WAPA-TV
 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(February 2013) |
 | |
| Channels | |
|---|---|
| Branding |
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| Programming | |
| Affiliations |
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| Ownership | |
| Owner |
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| WKAQ,WKAQ-FM,WYEL,WNJX-TV | |
| History | |
First air date | May 1, 1954 |
Former channel number(s) | Analog:4 (VHF,1954–2009) |
Call signmeaning | Station was founded by theAsociación de Productores de Azúcar(Puerto Rico Sugar Grower's Association) |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 52073 |
| ERP | 1,000kW |
| HAAT | 765 m (2,510 ft) |
| Transmitter coordinates | 18°6′47.5″N66°3′9.3″W/ 18.113194°N 66.052583°W |
| Translator(s) | |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Website | www |
| Satellite station | |
| WTIN-TV | |
| Channels | |
| Programming | |
| Affiliations | |
| History | |
First air date | 1970 |
Former call signs |
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Former channel number(s) |
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| |
| Technical information[2] | |
| Facility ID | 26681 |
| ERP | 750 kW |
| HAAT | 853 m (2,799 ft) |
| Transmitter coordinates | 18°10′04.0″N66°34′37.0″W/ 18.167778°N 66.576944°W |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
WAPA-TV(channel 4) is aSpanish-languageindependenttelevision stationinSan Juan, Puerto Rico,owned byWAPA Media Group.The station's studios are located onLuis VigoreauxAvenue inGuaynabo,and its transmitter is on theWKAQ-TV(channel 2) transmission tower atCerro La SantainCayeynear theCarite State Forest.WAPA-TV is the most watchedtelevision station in Puerto Rico.[3]
The station's signal is relayed across Puerto Rico through two full-powersatellite stations:WTIN-TV(digital channel 14, virtual channel 4) inPonceandWNJX-TV(digital channel 31, virtual channel 4) inMayagüez.WTIN-TV also broadcasts two subchannels simulcast from WKAQ-TV, including itsTelemundoprogramming, using virtual channels 2.11 and 2.21.
History
WAPA-TV began broadcasting on May 1, 1954, as the second television station to be licensed to Puerto Rico. Itscallsignis a partial abbreviation of the station's original owners, the now-defunctAsociación de Productores de Azúcar,or Puerto Rico Sugar Grower's Association. During its earliest years, the station was affiliated withNBC,ABC,DuMont,and theCMQ Television Network.[4]
The station was the first in the U.S. territory to transition to color unceremoniously in 1966, followed byWKAQ-TVin 1968. Popularly known in Puerto Rico by its assigned channel number,Canal Cuatro,the station was also known by its animated cartoon mascot during the 1970s and 1980s, a bongo-playing cat (known commonly asel gato de WAPAinSpanish) and therefore its slogan wasPor el cuatro como el gato(colloquially "on four (legs) like the cat" ), which rhymes in its original Spanish. Similarly, another station promo used the phrase,Hasta el gato, te-ve el cuatroand the cat itself was alternately known asel Gato de Cuatro.
Like other mascots,El Gatowas seen in different situations in different on-air promos. Besides playing the bongos, he would also play the drums and was seen in one station ID as a matador. Another promo had him interacting with a cat seen in aTelemundoad. El Gato would also sometimes be accompanied by his wife and children (one boy and one girl), where they appeared flying in a helicopter shaped like the channel's "4" logo and celebrated the holidays while playing musical instruments.
WAPA-TV's competitors include WKAQ-TV (Telemundo),WLII(Univisionaffiliate station Teleonce) andPBSmember stationWIPR-TV.WAPA-TV and WKAQ-TV have battled for the title of Puerto Rico's most-watched television station since the 1950s, with WLII entering the battle in the mid-1980s.
During the 1980s and early 1990s, the station became very successful by mi xing American shows translated to Spanish with locally produced sitcoms such asCuqui,Cara o Cruz,Entrando por la Cocina,Carmelo y PuntoandBarrio Cuatro Calles.However, it still trailed behind WKAQ-TV as the second most-watched Puerto Rican station. In the early 1990s, WAPA rebranded itself with the slogansWAPA'lla!(a catchy slang variation ofVamos pa'lla,or "Let's go!" ) andWAPA, aqui con la gente( "WAPA, here with the people" ). These slogans were accompanied by a catchy musical score and vivid, colorful graphics depicting the channel's logo. In 1994, WAPA was the first television station in Puerto Rico to use high-end graphic animations to animate a new logo, created and animated by Pixel Light Studios of New York City. This gave the station a very "American" on-air appearance. The logo, although graphically pleasing, was slowly dropped in favor of the classical number 4 logo. High end graphics were later dropped altogether for cheaper, in-house graphics.
In 1997, under the helm of formerUnivisionexecutive Miguel Bano gian, WAPA-TV achieved its biggest increases in viewership ever. During Bano gian 's tenure, the network produced more local programming than ever before, increasing its local news programming, and broadcasting several sporting events includingSerie del Caribe(the Caribbean edition of the U.S. baseballWorld Series) and World Bo xing Championship events produced in partnership (since the early 1980s) withDon King(WAPA would also sometimes broadcast fights promoted by King's rivalBob Arumand other promoters like Bob Andreoli).
In 1998, WAPA again rebranded itself with a new name and logo;Televicentro(a brand that was used previously during the 1970s and 1980s). It also regained its position as a major Puerto Rican television station, mainly due to its new focus on locally produced programming. Its new slogan,Como tú, boricua( "Like you, Puerto Rican" —a nod to the longtime colloquial nickname for Puerto Ricans) highlighted the fact that it was the only local commercial station remaining in Puerto Rico that was programmed locally. Despite the new name, local residents still referred to the station as eitherel cuatroor simply "WAPA". That same year, former WKAQ-TV general manager Joe Ramos was named president of WAPA-TV.
In September 2004, WAPA-TV became the first Puerto Rican station, and the seventh television station in the U.S. (including territories) to become a satellite-distributedsuperstation.WAPA Americacan be seen in the U.S. mainland throughDirecTVandDish Network,and on various cable television providers includingXfinity,Spectrum,Verizon FiOSandOptimum,but this is not the first time WAPA-TV has had any presence in the United States. In 1968, WAPA-TV hadWNJU-TV(Channel 47) not only as its sister station but also as its affiliate, predating WAPA America by decades. WNJU-TV was owned byScreen Gemsbefore selling it in 1984 to a consortium that would launch the NetSpan network, later evolving intoTelemundo.
On October 19, 2006. LIN TV announced that it had entered into an agreement to sell its Puerto Rico television operations toInterMedia Partnersfor $130 million in cash.[5]The sale was completed on March 30, 2007.
On December 17, 2007, the station changed its branding fromTelevicentrotowapa,in all lowercase letters. Following the rebrand, the station began developing a new format, changing its jingle and redesigning their website.[6][7]WAPA-TV signed an agreement withMiss Puerto Rico Universeto produce a reality show titledPor la corona,which debuted on August 15, 2008, where the public is able to select which five of the participants move directly to the pageant's semifinal viatext messagingvotes.[8]
On January 23, 2013, InterMedia Partners announced that it would merge WAPA-TV and WAPA America, along with its stake inCinelatino,with theshell corporationAzteca Acquisition Corporation (which is not associated with the Mexican-basedAztecagroup or theAzteca Américanetwork) to form Hemisphere Media Group. 73% of the new company is owned by InterMedia.[9]
On December 1, 2017, WAPA-TV named Javier Maynulet Montilla as president and general manager, succeeding Ramos, who spent 20 years at the station until his retirement on April 27, 2018.
On November 9, 2020, WAPA-TV named Jorge Hidalgo as president and general manager of the station effective January 1, 2021, after Javier Maynulet left the station after two years.[10]Hidalgo currently serves as a Senior Vice President of Operations for Hemisphere Media Group.
Outages
On December 3, 2015, WAPA-TV along with WIPR-TV went off-air, due to a transmitter outage at Cerro La Santa in Cayey. The station was still watchable onLiberty,Dish Network,DirecTV andClaro TV.The transmitter was repaired and placed back on air on December 10, 2015. Repairs were made by WAPA's engineering department.
On September 20, 2017, the main transmission tower of WAPA-TV was destroyed duringHurricane Maria.This caused the station to be off-air for two days until they began transmitting through Univision-owned stationsWSTE-DT(until October 30) and WLII-DT (until November 17; which was owned by Univision at the time) from their transmitter in Aguas Buenas. Since November 18, the station then began transmitting its main programming (virtual channel 4.1) through station WKAQ-TV and WAPA Deportes (4.2) through WIPR-TV.
On October 28, 2018, one year after going dark, WAPA-TV returned to the air from its new transmitter installed at the WKAQ-TV tower location, broadcasting with High Quality Doble Data HD. Repairs caused by the old transmitter equipment were made by the engineering department.
DirecTV-WAPA carriage dispute
On May 4, 2018, Hemisphere Media Group became involved in aretransmission consentdispute with DirecTV, resulting in WAPA-TV's removal from DirecTV's Puerto Rico channel lineup.[11]The station was restored on June 14, 2018, after the two sides came to a new agreement.[12]
Dish-WAPA carriage dispute
On October 24, 2019, at 7 p.m., Hemisphere Media Group became involved in a retransmission consent dispute with Dish Network, resulting in WAPA-TV's removal from Dish's Puerto Rico channel lineup. The station was restored on December 17, 2019, after the two sides came to a new agreement.
Programming
NotiCentro
NotiCentro(a Spanish translation of NewsCenter) is the name of WAPA-TV's news division; the station presently broadcasts 44 hours of locally produced newscasts each week (with eight hours each weekday and two hours each on Saturdays and Sundays). The news operation began in 1967 with Cuban-bornEvelio Oteroas the sole anchorman for the 6 p.m. newscast. Soon after, Carlos Ruben Ortiz joined the news staff for the 6 p.m. broadcast. Otero remained alone on camera, until his departure from WAPA in 1980 to take the senior editor position at theVoice of Americain Washington. Ortiz shared the anchor slot at 6 p.m. with then newcomerGuillermo José Torres,a former radio announcer born inJuana Diazwho has since become the longest standing news anchor on the island, with a career spanning 43 years (Torres retired on August 5, 2013). The format predated theNewsCenterformat which became popular on NBC affiliates in the 1970s.
In its beginnings,NotiCentro 4ran for only fifteen minutes in the afternoon, with a half-hour edition at 10 p.m.; there was also a weekend edition. Eventually, the program's running time was increased to a full hour. After Otero's departure, New York City–born William "Bill" Pérez became WAPA's news director (Torres held the post for a while, but eventually asked to serve only as a news anchor). In the late 1970s, Enrique Cruz,Luz Nereida Vélez,Sylvia Gómez,Luis Rigual,Cyd Marie Fleming,José Esteves,Luis Francisco Ojedaand others joined the news department.
In 1980,NotiCentro 4inaugurated a new studio. In 1981,Pedro Rosa Nalesjoined the team. In 1982, Enrique Cruz, also known as "Kike Cruz",replaced Torres as show director. In 1983, Rigual died, and was replaced as main sports anchor byRafael Bracero.Bobby Angleró joined the team of reporters as Bracero's main helper in 1983, the same year that theCoquíSatellitewas inaugurated by the station.Coquí Satellitehelped the station deliver breaking news quicker, and helped deliver the news on occasions such as theChallengerexplosion, when Torres interruptedÁngela Meyeron herChanita Gobernadoracomedy section to break the news to the public only minutes after it had happened.
In the early 2000s, WAPA-TV began using ahelicopterfor newsgathering calledSuperCóptero( "SuperChopper" ). TheSuperCópterohad mostly been used to report on traffic conditions in the metropolitan area on the 4 and 5 p.m. newscasts. WAPA-TV was the only local station to have a helicopter, but regular use of theSuperCópterowas soon discontinued due to budget cuts; WAPA now only uses the helicopter for special events such as elections and breaking news coverage.
NotiCentroran a local cable channel, WAPA Tiempo, which featured weather forecasts for Puerto Rico 24 hours a day. Originally namedEl Canal del Tiempo(its name changed to avoid confusion withThe Weather Channelcable network), it could be seen on all three cable companies then serving Puerto Rico at the time (OneLink Communications, Choice Cable TV, andLiberty Puerto Rico;all of them now merged as the latter); it was also broadcast on WAPA-TVdigital subchannel4.3. WAPA Tiempo was discontinued on September 1, 2012, due to WAPA Deportes (subchannel 4.2) upgrading to Full HD resolution to broadcast MLB postseason games; the channel was also dropped from Liberty cable.
WAPA-TV uses the same logo forNotiCentro(formerlyNotiCentro 4), only changing the word WAPA toNotiCentro.The music package previously used for the newscast was "News Authority" by 615 Music and has been used since 2004. In the past, the station used "WNDU 1986 News Theme", "Turn to News", "Newswatch 24", "News One" and "Impact" among others.NotiCentronow uses the same music for all its segments and bumpers except for its news résuméEn Una Semana( "In One Week" ), which used theNotiCentro 4graphics and music package from 1999 but now uses the current graphics and music package. Since 2012, WAPA-TV uses the "Truth" music package by 615 Music with "Truth V1" from 2012 to 2017, and "Truth V2" since 2017 for all newscasts.
On May 20, 2019,NotiCentroexpanded to1+1⁄2hours beginning at 4 p.m., renaming itself asNotiCentro Edición Estelar,with Normando Valentín serving as an anchor for the early evening newscast. Valentín has been with the station since 2003, and was morning anchor from 2008 to 2019. On February 3, 2020, Katiria Soto returns to WAPA-TV after five years working atWXTV-DTin New York, this time as a co-anchor of the 4 p.m. newscast.
Notable current on-air news staff
- Pedro Rosa Nales– anchor and reporter
- Luz Nereida Vélez– health reporter
- Ángel Rosa– political analyst
- Juan Dalmau– political analyst
- Jay Fonseca– general assignment reporter/analyst
Local program hosts
- Angelique Burgos–Burbu Nite
- Melwin Cedeño–Pégate Al Mediodía
- Junior Abrams-Pégate Al Mediodía(Host atAnalisis NeutralwithEleuterio Quiñones)
- Jailene Cintrón–Pégate Al Mediodía
- Jaime Mayol-Viva la Tarde
- Alba Nydia Díaz–Viva la Tarde
- Rafael José–Viva la Tarde
- Sunshine Logroño–Pégate Al Mediodía,El Remix(producer)
- Marian Pabón–El Remix
- José Vega SantanaRemi - Collaborator atNoticentro Al Amanecer
Notable former on-air staff
- Guillermo José Torres– anchorman (now retired)
- Rafael Bracero– sports anchor (previously atWLII-DT,now retired)
- Rubén Sánchez– (later atWJPX,WLII-DTandWTCV,now atWKAQ 580AM)
- Juan Manuel García Passalacqua– investigative reporter (now deceased)
- Cyd Marie Fleming– anchor/reporter (now atWLII-DT)
- Sylvia Gómez– anchor/reporter (now atWKAQ-TV)
- Jennifer Wolff– anchor/reporter (later atWLII-DTandWKAQ-TV)
- Keylla Hernández– anchor and reporter (now deceased)
- Zoe Laboy– political analyst (later atWKAQ-TV)
- Luis Francisco Ojeda– investigative reporter (later atWKAQ-AM,now retired)
- Carlos Díaz Olivo– political analyst (now atWKAQ-TV)
- Josue Carrion(later atWTCVandWLII-DT)
- Ivonne Orsini(now atWKAQ-TV)
- Raymond Arrieta(now atWKAQ-TV)
- Johnny Ray Rodriguez– comedian (previously atWKAQ-TV)
- Hector Travieso(later atWKAQ-TV)
- Kobbo Santarrosa(later atWTCV,now atWLII-DT)
- Hector Marcano– Producer & Host atEl Super Show(later atWLII-DT,WJPX,WKAQ-TV,WIPR-TVandWTCV)
- Topy Mamery(later atWTCV,deceased)
- Roque Gallart(later atWTCVandWLII-DT,now atLa Nueva 94 FM)
- Carmen Jovet– reporter (previously atWKAQ-TV,later atWIPR-TV,now atABC Puerto Rico)
- Sonya Cortes– (previously atWLII-DT)
- Gary Rodríguez(now atWLII-DT)
- Gredmarie Colón(previously atWLII-DT)
- Tommy Ramos(previously atTelemundo)
- Efren Arroyo– investigative reporter and historian (previously atWKAQ-TV,deceased)
- Luis Rigual- sports anchor (deceased)
Technical information
Subchannels
The station's signal ismultiplexed:
| Channel | Res. | Aspect | Short name | Programming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.1 | 1080i | 16:9 | WAPA-HD | Main WAPA-TV programming |
| 4.2 | 720p | WAPA2HD | WAPA Deportes | |
| 4.3 | WAPA3 | WAPA 4.3 |
| Channel | Res. | Aspect | Short name | Programming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.11 | 720p | 16:9 | WKAQ-DT | Telemundo West(WKAQ-TV) |
| 2.21 | 480i | WKAQ.2 | Punto 2 (WKAQ-DT2) | |
| 4.1 | 720p | 16:9 | WTIN-DT | Main WTIN-TV programming / WAPA-TV |
| 4.2 | WTIN-D2 | WAPA Deportes | ||
| 4.3 | 480i | WTIN-D3 | WAPA 4.3 |
Analog-to-digital conversion
WAPA-TV shut down its analog signal, overVHFchannel 4, on June 12, 2009, the official date on which full-power television stations in the United Statestransitioned from analog to digital broadcastsunder federal mandate. The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transitionUHFchannel 27,[15]usingvirtual channel4.
References
- ^"Facility Technical Data for WAPA-TV".Licensing and Management System.Federal Communications Commission.
- ^"Facility Technical Data for WTIN-TV".Licensing and Management System.Federal Communications Commission.
- ^George Winslow (April 30, 2024)."WAPA TV Celebrates 70th Anniversary As #1 Station in Puerto Rico".TVTechnology.RetrievedOctober 23,2024.
- ^"Broadcasting Yearbook,1955. p. 333 "(PDF).[permanent dead link]
- ^"LIN Media Investor Relations".Archivedfrom the original on February 5, 2012.RetrievedOctober 21,2006.
- ^"Pegajosa canción como" jingle "".Primera Hora(in Spanish). July 17, 2008. Archived fromthe originalon August 22, 2009.RetrievedJuly 22,2008.
- ^"Con nuevo formato en la internet".Primera Hora(in Spanish). July 21, 2008. Archived fromthe originalon August 22, 2009.RetrievedJuly 22,2008.
- ^"El público elegirá a la nueva reina".Primera Hora(in Spanish). August 8, 2008. Archived fromthe originalon August 23, 2009.RetrievedAugust 11,2008.
- ^Farrell, Mike (January 23, 2013)."InterMedia, Azteca Form Hemisphere Media Group".Multichannel News.Archivedfrom the original on January 27, 2013.RetrievedJanuary 23,2013.
- ^"Cambio de mando en WAPA TV".El Nuevo Dia(in Spanish). November 9, 2020.Archivedfrom the original on November 10, 2020.RetrievedNovember 9,2020.
- ^Eggerton, John (May 4, 2018)."WAPA Puerto Rico off DirecTV".Broadcasting & Cable.NewBay Media.Archivedfrom the original on May 4, 2018.RetrievedMay 4,2018.
- ^"Puerto Rico's WAPA Television and WAPA Deportes Reach Multi-Year Retransmission Consent Agreement with DIRECTV in Puerto Rico".Hemisphere Media Group.Archived fromthe originalon June 7, 2019.RetrievedJune 7,2019.
- ^"RabbitEars TV Query for WAPA".Archivedfrom the original on March 3, 2016.RetrievedJuly 20,2013.
- ^"RabbitEars TV Query for WTIN".Archivedfrom the original on October 31, 2020.RetrievedJanuary 19,2020.
- ^"DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and Second Rounds"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on August 29, 2013.RetrievedMarch 24,2012.
External links and sources
- Official website
- The Museum of Broadcasting – Puerto Rico TV ProfileArchivedOctober 26, 2008, at theWayback Machine