Together, We Can Create Non-Inspiring Thought Control Messages
I was commenting on an Inland Empress post about a broken choo choo train, and ended up going off on the most bizarre tangent:
I think it's time for the two of you to revisit the secondary school anti-drug films with titles like "Don't Sniff Glue" and "Johnny Is A Glue-Head."
Taking off on a drug tangent, I need someone to tell me what "paper" is. I don't know if you ever listen to XTRA Sports 690 (but listen quick, it moves to a different frequency February 3rd), but they air this one anti-drug message from the Mexican government. The message, which is in English, goes something like this:
(guy with white bread voice) Got any PAPER?
(guy with stereotypical Chicano voice) Yeah, I got some good stuff. You'll be flying hiiiiigh!
(announcer) No you won't. It fries your brain and you end up in jail or you die. Kids won't learn the truth from the streets. You have to teach them.
Sorry for turning this heart-rending choo choo story into a commentary on Mexican government advertising. I'll (try to) behave in the future.
By the way, did the choo choo turn out OK?
Incidentally, this is just one of the Mexican government advertisements that the Mexican radio station XETRA airs. Even though they're from different government agencies, all of them use the same announcer, and all of them have the same tag line (something like "Together it can be done"). Apparently Mexico has a single Department of Broadcast Propaganda that creates these uniform messages.
Regarding the February 3 date I mentioned to the Inland Empress, here's what I know about it from the Daily Breeze:
The Lakers will have a new radio format for games starting Feb. 3, with XTRA moving down the dial from 690-AM and 1150-AM to 570-AM. XTRA's all-sports format will swap places with the Fabulous 570's music format.
Signonsandiego has more information:
The worst-kept secret in radio became official yesterday when Clear Channel Communications announced XTRA Sports 690/1150 will switch frequencies and become XTRA Sports 570, effective Feb. 3.
The on-air lineup will remain the same, including the three shows that have been a staple of XTRA since the summer of 1992 – Jim Rome, the Loose Cannons (Steve Hartman and Mychal Thompson) and Lee Hamilton. The only difference will be the spot on the AM dial and the fact the Lakers, not the Clippers, will be heard on the station (the Clippers will stay at 1150).
Don Martin, who was promoted from program director to station manager as part of yesterday's move, said the change will have no effect on the station's San Diego audience. He said XTRA's new signal "reaches deep into downtown San Diego" and the station "will do everything to prove we'll still serve San Diego."
Added Martin: "We are not running away (from San Diego). We are not leaving the market. It will not be any different than it was yesterday."
Martin said speculation that the switch would enable Rome's show also to be heard on San Diego's XPRS-AM (The Mighty 1090) was premature. He said Rome's syndicator, Premiere Radio Networks, is owned by Clear Channel, which would not allow the show to air on a competing station such as XPRS.
Pugh said his station still hoped to add Rome's three-hour show. "When Premiere tells us we're not going to have Jim is when it's done," Pugh said. "At this point, nobody has said no."
Hamilton, Hartman and Rome have long histories in the San Diego market. Hamilton started at XTRA in September 1987, Hartman in October 1990 and Rome in December 1990, although the latter's full-time show didn't begin until February 1992.
Although I don't know the Arbitron ratings for the three stations involved, my guess is that music standards provide better ratings than sports talk. Otherwise, why take sports talk off of a 50 kilowatt Mexican radio station, simulcasted on a Los Angeles radio station, and put it on a single 5 kilowatt station with reduced reception?
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