I remember listening to XERA and the other border stations when I was a child in the 1930s. I pestered my parents to order a motor boat that was advertised on one of the stations. The toy boat was wonderful. It was powered by canned heat (Sterno) and, as it moved through the water, produced a realistic put-put. It was well-constructed and lasted for years. My parents gave it away, along with my train set, which I couldn't afford to buy back today, when they moved and I went to college. I still regret its loss.

When conditions were bad and we couldn't get the barn dances from WLS, WSM, Wheeling, Baton Rouge, etc., there were always the Mexican border stations to fall back on. Regardless of weather, they blasted through.
Too bad the old barn dance programs are gone. The old clear channel American stations (and don't forget Moose Jaw across the northern border) are also just a memory.