Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Pro-China station broadcasting from Rosarito

Former Mighty 690 under FCC scrutiny

Scott Kaplan will originate his afternoon talk show from Solana Beach for the 1090 transmitter in Rosarito.
Scott Kaplan will originate his afternoon talk show from Solana Beach for the 1090 transmitter in Rosarito.

On Monday the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) told the operators of URadio 690 AM with its 77,000 watt powerhouse transmitter in Rosarito Beach, that it had 48 hours to get its application in order or it had to get off the air.

U.S. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas applauded the move, saying the feds, with his support, are now starting to crack down on this pro-China radio station that beams its Mandarin language propaganda to the U.S. URadio 690 gets its audio feed from a company called Phoenix TV.

“Phoenix TV is a puppet of the Chinese Communist Party that broadcasts propaganda across the Unites States,” said Cruz in a statement. “I have long fought to expose and stop a scheme in which a Phoenix TV company was waging information warfare from a radio station across the border in Mexico.”

URadio 690's official call lettters are XEWW. Two years ago it flipped to an all-Chinese/Mandarin words-and-music format. Before that, as The Mighty 690, it featured English-speaking formats including oldies, beautiful music and Top 40. In the 60s it was the West Coast’s first all-news station. In the 80s, it was the Mighty 690, one of the first all sports stations in the west.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Chances are none of the Chinese voices you hear on URadio 690 have ever set foot in Mexico. According to a spokesman man for the FCC, URadio’s programming originates from a studio in Irwindale, and is sent via shortwave to the studios in Baja. XEWW is a Tijuana station and has little direct oversight by the FCC. The reason the FCC is involved is because of an agreement it oversees which allows a feed to be sent across the border via shortwave and then back to the U.S. via 690 AM.

In the June 22 declaration to fix it or quit, the FCC says that Phoenix Radio is not listed as part of the group that sends the 24/7 feed to the 690 studios in Baja. The FCC says Phoenix Radio is part of Phoenix TV which is a publicly-traded Hong Kong company that claims to be the largest Chinese-language television provider in North America transmitting to over 200,000 subscribers via DISH and Direct TV.

If the programming originated from studios in Baja and was not a cross-border “re-transmission” the FCC would not be involved in this technical demand for correction.

On Tuesday, June 23, the FCC spokesman would not say if Phoenix was cooperating. The spokesman declined to say if the Mexican counterpart to the FCC is involved.

Ray Fitch is an Washington D.C.-based attorney who specializes with FCC issues. He says this move is “clearly political,” and that it is interesting to note that there is an FM station in the D.C. area called Sputnik that broadcasts pro-Russia propaganda in English. “It has raised some hackles over the years but it is still on the air.”

No one questions the pro-China political bent of URadio 690. But the question is to many: does anyone in San Diego even care about this station that targets its all Mandarin programming to Los Angeles? URadio gives L.A. traffic reports.

One local veteran of radio sales who declined to be named says URadio 690 has had no local impact in its two years on 690.

The answer to URadio 690’s current FCC problem may be found with the technology that will be used by the other Baja-based “border blaster,” the 50,000-watt XEPRS 1090 AM. That all-sports station, formerly known as The Mighty 1090, went off the air a year ago when the San Diego-based operator, Broadcast Company of the Americas, couldn’t remain solvent. It is set to return to airwaves “…before the end of summer,” says new owner Bill Hagen.

Hagen says the new station, rebranded as “The Mightier 1090” will be anchored by long time sports talker Scott Kaplan, but that the other hosts will not necessarily be talking sports. He says Covid-19 has led him to rethink how radio stations will work going forward. Hagen says Kaplan, for instance, will originate his afternoon talk show from his home in Solana Beach, and that it will be “cloud delivered” directly to the 1090 transmitter in Rosarito. He says all the other hosts will also be originating their shows from remote locations and then sent to the Baja tower via the internet.

“Like with everything else, we’ve had to rethink how we do things,” says Hagen. “Look at Howard Stern. He’s now doing his show from his basement. The pandemic has taught us how be nimble. These are different times in radio. Everything has changed. It’s not the corporate radio world we’ve always known.”

One longtime radio veteran says that income from radio advertising countywide is off by almost 60 percent compared to the same period last year. “And all those people furloughed by iHeart, I doubt they’ll be coming back.”

Hagen says he is just about ready to unveil the lineup of the new Mightier 1090. “They are names that you know, that you have heard of. Let me just say that for now.”

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Pastor Lisa Perry finds God in dive bars

Conversations about tattoos turn into conversations about grace
Next Article

Will Carlsbad re-open door to drive-thru eateries?

Chick-fil-A now compensates by using curbside mobil ordering
Scott Kaplan will originate his afternoon talk show from Solana Beach for the 1090 transmitter in Rosarito.
Scott Kaplan will originate his afternoon talk show from Solana Beach for the 1090 transmitter in Rosarito.

On Monday the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) told the operators of URadio 690 AM with its 77,000 watt powerhouse transmitter in Rosarito Beach, that it had 48 hours to get its application in order or it had to get off the air.

U.S. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas applauded the move, saying the feds, with his support, are now starting to crack down on this pro-China radio station that beams its Mandarin language propaganda to the U.S. URadio 690 gets its audio feed from a company called Phoenix TV.

“Phoenix TV is a puppet of the Chinese Communist Party that broadcasts propaganda across the Unites States,” said Cruz in a statement. “I have long fought to expose and stop a scheme in which a Phoenix TV company was waging information warfare from a radio station across the border in Mexico.”

URadio 690's official call lettters are XEWW. Two years ago it flipped to an all-Chinese/Mandarin words-and-music format. Before that, as The Mighty 690, it featured English-speaking formats including oldies, beautiful music and Top 40. In the 60s it was the West Coast’s first all-news station. In the 80s, it was the Mighty 690, one of the first all sports stations in the west.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Chances are none of the Chinese voices you hear on URadio 690 have ever set foot in Mexico. According to a spokesman man for the FCC, URadio’s programming originates from a studio in Irwindale, and is sent via shortwave to the studios in Baja. XEWW is a Tijuana station and has little direct oversight by the FCC. The reason the FCC is involved is because of an agreement it oversees which allows a feed to be sent across the border via shortwave and then back to the U.S. via 690 AM.

In the June 22 declaration to fix it or quit, the FCC says that Phoenix Radio is not listed as part of the group that sends the 24/7 feed to the 690 studios in Baja. The FCC says Phoenix Radio is part of Phoenix TV which is a publicly-traded Hong Kong company that claims to be the largest Chinese-language television provider in North America transmitting to over 200,000 subscribers via DISH and Direct TV.

If the programming originated from studios in Baja and was not a cross-border “re-transmission” the FCC would not be involved in this technical demand for correction.

On Tuesday, June 23, the FCC spokesman would not say if Phoenix was cooperating. The spokesman declined to say if the Mexican counterpart to the FCC is involved.

Ray Fitch is an Washington D.C.-based attorney who specializes with FCC issues. He says this move is “clearly political,” and that it is interesting to note that there is an FM station in the D.C. area called Sputnik that broadcasts pro-Russia propaganda in English. “It has raised some hackles over the years but it is still on the air.”

No one questions the pro-China political bent of URadio 690. But the question is to many: does anyone in San Diego even care about this station that targets its all Mandarin programming to Los Angeles? URadio gives L.A. traffic reports.

One local veteran of radio sales who declined to be named says URadio 690 has had no local impact in its two years on 690.

The answer to URadio 690’s current FCC problem may be found with the technology that will be used by the other Baja-based “border blaster,” the 50,000-watt XEPRS 1090 AM. That all-sports station, formerly known as The Mighty 1090, went off the air a year ago when the San Diego-based operator, Broadcast Company of the Americas, couldn’t remain solvent. It is set to return to airwaves “…before the end of summer,” says new owner Bill Hagen.

Hagen says the new station, rebranded as “The Mightier 1090” will be anchored by long time sports talker Scott Kaplan, but that the other hosts will not necessarily be talking sports. He says Covid-19 has led him to rethink how radio stations will work going forward. Hagen says Kaplan, for instance, will originate his afternoon talk show from his home in Solana Beach, and that it will be “cloud delivered” directly to the 1090 transmitter in Rosarito. He says all the other hosts will also be originating their shows from remote locations and then sent to the Baja tower via the internet.

“Like with everything else, we’ve had to rethink how we do things,” says Hagen. “Look at Howard Stern. He’s now doing his show from his basement. The pandemic has taught us how be nimble. These are different times in radio. Everything has changed. It’s not the corporate radio world we’ve always known.”

One longtime radio veteran says that income from radio advertising countywide is off by almost 60 percent compared to the same period last year. “And all those people furloughed by iHeart, I doubt they’ll be coming back.”

Hagen says he is just about ready to unveil the lineup of the new Mightier 1090. “They are names that you know, that you have heard of. Let me just say that for now.”

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Frank Barish will keep running for president until he wins or dies

He believes in the American way, even if America has lost her way
Next Article

Blasphemous Boheme at San Diego Opera

Conceptual production rips out opera's beating heart
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader