WPUC-FM
_Emisora_Radio_Catolica,_en_Ponce_Bypass_(PR-2),_Barrio_Canas_Urbano,_Ponce,_PR_(DSC05046X).jpg) | |
| Broadcast area | Puerto Rico |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 88.9 MHz |
| Branding | Católica Radio |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | Spanish and English |
| Format | Adult Contemporary |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| History | |
First air date | 1958 (as WEUC AM 1420) May 17, 1984 |
Former call signs | WEUC-FM (1982–2000)[1] |
Call sign meaning | Pontifica Universidad Catolica de Puerto Rico |
| Technical information[2] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 9351 |
| Class | B |
| ERP | 50,550 watts[3] |
| HAAT | 860.0 meters (2,821.5 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 18°10′27″N 66°35′32″W / 18.17417°N 66.59222°W |
| Translator(s) | W206AF 89.1 (Mayaguez) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Website | catolicaradiopr |
WPUC-FM (88.9 FM), branded on-air as Católica Radio, is a non-commercial educational[4] radio station broadcasting an Adult Contemporary format. Licensed to Ponce, Puerto Rico, the station serves the entirety of the island with the aid of a booster at Caguas and a translator covering Mayagüez. The station is owned by Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico Service Association, Incorporated.
History
[edit]The Catholic University of Puerto Rico entered into broadcasting when it built WEUC,[5] a 1,000-watt AM radio station operating at 1420 kHz, in 1958.[6] The station, which signed on in May, was the island's first Catholic radio station.[7] The station's call letters stood for Emisora Universidad Catolica (Catholic University Station).[8] Bishop James E. McManus, who founded the university, had invited Father Carl Hammond to assist in the design of the buildings on the campus; Hammond, an avid ham radio operator, was instrumental in launching the station.[9]
On May 17, 1979, the Catholic University of Puerto Rico applied to the Federal Communications Commission to build and launch a noncommercial FM station on 88.9 MHz. WEUC-FM was approved by the commission on January 11, 1982, but the station did not sign on the air until May 17, 1984.[10]
The university sold the AM station in 2000 to El Mundo Broadcasting Corporation, owners of WKAQ-AM-WKAQ-FM in San Juan and WUKQ-FM in Mayagüez, for $1.45 million; the sale resulted in the AM frequency becoming a simulcaster of WKAQ.[11] After selling the AM station, the university changed WEUC-FM's call sign to WPUC-FM, reflecting the papal designation of the pontifical title on the university, which had taken place in 1991.
The radio station serves dual purposes: as a communication media with the external community and as an internship for students studying communications.[12] In 2014, the station's main studio was named for Luis Varela (1938[13] - 23 June 2020[14]), whose sports program Trinchera Deportiva aired from WEUC/WPUC since 1961.[15][16]
After Hurricane Maria, WPUC-FM lost 80 percent of its coverage. The translator for Mayagüez, located inside the Maricao State Forest, was returned to service in January 2019.[17]
Translator stations
[edit]| Call sign | Frequency | City of license | FID | ERP (W) | FCC info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WPUC-FM1 | 88.9 FM | Caguas, Puerto Rico | 9353 | .25 | LMS |
| W206AF | 89.1 FM | Mayaguez, Puerto Rico | 9350 | .25 | LMS |
See also
[edit]- Radio Colegial: University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez
- WRTU: University of Puerto Rico-San Juan
References
[edit]- ^ Call Sign History: WPUC-FM, PR PONCE. FCC Audio Division. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
- ^ "Facility Technical Data for WPUC-FM". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ FM Query Results: WPUC-FM, PR PONCE. FCC Audio Division. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
- ^ Before the Federal Communications Commission, IMO Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico Service Association, Inc. File Nos. EB-07-IH-5331. FCC. File: EB-08-IH-1547. Facility ID No. 9351. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
- ^ Neysa Rodriguez Deynes. Breviario sobre la Historia de Ponce. 2nd ed. 2002. Page 209. Bayamon, PR: Impress Quality Printing. ISBN 0-615-12181-0.
- ^ FCC History Cards for WEUC (now WUKQ)
- ^ "Station Goes on Air". The Catholic Advance. 16 May 1958. p. 10. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
- ^ Carmelo Rosario Natal. Ponce En Su Historia Moderna: 1945-2002. Published by Secretaría de Cultura y Turismo of the Government of the Autonomous Municipality of Ponce. Ponce, Puerto Rico. 2003. p. 97.
- ^ "Priests Of Notre Dame". Rochester Courier-Journal. 7 July 1967. p. 12A. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
- ^ "WEUC-FM" (PDF). Broadcasting Yearbook. 1987. p. B-326. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
- ^ "Transaction Digest" (PDF). RBR. 31 January 2000. p. 14. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
- ^ Self-Study for the Middle States Association’s Commission of Higher Education (MSACHE) Re-accreditation, 2003. Introduction - Pontificia Universidad Católica de Puerto Rico. Page 89. 17 April 2000. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
- ^ Adiós al veterano periodista Luis R. Varela Solar: El respetado comunicador, de larga trayectoria en varios campos incluyendo la radio, falleció el martes a los 82 años. 23 June 2020. Accessed 25 June 2020.
- ^ Fallece el veterano periodista Luis Varela: El cronista, nacido en Cuba y radicado en Ponce, tuvo una destacada carrera de casi seis décadas en el periodismo deportivo y sobresalió por sus escritos sobre los asesinatos del Cerro Maravilla.
- ^ Rodríguez Rivera, Jalibeth (19 February 2014). ""Te cuento… tú me cuentas", rinden honor a Luis Varela". Huellas. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
- ^ Muere periodista Luis R. Valera. EsNoticia. Ponce, Puerto Rico. 26 June to 9 July 2020. Year 5. Issue 121. page 15. Accessed 26 June 2020.
- ^ Torres, Celimer (18 January 2019). "En el aire 89.1 FM". Huellas. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
External links
[edit]- Facility details for Facility ID 9351 (WPUC-FM) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
- WPUC-FM in Nielsen Audio's FM station database
- Facility details for Facility ID 9350 (W206AF) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
