Wikipedia

WPUC-FM

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.

WPUC-FM
Broadcast areaPuerto Rico
Frequency88.9 MHz
BrandingCatólica Radio
Programming
Language(s)Spanish and English
FormatAdult Contemporary
Ownership
Owner
History
First air date
1958; 66 years ago (1958) (as WEUC AM 1420)
May 17, 1984; 40 years ago (1984-05-17)
Former call signs
WEUC-FM (1982–2000)[1]
Call sign meaning
Pontifica Universidad Catolica de Puerto Rico
Technical information[2]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID9351
ClassB
ERP50,550 watts[3]
HAAT860.0 meters (2,821.5 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
18°10′27″N 66°35′32″W / 18.17417°N 66.59222°W / 18.17417; -66.59222
Translator(s)W206AF 89.1 (Mayaguez)
Links
Public license information
Websitecatolicaradiopr.com

History

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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

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Broadcast translators for WPUC-FM
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

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  • Radio Colegial: University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez
  • WRTU: University of Puerto Rico-San Juan

References

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  1. ^ Call Sign History: WPUC-FM, PR PONCE. FCC Audio Division. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
  2. ^ "Facility Technical Data for WPUC-FM". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  3. ^ FM Query Results: WPUC-FM, PR PONCE. FCC Audio Division. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ Neysa Rodriguez Deynes. Breviario sobre la Historia de Ponce. 2nd ed. 2002. Page 209. Bayamon, PR: Impress Quality Printing. ISBN 0-615-12181-0.
  6. ^ FCC History Cards for WEUC (now WUKQ)
  7. ^ "Station Goes on Air". The Catholic Advance. 16 May 1958. p. 10. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ "Priests Of Notre Dame". Rochester Courier-Journal. 7 July 1967. p. 12A. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
  10. ^ "WEUC-FM" (PDF). Broadcasting Yearbook. 1987. p. B-326. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
  11. ^ "Transaction Digest" (PDF). RBR. 31 January 2000. p. 14. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ 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.
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ Rodríguez Rivera, Jalibeth (19 February 2014). ""Te cuento… tú me cuentas", rinden honor a Luis Varela". Huellas. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
  16. ^ 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.
  17. ^ Torres, Celimer (18 January 2019). "En el aire 89.1 FM". Huellas. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
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