North American Radio Broadcasting Agreement
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The North American Radio Broadcasting Agreement, usually referred to as NARBA, is a treaty made in 1941 between the United States, Canada, Mexico, Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Haiti relating to the allocation of frequencies for AM radio stations in these countries. In accordance with the treaty, clear channel frequencies were set aside across the radio dial, at a rate of about one per 100 kHz, and reserved 1230, 1240, 1340, 1400, 1450, and 1490 mainly for local stations. It also officially expanded the upper limit of the AM broadcast spectrum from 1500 kHz to 1600 kHz. It required that most existing AM stations change frequencies, resulting in a massive shuffling of radio station dial positions. The new frequencies took effect at 3:00 a.m. Eastern on March 29, 1941.
NARBA is no longer in effect. It has been superseded by working agreements made in the early 1980s between the U.S. and Canada and between the U.S. and Mexico, and by an ITU-sponsored agreement covering all of the Western Hemisphere.
Among the most significant changes were:
| Old Freq. (kHz) |
Station(s) | Moved (kHz) |
New Freq. (kHz) |
|
| 540 | CBK | unchanged | 540 | Canadian clear |
| 550-680 | all | unchanged | 550-680 | |
| 690 | all, except CFRB | unchanged | 690 | Canadian clear |
| CFRB | 860 | |||
| 700-720 | all | unchanged | 700-720 | |
| 730 | all, except CFPL | unchanged | 730 | |
| CFPL | — | 1570 | ||
| — | new Canadian clear | 740 | allocated to CBL which moved from 840 | |
| 740-790 | all | up 10 | 750-790 | |
| — | new Canadian clear | 800 | allocated to CKLW which moved from 1030 | |
| 790-830 | all | up 20 | 810-850 | |
| 840 | CBL | — | 740 | |
| — | new Canadian clear | 860 | allocated to CFRB | |
| 850-870 | all | up 20 | 870-890 | |
| — | new Canadian clear | 900 | allocated to CHML (and CJBR) | |
| 880-970 | all | up 30 | 910-1000 | |
| 980 | KDKA | up 40 | 1020 | |
| 990 | WBZ | up 40 | 1030 | |
| 1000 | WHO | up 40 | 1040 | |
| 1010 | KQW (now KCBS) | 740 | KQW did not move until 1947 | |
| 1020 | KYW | up 40 | 1060 | |
| 1030 | CFCN (now CBR) | down 20 | 1010 | |
| CKLW | 800 | |||
| 1040 | WTIC KRLD KWJJ |
up 40 | 1080 | |
| 1050 | all | up 20 | 1070 | CBA became a new Canadian clear on 1070 |
| 1060 | WBAL | up 30 | 1090 | |
| WJAG | up 40 | 1110 | this was later traded for 780 with KFAB | |
| 1070-1150 | all | up 30 | 1100-1180 | |
| 1160 | WOWO | up 30 | 1190 | |
| WWVA | up 40 | 1170 | ||
| 1170 | WCAU (now WPHT) | up 40 | 1210 | |
| 1180 | KEX | up 10 | 1190 | |
| KOB (now KKOB) | 770 | |||
| WDGY (now KFAN) | down 50 | 1130 | ||
| WINS | 1010 | |||
| 1190 | WOAI | up 10 | 1200 | |
| WSAZ | 930 | |||
| WATR | 1320 | |||
| 1200-1450 | all | up 30 | 1230-1480 | |
| 1460 | KSTP WSJV (now WTOP) |
up 40 | 1500 | |
| 1470 | KGA WLAC WMEX (now WWZN) |
up 40 | 1510 | |
| 1480 | KOMA WKBW (now WWKB) |
up 40 | 1520 | |
| 1490 | KFBK WCKY (now WSAI) |
up 40 | 1530 | |
| 1500 | all | down 10 | 1490 | |
| 1510 | CKCR (later CHYM) | down 20 | 1490 | |
| 1530 | W1XBS to WBRY (later WTBY, then WQQW; now dark) |
up 60 | 1590 | Since 1934 U.S. frequencies above 1500 had been allocated only to four experimental stations that broadcast with a signal 20 kHz wide for "high fidelity." The stations were converted to regular broadcasting (and regular call signs) with the NARBA frequency move. |
| W9XBY to KITE (now dark) |
up 20 | 1550 | ||
| 1550 | W2XR to WQXR (now WQEW) |
up 10 | 1560 | |
| W6XAI to KPMC (now KNZR) |
up 10 | 1560 | ||
| — | new Canadian clear | 1570 | allocated to CFPL (AM) | |
[edit] See also
- Canadian allocations changes under NARBA
- Clear channel (which includes a more detailed listing of present North American clears)
