Mexico - Day 4 - XHLTN

Our next day in the Riviera Maya was spent on a jungle excursion including hiking, snorkeling, rapelling and ziplining. 

The adventure began with a ride in this heavy duty Death Truck™ which sped into the jungle with wild abandon.  We were told to keep our bags on the floor and our hands inside the truck at all times but we didn't really have a choice.  If you didn't hold on to that bar bolted to the floor then you would probably hit the roof or fly out the back.  It was one of the funnest things we did all day.

Neither of us had ever rapelled before so after a quick bit of training, down we went into the water-filled, underground cavern called a cenote.

After surviving the descent (you can see our ropes to the left) we posed for the ever-present photographer.

Then we snorkeled in the cenote for about 15 minutes.  The water is around 75 degrees year round which is a little chilly at first but quite refreshing as it was humid and in the 90s outside.

Next were a few zipline rides through the jungle.
What a great day!

104.5 FM XHLTN "Radio Latina" is a Spanish Adult Contemporary station in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico.

Mexico - Day 3 - XHBCE

Today we took a 20 minute shuttle bus ride which dropped us off in the heart of Playa del Carmen's Quinta Avenida, a very long, pedestrian-only strip of shops, restaurants, bars, flea markets and hotels.  A wide variety of shopping ranging from guys selling homemade knickknacks on a folding card table to a two-story mall with major brand stores (Nike, Columbia, Levi's etc) and everything in between.  If you're looking for tequila, cigars, sombreros, jewelry and every imaginable Mexican tchotchke ever created then this is the place for you.  Along the way we stopped in to El Gallinero and had the best ice cream cone I've ever eaten in my life.  I'm not kidding.  That shit was beyond delicious.
My wife bought some RayBans from one of the 5(!) Sunglass Hut stores that we saw.  I bought a water shirt, a Mexican-style Buffalo Bills backpack and this cute little skull.

Skulls are a big deal in Mexico which celebrates The Day of the Dead every November 2nd.

XHBCE "105.7 The Walrus" was an Oldies station from 2008 to 2014.  They were licensed to Tecate, Baja California, Mexico and served the Tijuana/San Diego market.  105.7 FM is currently Classic Hits "Max FM"

Mexico - Day 2 - XHMYL

Today I put on my Indiana Jones hat and toured the ancient Mayan ruins of Tulum overlooking the Caribbean Sea.  Our bilingual guide was very knowledgeable and spoke with a sweet southern accent when speaking English.

On the walk out of Tulum, way off in the distance, I saw what I originally thought was some sort of amusement park ride.  As we got closer, it became clear that these were men swinging upside down from ropes around a pole with one man playing a flute at the top.  They were descending quickly and by the time my wife whipped the camera out they were almost behind a tree line but she still managed to get this shot.

These pole dancers were doing the Danza de los Voladores (Dance of the Flyers) which was performed to stop droughts in ancient times but now is done to help preserve Mayan culture.

XHMYL "Juvemyl (?) 92.1 FM" broadcast from Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico.  They are now branded as "So Good 92.1"

Mexico - Day 1 - XHXL

This year we decided to travel to Mexico for our vacation.  Although none of the Mexican radio stickers I have are from anywhere near where we were staying, I suppose it's an appropriate time to show what few south-of-the-border decals are in the collection.
We stayed at the very large, very beautiful Iberostar Paraiso Maya resort just south of Cancun.  It was so big that it took us a couple of days to figure out and remember how to get around.  Usually we ended up flagging down one of the many golf carts whizzing around the resort and let them take us where we wanted to go.  A long travel day that included losing and then finding my iPhone at the airport, a very delayed 3 1/2 hour flight out of Cincinnati, customs processing and finding our luggage and shuttle to the resort.  We finally got into our room at around 11 PM local time.  So the next day we decided to just lounge at the gigantic pool.  The water was warm--too warm actually, but it's hard to complain when there's a swim-up bar and endless drinks.

I only saw two radio-related things on this trip: a sponsorship logo from Pirata FM on a highway billboard and, oddly, a bumper sticker from Kenosha, Wisconsin's "95 WIIL Rock" which can barely be seen at the top of yellow pole directly above my soon-to-be-sunburned head in the photo.

"91X La Experiencia" is XHXL licensed to Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico.  They are now branded as "Rock FM 91.7"

WOWO

A 1984 sticker from 1190 WOWO in Fort Wayne, Indiana.  At that time they were a Top-40 outlet but currently carry a News/Talk format.  They began broadcasting on March 31, 1925 at 1320 AM and moved to 1190 AM in 1941.  From that year until 1995 WOWO operated as a clear-channel station, with 50,000-watts of power both day and night.  This allowed the station to broadcast over huge areas of land and became a popular station with many people on the east coast and as far away as Florida.



In 1971, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) at Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado sent out their required weekly test of the Emergency Broadcast System.  Unfortunately, a teletype operator fed the wrong tape into the transmitter and set off a panic which would be remembered by anyone who heard it.  WOWO's Bob Sievers was amazingly calm and professional as you can hear in the audio below.

WLSG

1340 AM WLSG was a Christian/Southern Gospel station in Wilmington, North Carolina circa 2009.  WLSG currently plays Oldies and is translated on W231CL 94.1 FM branded as "The Beach".

WHLO

640 AM WHLO is a News/Talk station in Akron, Ohio. 

WDCB

90.9 WDCB (W DuPage Community Broadcasters) airs primarily a Jazz format from the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Illinois.

KURB

"B98.5" KURB is an Adult Contemporary station in Little Rock, Arkansas.

KXPZ

"99.5 The Rocket" was an Active Rock station in Las Cruces, New Mexico from 2006 until 2014.  KXPZ is now "Zia Country 99.5"

KRYT

KRYT (a reference to 107.9 FM being on the far right of the radio dial) was a Top-40 outlet in Pueblo, Colorado starting in 1986.  The station later became KDZA with an Oldies format and are currently branded as "Z107.9" playing Classic Rock.

KKYS

104.7 KKYS is a Hot Adult Contemporary station licensed to Bryan, Texas.  They are now branded as "Mix 104.7".

WNVZ

"Z104" WNVZ is a CHR station in Norfolk, Virginia.

KEAN

KEAN 105.1 FM plays Country music in Abilene, Texas.

CIBQ

"Q13" 1340 AM CIBQ was a Country station licensed to Brooks, Alberta.  They began broadcasting at 105.7 FM in 2010.

CIBQ was part of the eleven station Cat Country Radio Network which featured local weekday morning shows and Edmonton-based network announcers the rest of the day.  The network disbanded in 2006.

WHTT

A 1984 promotional card and sticker from "HitRadio 103 FM" WHTT in Boston, Massachusetts.  This Top-40 outlet didn't last long--March, 1983 to July, 1986--but they did manage to top the ratings shortly after they went on the air.  An audio clip of their format change to Rock as "Q103" WMRQ can be heard below.  103.3 FM is now once again Top-40 as "Amp Radio" WODS.

Coasts

CKSJ "Coast 101.1" is a Classic Hits station in St. John's, Newfoundland.  They went on the air in February, 2004.

KOZT plays a self-described mix of "Classic Rock, Folk and Blues and the best new artists compatible with Adult Rock sensibilities".  "The Coast" won a Marconi Award from the National Association of Broadcasters for "Rock Station of the Year" in 2002.  KOZT is licensed to Fort Bragg, California.

WMJK "100.9 The Coast" is a Country station licensed to Clyde, Ohio.  Prior to 2009 they carried a Classic Rock format.

WPFB

A t-shirt and sticker from WPFB (W Paul F Braden--the original owner) in Middletown, Ohio.  The station carried a Country format from 1988 until 2011 at which time they were bought by Northern Kentuky University's WNKU.

KKCI

A t-shirt from "Lite Rock 102.5" KKCI in Goodland, Kansas.  The 100,000-watt station now carries a Classic Rock format.

KEBC

94.7 KEBC (K Electronic Broadcasting Company--the original owners) went on the air in June, 1967 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and carried a Country format for 30 years.  The call letters still exist in OKC at 1560 AM as a Sports station branded as "The Franchise".  94.7 FM is currently Active Rock KBRU "The Brew".