The Mighty 690 RETURNS as TheMighty690.com

The BEST part of The Mighty 690 story is that the station has been reborn after more than 2 decades! Chris Torrick, an intern at XETRA during the glory days of the 1980s has brought back this legendary radio station via the Internet. This is the real deal: the music, the sweepers, the energy, even the female-delivered Legal ID in Spanish. It's all back as you remember and streaming live to the world as The Mighty 690.com

Give this authentic recreation of The Mighty 690 a listen when you have time!

The Mighty 690 Airchecks from the 1980s

Fortunately, several airchecks of XETRA-AM during The Mighty 690 days have survived the past 30 or so years and are available online. The best source for Mighty 690 airchecks is the Facebook group "In Memory of XETRA, The Mighty 690."

Here, you will find complete (unscoped) airchecks of Mighty 690 DJs Rob Tonkin, Steve Sande, Jim Law, Michael Boss, Richard Sands, and others. You do have to request to join the group and be approved. However, administrator Kwai Chai is a good guy. He should let you in with no problems if you show a genuine interest and love in keeping the memory of Southern California's Mighty 690 alive!

Most Frequently Played Songs The Mighty 690

As mentioned in my initial posting, The Mighty 690 had a very tight playlist. The top songs of the week would repeat every hour or so! Generally, a song had to be within the upper half of the week's Top 40 to even make The Mighty 690's current playlist. Here are some of the most frequently played songs on Southern California's Mighty 690 XETRA:

"I Love Rock & Roll" - Joan Jett & the Blackhearts (1982)

"Centerfold" - J. Geils Band (1982)

"Freeze Frame" - J. Geils Band (1982)

"Eye of the Tiger" - Survivor (1982)

"Who Can it Be Now" - Men at Work (1982)

"Down Under" - Men at Work (1983)

"Jessie's Girl" - Rick Springfield (1981)

"I've Done Everything for You" - Rick Springfield (1981)

"Physical" - Olivia Newton-John (1981-82)

"Heart Attack" - Olivia Newton-John (1982)

"Urgent" - Foreigner (1981)

"Waiting for a Girl Like You" - Foreigner (1981-82)

"Who's Crying Now" - Journey (1981)

"Don't Stop Believin" - Journey (1981-82)

"Open Arms" - Journey (1982)

"Pac Man Fever" - Buckner & Garcia (1982)

"Call Me" - Skyy (1982)

"Let's Groove" - Earth, Wind & Fire (1981-82)

"Whip It" - Devo (1980)

"Don't Bring Me Down" - Electric Light Orchestra (1979)

"Ladies' Night" - Kool & the Gang (1979-80)

"Celebration" - Kool & the Gang (1981)

"Call Me" - Blondie (1980)

"The Tide is High" - Blondie (1981)

"Rapture" - Blondie (1981)

"Super Freak" - Rick James (1981)

"Rebel Yell" - Billy Idol (1983-84)

"Eyes Without a Face" - Billy Idol (1984)

"The Girl is Mine" - Michael Jackson & Paul McCartney (1982-83)

"Billie Jean" - Michael Jackson (1983)

"Beat It" - Michael Jackson w/ Eddie Van Halen (1983)

"Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' - Michael Jackson (1983)

"Human Nature" - Michael Jackson (1983)

"P.Y.T." - Michael Jackson (1983)

"Thriller" - Michael Jackson (1984)

"Farewell My Summer Love" - The Jacksons (1984)

"Dance Hall Days" - Wang Chung (1984)

"Borderline" - Madonna (1984)

"Da Doo Doo, Da Da Da Da" - The Police (1980-81)

"Don't Stand So Close to Me" - The Police (1981)

"Every Breath You Take" - The Police (1983)
"King of Pain" - The Police (1983)

"Bette Davis Eyes" - Kim Carnes (1981)

"Endless Love" - Diana Ross & Lionel Richie (1981)

"Lady (You Bring Me Up)" - The Commodores (1981-82)

"Rock this Town" - Stray Cats (1982)

"Stray Cat Strut" - Stray Cats (1983)

"Rock the Casbah" - The Clash (1982-83)

"I Ran (So Far Away) - A Flock of Seagulls (1982)

"Space Age Love Song" - A Flock of Seagulls (1982-83)

"Wishing (I Had a Photograph of You) - A Flock of Seagulls (1983)

"Photograph" - Def Leppard (1983)

"Rock of Ages" - Def Leppard (1983)

"Hold Me Now" - Thompson Twins (1984)

"Doctor, Doctor" - Thompson Twins (1984)

"The Gap" - Thompson Twins (1984)

Can you remember others? Please add them in the comment section below! "The Mighty 690, request lines are open to all of Southern California at 1-800-522-1069...to the Mighty 690!"

History of The Mighty 690 XETRA Tijuana-San Diego-Los Angeles

If you grew up in Southern California during the early 1980s, you almost certainly will remember The Mighty 690. This Top 40 AM radio station was actually licensed to Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico as XETRA. But it's powerful 50,000 watt directional signal boomed across the Pacific Ocean to cover not only San Diego but also Los Angeles, over 120 miles to the north! XETRA was one of the legendary "border blaster" Mexican stations broadcasting contemporary hit music in English. Others included XEPRS-AM 1090, XEROK-AM 800, and XERF-AM 1570.

The Mighty 690 featured several programming elements typical of Top 40 or CHR radio during this time: a very tight playlist, sped-up music (about 3% from what I am told), aggressive loud audio processing, and DJ talk breaks that were short and scripted. No ad-libs, no rambling jocks, no obscure album cuts. Just hit radio, 'bright and tight!'

As FM radio began to take hold, The Mighty 690's audience gradually eroded. Specifically, the debut and subsequent rise of San Diego's KS103 (KSDO-FM 102.9) and Los Angeles' KISS-FM 102.7 extracted a significant toll on XETRA 690AM listener base. Low ratings eventually caused the CHR format to be abandoned in favor of Oldies as 69XTRA Gold. Next came XTRA Sports, affiliated with ESPN Radio. Today, the 690 frequency in Southern California has come full circle. The station is once again broadcasting in Spanish as XEWW-AM, commonly known as W Radio 690AM. But during the first half of the 1980s, the 690 spot on the AM dial was the place to turn for the hottest hits in Southern California.

"Xehhes Eaaay Rrrrr Ohh Kahhh....Juarez, Meheeeco." (Legal ID, given in Spanish once per hour.)

"Clutter Free, The Mighty 690!"