WAPA Media Group
TypePrivate
IndustryRadio and TV
Founded2023
HeadquartersGuaynabo, Puerto Rico
Area served
Puerto Rico
United States
OwnerHemisphere Media Group
DivisionsWAPA-TV
WAPA América
WAPA Deportes
WAPA Digital
WKAQ-AM
WKAQ-FM
Websitewapa.tv

WAPA Media Group is an American mass media and entertainment corporation that is a division of Hemisphere Media Group with headquarters in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico.

WAPA Media Group is mainly involved in television and radio production. The company is named after WAPA-TV, the call-sign of the flagship television station primarily owned by Hemisphere Media Group before launching WAPA Media Group. The company encompasses WAPA-TV, its repeater stations across Puerto Rico, WAPA América (cable superstation), WAPA Digital (digital media division), WAPA Deportes (Sports Division), WKAQ-AM, and WKAQ-FM.

History

Televicentro de Puerto Rico

First established in 1954, WAPA-TV was the second network to broadcast in Puerto Rico. Its call-sign refers to the Association of Sugar Producers (Asociación de Productores de Azúcar) though its parent company was referred to as Televicentro de Puerto Rico. In 1998, the channel started being referred to on-air as Televicentro instead of WAPA Television a name that retained until 2006 when the company was sold to Hemisphere Media Group and InterMedia Partners. 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. The sale was completed on March 30, 2007. On December 17, 2007, the station changed its branding from Televicentro to wapa, in all lowercase letters. Following the rebrand, the station began developing a new format, changing its jingle and redesigning their website.[1][2]

WAPA Media Group

On May 9, 2022, Hemisphere Media Group, the owners of WAPA-TV, announced they would purchase WKAQ, WKAQ-FM, WUKQ, WUKQ-FM and WYEL from Univision Radio. The deal marks Hemisphere's entry to the radio business. During WAPA's 2023 upfront presentation, the network's management alluded that talent from the channel would also be joining the radio stations in the future and vice versa.[3][4][5][6][7][8][9]

On September 1, 2023, Hemisphere Media Group announced that the deal to buy WKAQ-AM and WKAQ-FM had been finalized and that they would be spinning off their media properties into a subsidiary called WAPA Media. The conglomerate would include WAPA-TV, WAPA Sports (WAPA-TV Sub-channel), WAPA América and the two radio stations. On September 6, 2023, a press conference was held to introduce the new conglomerate to the public. Jorge Hidalgo was introduced as CEO of WAPA Media and was announced to be retaining his position as president and general manager of the WAPA-TV station. Meanwhile, Héctor Martínez Souss would be staying on as president and General Manager of the radio stations WKAQ-AM and WKAQ-FM.[10][11][12][13][14]

Assets

WAPA Television

Radio

  • WKAQ 580 AM - Spanish News/Talk
  • WKAQ-FM 104.7 FM - Bilingual Top 40
  • WUKQ 1420 AM - Spanish News/Talk
  • WUKQ-FM 98.7 FM - Bilingual Top 40
  • WYEL 600 AM - Spanish News/Talk

References

  1. ↑ "Pegajosa canción como"jingle"". Primera Hora (in Spanish). July 17, 2008. Archived from the original on August 22, 2009. Retrieved July 22, 2008.
  2. ↑ "Con nuevo formato en la internet". Primera Hora (in Spanish). July 21, 2008. Archived from the original on August 22, 2009. Retrieved July 22, 2008.
  3. ↑ "WKAQ 580 y KQ 105 pasarán a manos de Wapa TV". elnuevodia.com.
  4. ↑ "Searchlight Seals Hemisphere Privatization, With Controversy". RBR.Com.
  5. ↑ "Dueños de WAPA TV adquirirán WKAQ 580 y KQ 105". NotiCel.
  6. ↑ "WKAQ-580 y KQ-105: dueños de WAPA TV adquieren emisoras locales". TVBoricuaUSA.
  7. ↑ "Hemisphere Media Group adquiere WKAQ y KQ105 en Puerto Rico". Wapa.tv.
  8. ↑ "Propietaria de WAPA-TV adquiere las emisoras de radio WKAQ580 y KQ105 FM". Primera Hora.
  9. ↑ ""Adiós Puerto Rico", TelevisaUnivision realiza su segunda venta radial en el año". RadioNotas.
  10. ↑ "Nace WAPA Media: el nuevo conglomerado que une radio y televisión". TV Boricua USA. TV Boricua USA. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  11. ↑ Rivera Cedeño, Jomar Josue. "Wapa Televisión adquiere las estaciones WKAQ 580 AM y KQ 105 FM". El Nuevo Dia. El Nuevo Dia. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  12. ↑ "Wapa Media: conglomerado más importante de las comunicaciones en Puerto Rico". WAPA.TV. WAPA.TV. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  13. ↑ "WKAQ y KQ105 se unen finalmente a Wapa Televisión". Primera Hora. Primera Hora. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  14. ↑ ""Hoy nace Wapa Media": lo que se sabe del nuevo conglomerado de medios". El Nuevo Dia. El Nuevo Dia. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
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