On November 20, 1968, Radiodifusora del Pacífico, S.A. de C.V., then-owner of AM 690 XETRA (formerly XEAK), received a concession for a new FM station with the same call sign, XETRA-FM on 91.3 MHz. At first, the station broadcast with 3,000 watts from the AM transmitter site in Playas de Rosarito.
In 1982, the emergence of the Mighty 690 XTRA with a CHR format led to the permanent departure of KGB from the TOP 40 format.
By 1984, no longer the Mighty 690, XTRA was still a blast from the past, when AM was king and “Duh Wolf-man!” was down below the border where he belonged. Now it’s “69 Gold” with classic oldies. On Sam Phillips’ birthday, for instance, XTRA programs Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and other Sun Records alumni in tribute.
Deejay Michael Boss dug out real rock relics too, such as “Signs” by the Canadian Five Man Electrical Band and “Sweet City woman” by the Stampeders.
Boss did give time, temp and traffic--but only for the San Diego area--even though the 690 signal was strong enough to be picked up by commuters as far north as Santa Barbara. Diane Smith gave the ski report, also heard on XTRA’s FM sister, 91X.
The Mighty 690 would later become a Sports Talk format.
