The El Fantasma Radio Drama Promo 45 rpm Record was produced by XEX in Mexico in 1957.
XEX-AM, a prominent radio station in Mexico City, has a rich history spanning over seven decades. Launched in 1947, it began as a national radio station with an impressive 500,000-watt transmitter, making it one of the most powerful stations in North America at the time.
The Mexican government established XEX using transmitter equipment from the former XERA station in Villa Acuña, Coahuila. This powerful 500 kW transmitter was seized, dismantled, and relocated to Mexico City. The station acquired its call sign from a Monterrey-based station, which was subsequently reassigned the XEAW-AM call letters. During the 1940s, XEX served as the Latin American flagship station for the Mutual Broadcasting System, solidifying its importance in international broadcasting. However, after four years of financial struggles, the station was sold to Rómulo O’Farrill in 1951.
XEX was part of a trio of Mexico City radio stations with significant network affiliations: XEX-AM: Affiliated with ABC and Mutual Broadcasting System, XEW-AM: NBC affiliate, XEQ-AM: CBS affiliate. All three stations have been under the ownership of Televisa Radio for several decades, demonstrating the consolidation of media power in Mexico.
The station’s broadcasting power has undergone several changes over the years: 1947: Launched with 500,000 watts, 1952: Reduced to 200,000 watts, 1970: Further reduced to 150,000 watts, Recent years: Operated at 100,000 watts, 2016: Reduced to 60,000 watts following a transmitter relocation. In 2016, XEX moved its transmitter to a new site in Los Reyes Acaquilpan, La Paz Municipality, State of Mexico, coinciding with its most recent power reduction.
This 45 rpm record was a promotional item for the Spanish-language radio drama ‘El Fantasma Que Camina’, which translates to ‘The Ghost Who Walks’, inspired by Lee Falk’s popular character, the Phantom. The series aired on Mexico’s Radio Novedades from 1957 to 1961. The single LP contains various radio station jingles. The front and back of the El Fantasma Radio Drama Promo 45 rpm Record can be seen below.
While the cardboard sleeve lacks specific publication dates, several pieces of evidence help narrow down the production timeframe of this promotional record:
Typography Connection
The lettering style on the 45 rpm record matches that of Paquito El Fantasma comic books #10001 and #10002, published by Editorial Panamericana in Mexico in 1952. This establishes a clear typographic link between the record and other media from the early 1950s.
Radio Station Advertisement
The back cover of the 45 rpm record features an advertisement for XEX radio station, boasting a 200,000-watt output. Interestingly, this exact advertisement also appears on the back cover of ‘Melodías Mexicanas’ magazine, issue #95, published in 1954.
The Phantom radio drama is known to have aired from 1957 to 1961 on Radio Novedades. While the typographic evidence and radio station advertisement predate the known airing of the radio drama, they suggest that the visual design elements were established in the early 1950s and continued to be used into the late 1950s and early 1960s. It’s worth noting that several Mexican radio drama experts personally recall the Phantom radio drama airing between 1957 and 1961, providing additional confirmation of the series’ timeframe.
Thank you Christopher Smith for assisting with images and information.
thephantom.fan 