WNJX-TV

WNJX-TV, virtual channel 4 (UHF digital channel 31), is an independent television station licensed to Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. It is a full-time satellite of San Juan-licensed WAPA-TV (channel 4) that is owned by Hemisphere Media Group, which is 83.8% owned by InterMedia Partners. WNJX-TV's transmitter is located at Monte del Estado in Maricao, while its parent station maintains studios on Avenida Luis Vigoreaux in Guaynabo.

WNJX-TV
Satellite of WKAQ-TV and WAPA-TV,
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
ChannelsDigital: 31 (UHF)
Virtual: 4 (PSIP)
BrandingWAPA (general)
WAPA Deportes (on DT2)
NotiCentro (newscasts)
Telemundo West (on DT4)
Telenoticias (DT4 newscasts)
Punto 2 (on DT5)
SloganWAPA sí es Puerto Rico
(WAPA is Puerto Rico)
Tu canal, siempre
(Your Channel, Always) (on DT4)
Programming
Affiliations2.12: Telemundo (2020–present)
2.22: Punto 2
4.1: Independent (1999–present)
4.2: WAPA Deportes
4.3: WAPA Deportes 4.3
Ownership
OwnerHemisphere Media Group
(InterMedia Partners 83.8%)
(Televicentro of Puerto Rico, LLC)
OperatorDT4: NBCUniversal
(via TBA)
WAPA-TV, WTIN-TV
History
First air date
April 27, 1986 (1986-04-27)
Former call signs
WUHM-TV (1970–1976)
W22AB (1976–1983)
WQRD (1983–1986)
Former channel number(s)
Analog:
22 (UHF, 1986–2009)
Digital:
23 (UHF, 2003–2018)
Repeater for WKAQ-TV (1970–1986)
Repeater for WLII-DT (1986–1994)
Repeater for WSJU-TV (1991–1995)
Repeater for WSTE-DT (1995–1999)
Technical information
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID73336
ERP160 kW (STA)
476 kW (CP)
HAAT668.5 m (2,193 ft) (STA)
703 m (2,306 ft) (CP)
Transmitter coordinates18°8′51.6″N 66°58′57.1″W
Links
Public license information
Profile
LMS
Websitewww.wapa.tv
www.telemundopr.com

WNJX-TV's fourth digital subchannel operates as a full-time satellite of San Juan-licensed Telemundo owned-and-operated station WKAQ-TV (channel 2) under a time brokerage agreement with the Telemundo Station Group subsidiary of NBCUniversal (itself a subsidiary of Comcast). Branded on-air as Telemundo West, this subchannel is mapped to virtual channel 2.12 rather than 4.4. WNJX-DT4's parent station maintains studios on Roosevelt Avenue in San Juan.

History

Although Puerto Rico is very small, 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. 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 (channel 3), WORA-TV (channel 5), WOLE-TV (channel 12) and WNJX-TV.

Both WOLE and WNJX began their operations on another mountain, Mount Atalaya, which is located further west between Aguadilla and Mayagüez. 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, Mayagüez 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. The first affiliation was with WKAQ-TV (Telemundo) as part of the early beginnings of the Telemundo Network. Offices and studios were opened in the Guanajibo Shopping Center in Mayagüez.

At the same time Lorimar-Telepictures was obtaining from the bankruptcy court WKBM-TV (channel 11) Caguas/San Juan and WSUR-TV (channel 9) Ponce which had been off the air since the death of their founder Rafael 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 Puerto Rico businesses were inserted.

At the end of the 5-year agreement, Tele-Once strengthening its coverage, affiliated with WORA-TV (channel 5) broadcasting from the higher Monte del Estado. WKAQ-TV, 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. WNJX began broadcasting the signal of WSTE-DT (channel 7) Ponce/San Juan. This left WAPA-TV without an affiliate in western Puerto Rico until they contracted WVEO-TV (channel 44) in Aguadilla to broadcast WAPA's signal until late 1999.

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 Federal Communications Commission (FCC) requesting four major waivers that would allow WNJX to transmit from the Monte del Estado with full power of 4,201 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.

On January 23, 2013, InterMedia Partners announced that it would merge WAPA-TV, WTIN-TV, WNJX-TV and WAPA America, along with its stake in Cinelatino with the shell corporation Azteca Acquisition Corporation (which is not associated with the Mexican-based Azteca group or the Azteca América network) to form Hemisphere Media Group. 73% of the new company would be owned by InterMedia.

On June 27, 2019, Hemisphere Media Group announced that Telemundo would switch from WORA-TV to WNJX-TV by January 1, 2020. This marks the return of Telemundo to WNJX, as a subchannel.[2]

Programming

WNJX-TV currently serves as a satellite for both WAPA-TV and WKAQ-TV and simulcasts 100% of their programming on its primary and fourth subchannels. 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-DT's news offerings. However, unlike the former western stations, the news segments produced at WNJX-TV can be seen all across Puerto Rico.

Digital television

Digital channels

The station's digital signal is multiplexed:

Channel Video Aspect PSIP Short Name Programming[3]
2.12720p16:9WKAQ-DTSimulcast of WKAQ-TV / Telemundo West
2.22480iWKAQ.2Simulcast of WKAQ-DT2 / Punto 2
4.1720pWNJX HDMain WNJX-TV programming
4.2WNJX2HDWAPA Deportes
4.3480iWNJX3WAPA Deportes 4.3

Analog-to-digital conversion

WNJX-TV shut down its analog signal over UHF channel 22, on June 12, 2009, the official date in which full-power television stations in the United States transitioned from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate. The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 23. Through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers display the station's virtual channel at VHF channel 4.

References
  1. http://www.corporate-ir.net/ireye/ir_site.zhtml?ticker=TVL&script=410&layout=-6&item_id=918570
  2. "Telemundo to stop airing signal via WORA-TV in Mayagüez by year's end". News is My Business. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
  3. RabbitEars TV Query for WNJX-TV
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