a directional signal covering Southern Ontario but very little American territory, and is brokered to a Canadian ethnic broadcaster based in Mississauga ; it maintains its U.S. license and transmitter site as a legal fiction , with ethnic broadcaster Sima Birach holding the station's license and claiming himself as "operations manager" even as he seldom appears at

638-401: Is not primarily targeted at listeners and viewers across the border. US and Canadian stations adhere to comparable maximum power levels, and the encroachment is regarded as unintentional and largely unavoidable. However, in areas where a US radio station is close to a significantly larger Canadian metropolitan area (or vice versa), true border blasters do exist. An exception to that general rule

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696-519: The Brinkley Act , was introduced in the wake of John R. Brinkley 's fraudulent medical advice program on XERA . The Brinkley Act remains on the books in the US, but licenses under that act are now routinely granted as long as the station follows applicable US and Mexican regulations. The pop culture inspired by the border blaster stations is extensive: the 1971 Doors song "The WASP (Texas Radio and

754-559: The Federal Communications Commission took applications for the newly opened channel. In October 1953, the two parties agreed to merge their broadcasting interests in Hartford. As a result, WTHT radio left the air on February 13, 1954; WONS became WGTH , which added ABC programming to its schedule. After WTHT left the air, a number of applicants sought to use the 1230 frequency in Hartford, East Hartford , or Manchester . Brothers Broadcasting Company proposed

812-729: The Russian Far East : KICY broadcasts its religious programming on a 50,000-watt clear-channel directional signal pointed due west from the Seward Peninsula , one of the westernmost land masses in North America. Most border blaster stations today program Spanish-language programming targeted at the Mexican side of the border. Some of the Spanish language border blasters target the growing Latino audience living in

870-462: The Bahamas being granted use of the 1540 kHz clear channel by the U.S. The interim agreement expired on March 29, 1949, and there was great difficulty in agreeing on a replacement, in particular due to Mexican objections, which led to two failed conferences. A new NARBA agreement, to be effective for five years after ratification, was finally signed at Washington, D.C., on November 15, 1950, for

928-543: The Bahamas, Canada, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and the United States. Mexico, which had withdrawn from the conference, and Haiti, which did not participate, were to be given a chance to subscribe. (The United States and Mexico made a bilateral agreement in 1957.) This agreement formally added 540 kHz as a clear channel frequency, and also provided for Cuba to share six, and Jamaica two, of

986-615: The Bahamas, the Dominican Republic, and United States because those countries have not formally abrogated NARBA. The United States also has active bilateral agreements with Canada ("Agreement Between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of Canada Relating to the AM Broadcasting Service in the Medium Frequency Band" (1984) and Mexico ("Agreement Between the Government of

1044-536: The Big Beat)", ZZ Top 's song " Heard It on the X " (1975), "The Wolfman of Del Rio" by Terry Allen on his 1979 album Lubbock (On Everything) , 1983's " Mexican Radio " by Wall of Voodoo , and 1987's " Border Radio " movie theme by The Blasters . A similar situation developed in Europe, beginning with Radio Luxembourg after World War II . The British government identified these stations as pirates because

1102-651: The Canadian side was CKLW in Windsor, Ontario , across the river from Detroit . Originally licensed as a Class II-B (now Class B) station and always operating in full compliance with the technical specifications and operating rules of its CRTC licence (i.e., protection of the entire Mexican border nights and protection of co-channel Canadian stations days and nights), CKLW's 50,000-watt directional signal blanketed much of Michigan and northern Ohio east to Cleveland days and nights, and south to Toledo, Lima and Dayton in

1160-974: The Detroit market in the 1980s. Today it is a news/talk station aimed largely at an Ontario audience, though still containing a significant amount of American syndicated talk. WLYK is another example of a border blaster, broadcasting from a transmitter in New York State and serving the adjacent Kingston, Ontario , area; its operator Rogers Communications holds an ownership stake in its U.S.-based licensee. Numerous stations in northern New York target larger cities in Ontario and Quebec in addition to their local areas of New York, including (but not limited to) WYSX targeting Brockville ; WRCD , WVLF and WMWA targeting Cornwall ; and WQLR and WBTZ targeting Montreal . By contrast under CRTC regulations, Canadian radio stations must be operated from studios within

1218-450: The FRC made addressing international concerns was that six frequencies — 690, 730, 840, 910, 960, and 1030 — were designated for exclusive Canadian use. On May 5, 1932, through an exchange of letters, the U.S. and Canada informally endorsed and expanded the 1928 standards, including recognition of Canadian use of 540 kHz. During the 1930s, Canada also began using 1510 kHz, while in 1934

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1276-620: The Sunday broadcast was reserved for British listeners (deliberately coinciding with the BBC Sundays of religious programmes). The broadcasts were considered illegal on British soil as these stations were breaking the monopoly of the non-commercial BBC . (Coincidentally, a large percent of the Republic of Ireland could receive spillover from Northern Ireland, Wales and the west of England BBC TV and radio broadcasts for decades.) Listening to

1334-605: The U.S. In contrast to pirate radio stations which broadcast illegally, border blasters are generally licensed by the government upon whose soil they are located. Pirate radio stations are freebooters from offshore, outside the territorial waters of the nation they target, or ones that are illegally operating in defiance of national law within its sovereign territory. They also contrast with shortwave radio broadcasters, which operate on frequencies expressly designated for international broadcasts, whereas border blasters use frequencies designated for domestic broadcasts. In Mexico and

1392-567: The U.S. and causing significant interference to U.S. and Canadian stations. However, an initial international meeting held in Mexico City in the summer of 1933 failed, primarily due to a lack of agreement over how many clear channel frequencies would be assigned to Mexico. In 1937, a series of radio conferences, this time successful, was held in Havana, Cuba, and the initial NARBA agreement was signed on December 13, 1937 by representatives from

1450-407: The U.S. authorized two experimental high-fidelity stations on each of 1530 and 1550 kHz. By 1939, Cuban stations existed on frequencies as high as 1600 kHz. As other countries, especially Mexico and Cuba, developed their own radio broadcasting services, the need arose to standardize engineering practices, reduce interference, and more fairly distribute clear channel assignments. Moreover,

1508-636: The U.S. clear channel allocations. Some provisions remained controversial, and this version of the treaty wasn't ratified by the United States until early 1960. In 1980, Cuba gave the required one year notification that it was withdrawing from the NARBA treaty. The NARBA treaties have been substantially superseded by the "Regional Agreement for the Medium Frequency Broadcasting Service in Region 2" (Rio Agreement), which covers

1566-478: The U.S., Canada, Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Mexico, was held from January 14–30, 1941 in Washington, D.C., in order to coordinate the upcoming changes. With a few exceptions the frequency shifts were scheduled to be implemented at 0800 Greenwich Mean Time (3 a.m. E.S.T. ) on March 29, 1941, which was informally known as "moving day". (Philadelphia stations petitioned mayor Robert Lamberton to declare

1624-585: The US, while the federal government of the US did not particularly like them, the stations were allowed to flourish. W. Lee O'Daniel used a border blaster in his successful campaign for governor of Texas. The US, unlike the UK, has never required a license to listen to broadcast radio or television. The only restriction placed upon border-blasters was a law which prohibited studios in the US from linking by telephone to border-blaster transmitters in Mexico. This law, part of

1682-791: The United Kingdom, " radio périphérique " around France and the U.S. government-funded station Radio Free Europe , targeting European countries behind the Iron Curtain . With broadcasting signals far more powerful than those of U.S. stations, the Mexican border blasters could be heard over large areas of the U.S. from the 1940s to the 1970s, often to the great irritation of American radio stations, whose signals could be overpowered by their Mexican counterparts. These are also sometimes referred to as X stations for their call letters : Mexico assigns callsigns beginning with XE or XH to broadcast stations. On November 9, 1972, in Washington, D.C.,

1740-658: The United States and Mexico signed an "Agreement Concerning Frequency Modulation Broadcasting in the 87.5 to 108 MHz Band". Since then, in the FM band power levels and frequency assignments have been set by mutual agreement between the two countries. AM radio border blasters still exist, though they are largely ignored due to the decline of AM radio in the U.S. and in Mexico. There are several such stations licensed by Mexico's Secretariat of Communications and Transportation using transmitters with an effective radiated power similar to those of major licensed commercial stations located within

1798-973: The United States of America and the Government of the United Mexican States Relating to the AM Broadcasting Service in the Medium Frequency Band" (1986)).       • Agreement text (pages 1398–1400)       • Canadian station assignments by frequency (pages 1408–1410)       • Cuban station assignments by frequency (pages 1411–1414)       • Dominican Republic station assignments by frequency (page 1414)       • Haitian station assignments by frequency (page 1415)       • Mexican station assignments by frequency (pages 1415–1420)       • United States station assignments by frequency (pages 1421–1443) Border blaster A border blaster

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1856-404: The United States, Canada, Cuba, Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The most significant change was the formal addition of ten broadcasting frequencies, from 1510 to 1600 kHz, with the 106 available frequencies divided into Clear Channel (59 frequencies), Regional (41) and Local (6) designations. The official lower limit remained at 550 kHz, as it was not possible to add stations at

1914-590: The adoption of the Regional Agreement for the Medium Frequency Broadcasting Service in Region 2 (Rio Agreement), which covered the entire Western hemisphere. However, current AM band assignments in North America largely reflect the standards first established by the NARBA agreements. Organized AM (mediumwave) radio broadcasting began in the early 1920s, and the United States soon dominated the North American airwaves, with more than 500 stations by

1972-416: The band by "stretching out" the existing assignments, achieved by following a table which in most cases moved all the stations on a common frequency to a new, higher, dial position. This provided gaps of unassigned frequencies, most of which became clear channels allocated to Mexico and Canada. A majority of the frequency shifts were limited to between 10 and 30 kHz, which conserved the electrical height of

2030-439: The bottom of the broadcast band due to the need to protect 500 kHz — a maritime international distress frequency — from interference. (Although operation on 540 kHz was not covered by the Agreement, unofficially it became an additional Canadian clear channel frequency.) Under the Agreement, most existing stations operating on 740 kHz or higher would have to change frequencies. Open frequencies were created throughout

2088-616: The broadcasts was technically a violation of UK radio-license laws of the day. The same " radio périphérique " , or "peripheral radio", phenomenon existed in France from the 1930s until the legalization of private broadcasting in the early 1980s, which allowed Radio Luxembourg from Luxembourg , Radio Andorre and Sud Radio from Andorra , Radio Monte Carlo from Monaco , and Europe 1 from Saarland , Germany , to begin legally broadcasting signals across international borders. The British government created countermeasures after World War II:

2146-453: The community it served and move its transmitter from Ferndale to Point Roberts , a community adjacent to the Canada–US border. The move has attracted much criticism from the local citizens of Point Roberts and the adjacent densely populated community of Tsawwassen, British Columbia , because it would cause harmful blanketing interference. Another possible exception to that general rule on

2204-459: The country. Attempts at border-blasting were somewhat more common on the other side of the border, where smaller markets in the United States could find lucrative larger markets in Canada within their broadcast range. WIVB-TV , prior to the digital television transition, could be seen as a U.S. border blaster into Canada (as Western New York is a smaller market than Southern Ontario , which boasts

2262-641: The daytime. American-owned until 1970 as part of the RKO General chain (along with such other top 40 powerhouses as KHJ in Los Angeles and KFRC in San Francisco ), it functioned essentially as a Detroit-market station during the 1960s and 1970s. Its Motown-flavored personality Top 40 format made it one of the most highly rated stations in the Midwestern US . The decline of AM radio as

2320-451: The development of better frequency control, and especially directional antennas, made it possible for additional stations to operate on the same or close by frequencies without significantly increasing interference. A key objective for the United States was that, in exchange for receiving clear channel assignments, Mexico would eliminate the high-powered English-language " border blaster " stations that had been directing their programming toward

2378-456: The end of 1922. Due to a change in the ionosphere after the sun sets, nighttime signals from AM band stations are reflected for distances extending for hundreds of kilometers. This is valuable in providing radio programming to sparsely settled areas using high-powered transmitters. However, it also leads to the need for international cooperation in station assignments, to avoid mutually interfering signals. In an effort to rationalize assignments,

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2436-475: The entire Western hemisphere, and was signed at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1981, taking effect on July 1, 1983 at 08:00 UTC . The interference protection criteria in the Rio Agreement are significantly different from NARBA's, and the concept of clear channel stations is eliminated. In adopting this agreement, the Bahamas and Canada declared their intent to renounce their adherence to NARBA. However, much of

2494-546: The fourth floor of a building on Cedar Street in Hartford, and the station—then WLAT—operated with a Spanish-language format under new ownership. In 1999, Alfredo Alonso 's Mega Broadcasting purchased the station for $ 575,000 from Jeffrey Dressler. WLAT moved again in 2000, this time to 330 Main Street where it joined station WNEZ (910 AM) ; the two stations swapped call signs in 2001. In 2002, Freedom Communications purchased both stations. Ownership changed again in 2007 to Gois, and

2552-584: The government-produced radio magazine La Hora Nacional on Sunday nights, and 48 minutes of tiempos oficiales (public service announcements from the Mexican government, which include campaign ads during elections) per-day, and give station identification in Spanish. This is usually done softly or during commercial breaks so the listeners on the American side won't usually notice it. The PSA requirement has produced controversy even amongst officials in Mexico, for reasons including reinforcing negative perceptions of

2610-539: The major world city of Toronto ); it operated with 100,000 watts of power on the VHF low band (channel 4), even after the Federal Communications Commission reduced the maximum allowed power for that band to 80,000 watts. (WIVB did not make significant attempts to reach the Canadian market, although rival station WKBW-TV did.) Another famous U.S.-based border blaster into Canada was KCND-TV in Pembina, North Dakota ; Pembina

2668-410: The most significant changes: A series of modifications would follow the initial treaty, which was scheduled to expire on March 29, 1946. In early 1946, a three-year interim agreement gave Cuba expanded allocations, including the right to share five U.S., three Canadian, and two Mexican clear channel allocations, plus operate high-powered stations on some regional frequencies. The changes also resulted in

2726-431: The signatories, with a special emphasis on high-powered clear channel allocations. The initial NARBA bandplan , also known as the "Havana Treaty", was signed by the United States, Canada, Mexico, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti on December 13, 1937, and took effect March 29, 1941. A series of modifications and adjustments followed, also under the NARBA name. NARBA's provisions were largely supplanted in 1983, with

2784-513: The southwestern US. Some target both. As was the case between the 1930s and the 1970s, some border blaster stations in areas near larger American border cities such as San Diego are leased out by American broadcasting companies and air English-language programming targeting American audiences, although the AM stations have sometimes been supplanted by FM signals just over the border and able to reach major American cities like San Diego or El Paso with city-grade signals. During those decades border radio

2842-503: The state-owned telephone monopoly prevented studios in Britain from linking by telephone to the transmitters of Radio Luxembourg. These restrictions were mostly lifted following the privatisation and demonopolisation of the UK telephone system. Signals of many US and Canada radio stations (and to a lesser extent television outlets) encroach on neighboring territory. Such stations are usually not deemed "border blasters," as their programming

2900-607: The station to Canadian interests, who transformed the station into modern-day Winnipeg, Manitoba-based CKND-TV ; Burlington station WFFF-TV entered into a famous cross-border scheduling feud over the simsub problems, while WKBW, after unsuccessfully suing to bar the CRTC from enforcing it on systems that only operate in one province in 1977, competed mainly by focusing on its unique brand of local news, which could not be simsubbed). Also in Western New York, radio station WTOR

2958-645: The station's nominal U.S. studio in person. In the west, KVOS-TV in Bellingham, Washington , targeted an audience in Vancouver and Victoria for many years. In fact, KVOS' inaugural broadcast, in June of 1953, was a kinescope film of the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II , which was broadcast over KVOS as Vancouver's CBC Television station, CBUT , had yet to sign on. At least one border blaster targets

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3016-521: The structure introduced by that treaty remained intact. On June 8, 1988 another conference held at Rio de Janeiro, this time under the auspices of the International Telecommunication Union , adopted provisions effective July 1, 1990 to add ten AM band frequencies within Region 2, commonly known as the " expanded band ", and running from 1610 kHz to 1700 kHz. The 1950 NARBA provisions are still in effect for

3074-460: The studios moved to East Hartford. NARBA The North American Regional Broadcasting Agreement ( NARBA , French : Accord régional sur la radiodiffusion en Amérique du Nord ; Spanish : Convenio Regional Norteamericano de Radiodifusión ) refers to a series of international treaties that defined technical standards for AM band ( mediumwave ) radio stations. These agreements also addressed how frequency assignments were distributed among

3132-595: Was a small border town of less than 1,000 residents, which normally would be far too small a market to support a television station, but spent its fifteen-year existence targeting Winnipeg , a much larger city sixty miles north of Pembina. Likewise, the small market of Burlington, Vermont , and Plattsburgh, New York , found it could reach a larger audience in Montreal . Canadian regulators put in simultaneous substitution requirements to prevent losing revenue to these American border-blasters (this forced KCND's owners to sell

3190-406: Was particularly important in the case of the two highest Local frequencies, 1420 and 1500 kHz, as stations on these frequencies were being moved to 1450 and 1490 kHz, a 40 kHz separation. According to the Agreement's provisions, its implementation was to take place within one year after its adoption by the pact's four main signatories — the United States, Canada, Cuba and Mexico. Cuba

3248-426: Was synonymous with a Regional frequency assignment. In the United States, Class IV stations were only assigned to Local frequencies, although in other countries they were assigned to both Local and Regional ones. A major change was the provision that some clear channels were allocated to be used simultaneously by two stations — those maintaining sole use of a frequency were classified as Class I-A, while stations sharing

3306-414: Was the first to ratify, on December 22, 1937, and was followed by the U.S. on June 15, 1938 and Canada on November 29, 1938. While waiting on Mexico, in 1939 the U.S. and Canada completed a frequency agreement based on the treaty standards. Mexico finally approved the treaty on December 29, 1939, and work commenced on adopting its wide-ranging provisions. An engineering conference, with representatives from

3364-456: Was used by preachers who solicited donations, and advertisers who sold products of dubious value. The American side leases the station from the Mexican station owners/license holders and feeds programming from their American studios to the Mexican transmitters via satellite. Due to Mexican government regulations, these stations must air the Mexican national anthem at midnight and 6 a.m. daily,

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