WNJX-TV
 | |
| Mayagüez, Puerto Rico | |
|---|---|
| Branding | WAPA Television |
| Slogan |
Como Tu... boricua! English: Like you... Puerto Rican! |
| Channels |
Analog: 22 (UHF) Digital: 23 (UHF) |
| Affiliations | Independent |
| Network | WAPA-TV |
| Owner |
Hemisphere Media Group (InterMedia Partners 73% Azteca Acquisition Corporation 27%) (Televicentro of Puerto Rico, LLC) |
| First air date | April 27, 1986 |
| Sister station(s) | WAPA-TV, WTIN |
| Former affiliations | Repeater for WLII |
| Transmitter power |
4201 kW (analog) 400 kW (digital) |
| Height |
658 m (analog) 693 m (digital) |
| Facility ID | 73336 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 18°8′52″N 66°58′59″W / 18.14778°N 66.98306°W |
| Website | www.wapa.tv |
WNJX-TV is a full-power television station in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico transmitting over analog channel 22, digital 23. WNJX-TV is owned by Hemisphere Media Group (73% owned by InterMedia Partners & 27% owned by Azteca Acquisition Corporation).
History
Although Puerto Rico is very small (120 x 40 miles), its terrain is so mountainous that there is no site where any one TV station can cover the entire island. No San Juan licensed station has ever been successful if they didn’t offer a signal to all of Puerto Rico. As a result, most San Juan stations reach San Juan and Ponce from sites like La Santa Mountain in the southeast, relying on affiliations or ownership of western stations to rebroadcast their signal into that part of Puerto Rico. Many of these western stations also originate some local programming.
The preferred western site is the Monte del Estado mountain. From there, a TV station reaches the entire western and northwestern shores of Puerto Rico plus penetrating east into the center of the island (but poorly to San Juan or Ponce.) It is home to educational WIPM-TV (3), WORA-TV (5), And now to WOLE-TV(12) and WNJX-TV(22.)
Both WOLE and WNJX began their operations on another mountain, Mount Atalaya which is located further west between Aguadilla and Mayaguez. They located there mainly because of potential interference from stations to the east --- Channel 12 in St. Thomas and Channels 18 and 24 in San Juan. The Atalaya site afforded coverage into Arecibo, Aguadilla, Mayaguez and down the western shore towards Cabo Rojo. Years later, rule changes allowed both WOLE and WNJX to move to the Monte del Estado, greatly increasing their coverage area which is of greater benefit to their San Juan originating stations.
Ana J. Plaza and her husband, long-time Caribbean broadcaster Glenn Tryon, filed the original 120 kW WNJX application in the hopes of gaining an affiliation with a San Juan originator. The station incorporated as WNJX-TV, INC. and came on the air April 27, 1986. The call letters stood for the nicknames of two of the wives associated with the station, “Ninin” and “Jan.” Offices and studios were opened in the Guanajibo Shopping Center in Mayaguez.
At the same time Lorimar-Telepictures was obtaining from the bankruptcy court WKBM-TV (11) Caguas/San Juan and WSUR-TV (9) Ponce which had been dark since the death of their founder Ralph Pérez Perry. They changed the call letters to WLII-DT (Tele-Once, now Univision) and an island-wide network was formed with Channels 11, 9 and 22. As is the case with WORA and WOLE, WNJX originated local programming including a weekly newsmagazine with guests including the island's governor and other newsmakers. Other programs were a beauty and fashion show, area wrestling, and comedy with area DJs. Commercials for western P.R. businesses were inserted.
At the end of the 5-year agreement, Tele-Once strengthening its coverage, affiliated with WORA-TV (5) broadcasting from the higher Monte del Estado. WKAQ-TV (2) San Juan, losing its WORA outlet, signed a rebroadcast agreement with WOLE-TV (12) Aguadilla and WOLE moved its transmitter to the preferred Monte del Estado site. Channel 22 WNJX began broadcasting the signal of WSTE-DT (7) Ponce/San Juan. This left WAPA-TV (4) San Juan without a western PR affiliate.
WNJX-TV principal Glenn Tryon recognized that the station would have to move to the Monte del Estado if it was to remain competitive in the “affiliation wars.” Working with Washington consulting engineers and legal counsel, an application was presented to the FCC requesting four major waivers that would allow WNJX to transmit from the Monte del Estado with full power of 4201 kW analog. The request was granted, the new facilities went on the air and subsequently WNJX sold the station to LIN TV, owners of WAPA-TV on March 1, 2001 for $1,000,000.
On October 19, 2006 LIN TV announced that it had entered into an agreement to sell its Puerto Rico television operations to InterMedia Partners for $130 million in cash.[1] The sale was completed on March 30, 2007.
Programming
WNJX-TV currently serves as a satellite for WAPA-TV and simulcasts 100% of its programing. The station does have a small studio in Aguada which is used to produce news segments for WAPA-TV's Noticentro. These segments are titled Noticentro: Sur y Oeste and are similar to WORA-TV's and WOLE-TV's news offerings. However, unlike the former western stations, the news segments produced at WNJX-TV can be seen all across Puerto Rico.
References
External links
- Query the FCC's TV station database for WNJX-TV
- BIAfn's Media Web Database -- Information on WNJX-TV
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