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 medium wave 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 the 1230, 1240, 1340, 1400, 1450, and 1490 channels were reserved mainly for local stations. The agreement 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NARBA is no longer in effect. It has been superseded by working agreements made in the early 1980s between the U.S. and Canada and between the U.S. and Mexico, and by an ITU-sponsored agreement covering all of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.^[1][2][3]

Among the most significant changes were:

See also

• Canadian allocations changes under NARBA
• Clear channel (which includes a more detailed listing of present North American clears)
• Geneva wave plan Europe

External links

• More on clear, regional and local AM Channels in Canada Mexico and USA
• FCC information
• "Building the Broadcast Band" the development of the 520-1700 kHz Medium wave (AM) band
• "Behind the Clear-Channel Matter" history of clear-channel AM radio stations

References