WAPA-TV is a full-power, independent television station located in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico transmitting over analog channel 4, digital channel 27. The station is owned by Intermedia Partners, LLC. and is branded as WAPA Television.

WAPA-TV has two full-power satellite stations: WTIN, channel 14 in Ponce and WNJX-TV, channel 22 in Mayagüez. Both stations are also owned by Intermedia Partners LCC. , WAPA also streams its programming on its website.

History

WAPA-TV was the second television station to be licensed to Puerto Rico and began broadcasting on May 1, 1954. Its call letters are a partial abbreviation of the station's original owners, the now-defunct Asociación de Productores de Azúcar, or Puerto Rico Sugar Grower's Association. The station, along with WKAQ-TV transitioned to color in 1968 on NTSC. 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 as el gato de WAPA in Spanish) and therefore its rhyming slogan is, Por el cuatro como el gato (Through the four like the cat), which rhymes in Spanish. Similarly, another TV spot used the phrase, Hasta el gato, te-ve el cuatro and the cat itself was alternately known as el Gato de Cuatro.

Like other mascots, El Gato was seen in different situations in different TV spots. Besides playing the bongos, he would also play the drums and was seen in one station ID as a matador. Another spot had him interacting with a cat seen in a Telemundo ad. 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 (Univision Puerto Rico), and WIPR-TV(PBS). WAPA-TV and WKAQ-TV have battled for the title of Puerto Rico's most-viewed station since the 1950s, with WLII entering the battle in the mid 80s.

During the 1980s and early 90's, the station was very successful by mixing American shows translated to Spanish with locally produced sitcoms such as "Cuqui", "Cara o Cruz", "Entrando por la Cocina", "Carmelo y Punto" and "Barrio Cuatro Calles". But it was still trailing behind WKAQ-TV as the second major Puerto Rican station. In the early 90's, WAPA rebranded itself with the slogans "WAPA'lla!" (a catchy slang variation of "Vamos pa'lla" - Let's go!) and "WAPA, aqui con la gente" (WAPA, here with the people). These slogans were accompanied by a catchy 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 in New York. This gave the channel a very "American" look. The logo, although graphically pleasing, was slowly dropped in favor of the classical number 4 logo. High end graphics were later altogether dropped for cheaper, in-house graphics.

Early after 2000, WAPA again rebranded itself with a new name and logo; "Televicentro" (used previously during the 70s and 80s). It has also regained its position as a major Puerto Rican TV station, mainly due to its new focus on locally produced programming. Its new slogan, "Como tú, boricua" highlights the fact that it is the only local commercial station left, with no foreign influence. Albeit the new name, locals still called it either "el cuatro" or simply "WAPA".

In September 2004, WAPA-TV became the first Puerto Rican station, and the seventh TV station in the U.S. (including territories) to become a superstation and broadcast shows through the DirecTV satellite system to the United States, under the name of WAPA America WAPA America's master control headquarters are located in Springfield, Massachusetts in the nearby suburb of Chicopee. "WAPA America" can also be seen in the U. S. through cable television service via companies like Comcast, RCN, Qwest Communications, and recently added to Cablevision subscribers in the greater New York City Metropolitan Area, and several surrounding communities.

On October 19,2006. LIN TV announced that it had entered into an agreement to sell its Puerto Rico television operations to InterMedia Partners, L.P. for $130 million in cash. The sale was completed on March 30, 2007.

Wapa (2007-present)

On December 17, 2007, the station changed it's branding from "Televicentro" to "wapa", in lowercase letters. Following the rename, the channel began a developing a new format, changing the jingle and recreating their website. WAPA-TV signed a contract with Miss Puerto Rico Universe to transmit a reality show titled "Por la corona", beginning on August 15, 2008. The public will select via text messaging, with five of the participants classifying directly to the pageant's semifinal.

Programming

WAPA-TV for years has shown boxing, BSN basketball, telenovelas, movies, comedies, sitcoms (both American and domestic), baseball, NFL football, both World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and Puerto Rican (WWC) professional wrestling, human interest shows and its news show, Noticentro.

Current Programs

• Noticentro al Amanecer (news)
• Entre Nosotras (talk show)
• Mediodía Puerto Rico (talk show)
• Amor en Custodia (telenovela)
• La Esclava Isaura (telenovela)
• Pobre Diabla (telenovela)
• Primera Plana (news)
• Noticentro a las 5 (news)
• SuperXClusivo (gossip show)
• Club Sunshine (comedy)
• TV Ilegal (comedy)
• A Calzón Quitao Prime Time (talk show)
• Grey's Anatomy
• CSI:Miami
• Super Cine (movies)
• Noticentro a las 10 (news)

Weekend Programs

• Chicola y la Ganga (children)
• Super Estrellas de la Lucha Libre (WWC) (wrestling)
• Noticentro Fin de Semana (news)
• SmackDown! (wrestling)
• Noticentro En Una Semana (news)
• Heroes
• House
• Battlestar Galactica
• 24
• Iglesia Católica (religious)

Primetime Schedule

Movies are in red; Reality/Game Shows are in green; Comedies are in pink; Dramas are in beige; Primetime Talk Shows are in blue; Telenovelas are in purple; Sports programming is in gold; News programming is in orange'.

	7:00 PM	7:30 PM	8:00 PM	8:30 PM	9:00 PM	9:30 PM	10:00 PM	10:30 PM	11:00 PM	11:30 PM
Sunday	24		Alias		House		Ugly Betty		Grey's Anatomy
Monday	SuperCine				Club Sunshine		Noticentro	Decision 2008	Primera Plana Rep.
Tuesday					Grey's Anatomy		Noticentro
Wednesday					TV Ilegal
Thursday					''CSI: Miami
Friday					A Calzón Quita'o Primetime
Saturday	WWE Friday Night Smackdown!		SuperCine				Noticentro	En Una Semana	World Sport

WWE Friday Night SmackDown! starts at 6 PM.

Noticentro

Noticentro is the name of WAPA-TV's news division. The news operation began in 1967 with Cuban-born Evelio Otero as the sole anchorman at the 10 p.m. newscast. Soon thereafter Carlos Ruben Ortiz joined the news staff with the 6 p.m. broadcast. Evelio Otero remained by himself on camera until his departure from WAPA in 1980 to take the senior editor position at the Voice of America in Washington. Carlos Ruben Ortiz shared the anchor slot at 6 p.m. with then newcomer Guillermo José Torres, a former radio announcer born in Ponce, Puerto Rico which has since become the longest standing news announcer in the island, with a career spanning more than 36 years. The format predated the NewsCenter format which become popular in NBC owned stations in the 1970s. (WAPA was then owned by General Electric, which also owned NBC).

In its beginnings, Noticentro 4 lasted only fifteen minutes in the afternoon, with a 30 minute edition at 10 in the evening. There was also a weekend edition. Gradually, the program's on-the-air 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 be left as an anchorperson only) In the late 1970s, Enrique Cruz Díaz, Luz Nereida Vélez, Sylvia Gómez, Luis Rigual, Cyd Marie Fleming, José Esteves, Luis Francisco Ojeda and others joined.

In 1980, Noticentro 4 inaugurated a new studio. In 1981, Pedro Rosa Nales joined the team. In 1982, Enrique Cruz Díaz, also known as Kike Cruz, substituted Torres as show director. In 1983, Rigual died, being substituted as main sports anchor man by Rafael Bracero. Bobby Angleró joined the team of reporters as Bracero's main helper in 1984, year in which the Coquí Satellite was inaugurated by the station. Coquí Satellite helped the network deliver breaking news quicker, and it helped deliver the news on occasions such as the Challenger explosion, when Torres interrupted Angela Meyer on her Chanita Gobernadora comedy section to break the news to the public only minutes after it had happened.

In the early 2000s, WAPA-TV inaugurated the SuperCóptero (SuperChopper), the Noticentro 4 helicopter. The SuperCóptero is mostly used to report on traffic conditions in the metropolitan area on the 4:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. editions of Noticentro 4. WAPA-TV is the only local station to have a helicopter in the air.

Noticentro runs a local cable channel, El Canal del Tiempo (The Weather Channel). The channel broadcasts weather forecasts for Puerto Rico 24 hours a day. El Canal del Tiempo can be seen on all three cable companies serving Puerto Rico and on WAPA-TV digital subchannel, WAPA-DT 27.2/4.2.

WAPA-TV uses it same logo for Noticentro (formerly Noticentro 4), changing the word WAPA to Noticentro, but with the same red strips at the right. The previous music package Noticentro 4 used is called News Authority by 615 Music and has been used since 2004. In the past they've used Newswatch 24, News One, Impact among others. Noticentro now uses the same music for all its sections and bumpers.

"El Canal Del Tiempo" still uses the old Noticentro 4 graphics and logo.

Noticentro airs about forty hours of news coverage a week.

Broadcasting

Digital television

Channel	Programming
4.1 / 27.1	Main WAPA-TV programming
4.2 / 27.2	El Canal del Tiempo

Satellite stations

WAPA-TV can be seen across Puerto Rico on the following stations:

Station	City of license	Channels (Analog/ Digital)	First air date	ERP (Analog/ Digital)	HAAT (Analog/ Digital)	Facility ID	Transmitter Coordinates
WTIN	Ponce	14 (UHF) 15 (UHF)	1985	1070 kW 380.2 kW	861 m 839 m	26681	(analog) (digital)
WNJX-TV	Mayagüez	22 (UHF) 23 (UHF)	April 27, 1986	4201 kW 400 kW	658 m 693 m	73336

Logos

References

External links and sources

• WAPA-TV
• WAPA America
• The Museum of Broadcasting - Puerto Rico TV Profile