WPUC-FM

WPUC-FM (88.9 FM), branded on-air as Católica Radio, is a non-commercial educational[3] 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 (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
Facility ID9351
ClassB
ERP50,550 watts[2]
HAAT853.0 meters (2,798.6 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
18°10′27″N 66°35′32″W
Translator(s)W206AF 89.1 (Mayaguez)
Links
Websitecatolicaradiopr.com

History

The Catholic University of Puerto Rico entered into broadcasting when it built WEUC,[4] a 1,000-watt AM radio station operating at 1420 kHz, in 1958.[5] The station, which signed on in May, was the island's first Catholic radio station.[6] The station's call letters stood for Emisora Universidad Catolica (Catholic University Station).[7] 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.[8]

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.[9]

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.[10] 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.[11] In 2014, the station's main studio was named for Luis Varela (1938[12] - 23 June 2020[13]), whose sports program Trinchera Deportiva aired from WEUC/WPUC since 1961.[14][15]

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.[16]

Translator stations
Broadcast translators for WPUC-FM
Call signFrequencyCity of licenseERP (W)FCC info
WPUC-FM1 88.9 FMCaguas, Puerto Rico.25FMQ
W206AF 89.1 FMMayaguez, Puerto Rico.25FMQ

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

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