Border Blasters

[k4kyv]

Fresh Air from WHYY, April 21, 2005 ·  Crawford is co-author of the book, Border Radio: Quacks, Yodelers, Pitchmen, Psychics, and other Amazing Broadcasters of the American Airwaves. It's about the "border blaster" AM stations that set up across the Mexican border to evade U.S. regulations, and beamed broadcasts into the United States.

It covers the period from the 1930s through the 1960s and included such colorful characters as Wolfman Jack, Rev. Ike, "Dr." J.R. Brinkley, and Pappy O'Daniel.

Listen to streaming audio from NPR at

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4609913

[k4kyv]

Here is another book on a topic unique to the history of American broadcasting.

In 1917, after years of selling worthless patent remedies throughout the Southeast, John R. Brinkley–America’s most brazen young con man–arrived in the tiny town of Milford, Kansas. He set up a medical practice and introduced an outlandish surgical method using goat glands to restore the fading virility of local farmers.

When he ran for governor of Kansas, he invented campaigning techniques still used in modern politics.

Thumbing his nose at American regulators, he built the world’s most powerful radio transmitter just across the Rio Grande to offer sundry cures, and killed or maimed patients by the score, yet his warped genius produced innovations in broadcasting that endure to this day. By introducing country music and blues to the nation, Brinkley also became a seminal force in rock ’n’ roll. In short, he is the most creative criminal this country has ever produced.

Culminating in a decisive courtroom confrontation,this is a marvelous portrait of a boundlessly audacious rogue on the loose in an America that was ripe for the bamboozling.

Charlatan by Pope Brock

[Bill, KD0HG]

The overlooked part of this story is what the goats might have thought about the procedure.

[N0WVA]

 By introducing country music and blues to the nation, Brinkley also became a seminal force in rock ’n’ roll.


Charlatan by Pope Brock

Huh. Duh huh huh....He said seminal. Duh.huhuhuh.

[k7yoo]

I tries the NPR story link and could only get a "Talk of the Nation" story on the NYSE.
I did find an interesting story on Jesse Ventura--could he be running for office again?
Skip

[N3DRB The Derb]

I'm on a mexican radio!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WT_0gPrzGA0

[KB2WIG]

i clicked onto the link and watched the first 60s or so, then I noticed a link on the youtube page for the Sports Illustrated body painting swimsuit.... sorry derb

klc

[N3DRB The Derb]

your priorities are quite correct, sir. 

[k4kyv]

Someone screwed up with the NPR web page.  When I first posted the original link it opened the Dr. Brinkley story.

[ab3al]

now the border blasters just use cb radio

ooooooooooooooooooooooooohla ohla ohla  aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaudio

breaker uno nueve

[Mike/W8BAC]

Don, The page loads just fine for me still. I ordered the book and look forward to reading it.

What bothers me lately is when somebody posts a link here on the forum and I click on it, that link drops down one line and nothing happens. I have to click the link a second time. What's up with that?

Mike

[k4kyv]

That happens to me, too.

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

Border Radio: Quacks, Yodelers, Pitchmen, Psychics, and other Amazing Broadcasters of the American Airwaves

I read that book a number of years ago. It's well worth your time/money.