WAPA-TV

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Coordinates: 18°06′42″N 066°03′05″W / 18.11167, -66.05139

WAPA-TV
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Branding	WAPA Television
Slogan	Como tú, boricua (Like you, Boricua)
Channels	Analog: 4 (VHF) Digital: 27 (UHF)
Translators	WTIN 14 / DT 15 Ponce WNJX-TV 22 / DT 23 Mayagüez W43AA 43 Utuado W49AC 49 Adjuntas W56AA 56 Orocovis
Affiliations	Independent
Owner	Intermedia Partners, LCC
Founded	May 1, 1954
Call letters meaning	W Asociación de Productores de Azúcar
Transmitter Power	53.7 kW / 873 m (analog) 1000 kW / 794 m (digital)
Class	Full service
Facility ID	52073
Website	www.wapa.tv

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, LCC. 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.

1 History
2 Programming
3 Primetime Schedule
- 3.1 Noticentro 4
  - 3.1.1 Newscasts
4 Broadcasting
- 4.1 Satellite and translator stations
- 4.2 Digital television
5 Logos
6 External links and sources

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, which rhymes in Spanish.

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 its current logo and new name; Televicentro. 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 call it either "el cuatro" or simply "WAPA".

In September of 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 around 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.[1] The sale was completed on March 30, 2007.

On December 17, 2007 the station changed it's branding from "Televicentro" to "WAPA Television".

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 4.

Current Programs

Noticentro 4 al Amanecer
Entre Nosotras
Los Reyes (soap opera)
Mediodia Puerto Rico
Sacando Chispa
Jose Luis Sin Censura
A Calzon Quitao
Noticentro 4 a las 4
Noticentro 4 a las 5
Super Xclusivo (La Comay)
Club Sunshine
TV Ilegal
Quien Baila Mejor
A Calzon Quitao Prime Time
Noticentro 4 a las 10
Prison Break

Weekend Programs

Chicola y la Ganga
Super Estrellas de la Lucha Libre (WWC)
Noticentro 4 Sabado y Domingo
SmackDown!
Noticentro En Una Semana
Quien Baila Mejor
Heroes
House
Battlestar Galactica

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 brown.

	7:00 PM	8:00 PM	9:00 PM	10:00 PM	10:30 PM
Sunday	Quien Baila Mejor	Prison Break	House	Noticentro 4	Battlestar Galactica
Monday	SuperCine		Club Sunshine	Noticentro 4
Tuesday	SuperCine		TV Ilegal
Wednesday	Quien Baila Mejor	SuperCine
Thursday	Quien Baila Mejor
Friday	A Calzón Quita'o Primetime
Saturday	WWE Friday Night Smackdown!			Noticentro 4	En Una Semana

Both WWE Friday Night Smackdown! and Quien Baila Mejor (Sunday) start at 6 PM.

Noticentro 4, (sometimes just "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, 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, 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 4 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 a "Circle 4" logo for Noticentro 4. The current music package 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 4 airs about forty hours of news coverage a week.

Weekdays

Noticentro 4 al Amanecer - 5:00AM-9:00AM
Noticentro 4 a las 4:00 - 4:00PM-5:00PM
Noticentro 4 a las 5:00 - 5:00PM-6:00PM
Noticentro 4 a las 10:00 - 10:00-11:0PM

Weekends

Noticentro 4 Fin de Semana - 5:00PM-6:00PM
Noticentro 4 Fin de Semana - 10:00-10:30PM
Resumen de Noticias - 10:30PM-11:00PM (Saturdays only)

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

WTIN 14, digital 15 in Ponce
WNJX-TV 22, digital 23 in Mayagüez
W43AA 43 in Utuado
W49AC 49 in Adjuntas
W56AA 56 in Orocovis

WAPA-DT 27.1/4.1 - Simulcast of WAPA-TV
- WTIN-DT 15.1/14.1
- WNJX-DT 23.1/22.1
WAPA-DT 27.2/4.2 - El Canal del Tiempo

WAPA-TV newspaper ad from 1980.	WAPA-TV newspaper ad from 1986.	Previous 4 logo used for most of WAPA-TV's history.	Previous WAPA-TV logo using the "Televicentro" branding.
Present WAPA America logo.

Preceded by None	WAPA-TV 1954 - present	Succeeded by Incumbent

v • d • e

Superstations in North American markets

United States:

KTLA · KWGN-TV · WAPA-TV · WGN-TV / Superstation WGN · WKAQ-TV · WPIX · WSBK-TV · WPCH-TV / TBS · WWOR-TV / EMI

Mexico:

XEW · XHAW · XHCNL · XHDF · XHGC · XHIMT

v • d • e Additional resources on North American television
North America	Superstations Template · North American TV markets · List of local television stations in North America · North American TV mini-template
Canada	Canadian networks · List of Canadian television channels · Table · Local Canadian TV stations · List of United States stations available in Canada · 2001 Vancouver, British Columbia TV realignment · 2007 Canada broadcast TV realignment
Mexico	Mexican networks · Local Mexican TV stations · Superstations · 2006 United States broadcast TV realignment ·
United States of America	American networks · List of American over-the-air networks · Local American TV stations (W) · Local American TV stations (K) · Fox affiliate switches of 1994 · List of Canadian stations available in the United States · Insular Areas TV