WMEI (Puerto Rico)

Last updated
WMEI
Channels
Ownership
Owner
  • Corporate Media Consultants Group, LLC
  • (CMCG Puerto Rico, LLC)
WOST
History
Founded1997
First air date
January 1997
(27 years ago)
 (1997-01)
Last air date
August 31, 2017
(6 years ago)
 (2017-08-31)
Former channel number(s)
  • Analog: 60 (UHF, 1997–2009)
  • Virtual: 60 (PSIP, 2009–2010)
Technical information
Facility ID 26676
ERP 315 kW
HAAT 802 m (2,631 ft)
Transmitter coordinates 18°09′17.1″N66°33′16.4″W / 18.154750°N 66.554556°W / 18.154750; -66.554556
Translator(s) See § Satellite stations

WMEI (channel 14), branded on-air as WMEI 14 and TeleMar, was a television station licensed to Arecibo, Puerto Rico. The station was owned by Corporate Media Consultants Group, of which 51% is owned by Power Television International and 49% is owned by Max Media. WMEI's studios were located in Puerta del Condado in San Juan, with an additional studio in Yauco. The station's transmitter was located at Cerro Maravilla in Ponce. WMEI signed off the air on August 31, 2017 at midnight.

Contents

History

Former WMEI logo as a MegaTV affiliate between 2009 and 2011. WMEI60.png
Former WMEI logo as a MegaTV affiliate between 2009 and 2011.

WMEI was founded on February 28, 1990 by locally owned Arecibo Broadcasting Systems, managed by Hector Negroni Cartagena.

On December 28, 1994, WMEI launched WWKQ-LP (channel 26), a low-power TV station in Quebradillas owned by Signal Broadcasting.

WMEI signed on as a test signal on Channel 60 in 1997 operated by Signal Broadcasting and transmitted programming from Telefe Internacional and infomercials.

WMEI also began operations for WQQZ-CA (channel 33), another channel owned by Signal Broadcasting, in Ponce on February 12, 1999.

WMEI began its regular programming in November 2006 as an affiliate of Telefe Internacional branded as Mi 60. It remained a Telefe affiliate from 2006 to 2007, showing informercials from 4 p.m. to midnight.

WMEI officially launched as an independent station on March 20, 2007 at 6:25 a.m. It was branded as TeleMar Puerto Rico from 2007 to 2009, from 2011 to 2013, and since May 11, 2014.

In March 2007, WMEI launched its digital satellite station, WOST (channel 16), in Mayagüez.

On November 23, 2009, WMEI switched its affiliation to Spanish Broadcasting System's Mega TV. [1] Prior to this, WMEI had carried a Spanish-language version of The Local AccuWeather Channel.

WMEI, along with its satellite stations, went off the air for several months in early 2009 due to their shutting down analog signals in January 2009 in preparation for the nationwide digital transition. However, due to the transition date being delayed until June 12, 2009 (from its original February 17 date) and WTIN and WNJX-TV opting to retain their analog signals on WMEI and WOST's post transition channels until June, WMEI and WOST could not begin digital broadcasts until WTIN and WNJX terminated their analog signals in June 2009.

WMEI became an affiliate once again in February 2013, this time with TeLe-Romántica, whose programming included telenovelas, movies, series and documentaries. TeLe-Romántica resumed operations in August 2014 due to the station's website failure and moved its programming to WSJU-TV channel 31.2.

In November 2013, Power Television International acquired the non-license assets of WMEI and its satellite stations from Corporate Media Consultants Group for $18 million.[ citation needed ]

WMEI was affiliated with PBJ from 2014 to 2016.

On May 13, 2015, WQQZ-CA changed its call letters to WQQZ-CD after switching from analog to digital operation.

On January 12, 2016, WMEI, WOST and its satellite stations sold their spectrum and participated in the 2016 FCC Spectrum auction (originally scheduled for sometime in 2015, then pushed back a year). The executive officers said that once the auction was complete, the station would either go off the air or move to another channel.[ citation needed ]

On April 1, 2016, WMEI changed its branding to reflect the station's digital channel number. It was now known as WMEI 14. The station switched its affiliation to Retro Television Network and broadcast daily from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m. No programming changes were expected, and WMEI remained a Tuff TV affiliate. The station also affiliated with Gun TV upon that network's launch the same day. Gun TV broadcast from 12AM to 5AM daily.[ citation needed ]

WMEI was most recently a dual affiliate of Tuff TV and The Family Channel, while WOST remained an affiliate of the Spanish version of The Local AccuWeather Channel.

On October 18, 2016, WOST went off the air. Station engineers had determined that one of the station's power amplifiers had been damaged during a thunderstorm. The station was awaiting the delivery of parts to complete the repair to the power supply. It was expected that it might be another couple of weeks before the repairs were to be completed.

The licensee requested Special Temporary Authority pursuant to FCC Rule 73.1635(a)(4), as the circumstances of the storm were beyond the control of the licensee and it was acting diligently to repair the station and restore operations but had to wait on vendors to deliver equipment. The licensee also requested a one-day waiver of the 30-day filing deadline to request silent authority. The 30th day for filing the silent STA request was miscalculated. The LMS form would not allow the proper date to be checked that the station went off the air.

On November 11, 2016, licensed as a digital operation, WWKQ-LP changed its callsign to WWKQ-LD.

On December 5, 2016, WQQZ-CD went off the air because of a malfunction with its Ktech receiver. It was repaired over the next few weeks. On December 8, 2016, WQQZ-CD returned to the air broadcasting the full Retro TV and Action Channel programming.

In April 2017, WMEI announced that it would shut down on August 31 following the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)'s incentive auction. The station sold its spectrum for $9,696,619. [2] Also, WOST would move their channel positions to channel 20, and WQQZ-CD to channel 16.

On May 2, 2017, WOST resumed broadcasting operations with a reduced power of 2  kW.

Due to the passage of Hurricane Irma across Puerto Rico, the license for WMEI was cancelled on September 12, 2017. The WMEI unit was moved to WOST and satellite stations. They have been affiliated with Azteca América since August 1, 2018.

Subchannels

The station's digital signal was multiplexed:

Subchannels of WMEI [3]
Channel Res. Aspect Short nameProgramming
14.1 480i 4:3 WMEI-DTMain WMEI programming / RetroTV (5 a.m.–6 p.m.) / The Action Channel (6 p.m.–5 a.m.)
14.2WMEI-DT2 The Family Channel

Satellite stations

WMEI was rebroadcast on the following stations:

Station City of license Channels
TV (RF)
First air date ERP HAAT Facility ID Transmitter Coordinates
WOST Mayagüez 20 (14)March 20, 200795 kW 606.7 m60357 18°18′51″N67°11′24″W / 18.31417°N 67.19000°W / 18.31417; -67.19000 (WOST)
WWKQ-LD Quebradillas 14 (19)December 28, 19942.48 kW163.7 m60369 18°28′53″N66°55′36″W / 18.48139°N 66.92667°W / 18.48139; -66.92667 (WWKQ-LP)
WQQZ-CD Ponce 14 (24)February 12, 19990.75 kW613 m32142 18°04′50″N66°44′47″W / 18.08056°N 66.74639°W / 18.08056; -66.74639 (WQQZ-CD)

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Media of Puerto Rico</span> From traditional to social media

The media of Puerto Rico includes local radio stations, television stations and newspapers; for the majority of all these the language is Spanish. There are also three stations of the US Armed Forces Radio and Television Service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WDKA</span> MyNetworkTV affiliate in Paducah, Kentucky

WDKA is a television station licensed to Paducah, Kentucky, United States, serving as the MyNetworkTV affiliate for Western Kentucky's Purchase region, Southern Illinois and Southeastern Missouri, and Northwest Tennessee. It is owned by the Community News Media subsidiary of Standard Media alongside Cape Girardeau, Missouri–licensed Fox affiliate KBSI. Both stations share studios on Enterprise Street in Cape Girardeau, while WDKA's transmitter is located in Vienna, Illinois.

WIFR-LD is a low-power television station in Rockford, Illinois, United States, affiliated with CBS and The CW Plus. The station is owned by Gray Television, and maintains studios and transmitter facilities on North Meridian Road in Rockford.

KJLA is a television station licensed to Ventura, California, United States, serving the Los Angeles area as an affiliate of Visión Latina. The station is owned by Costa de Oro Media, LLC, a company run by Entravision Communications founder, CEO and chairman Walter Ulloa. KJLA's studios are located on Corinth Avenue in West Los Angeles, and its transmitter is located atop Mount Wilson.

WKOI-TV is a television station licensed to Richmond, Indiana, United States, broadcasting the Ion Television network to the Dayton, Ohio, area. The station is owned and operated by the Ion Media subsidiary of the E. W. Scripps Company. Transmission facilities are provided by unrelated NBC affiliate WDTN, which shares its digital channel with WKOI-TV through a channel sharing agreement, along with WDTN's sister station, Springfield, Ohio–licensed CW affiliate WBDT ; the transmitter is located on Frytown Road in southwest Dayton. For the purposes of its FCC correspondence, WKOI's official 'studio' facility is located at Scripps Center in downtown Cincinnati.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WJPX</span> América Tevé television station in San Juan, Puerto Rico

WJPX is a Spanish-language Independent television station licensed to San Juan, Puerto Rico. The station brands itself as América TeVé Puerto Rico.

KAUU is a television station in Anchorage, Alaska, United States, affiliated with MyNetworkTV. It is owned by Gray Television alongside dual NBC/CBS affiliate KTUU-TV. The two stations share studios on East 40th Avenue in Anchorage; KAUU's transmitter is located in Knik, Alaska.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KQDS-TV</span> Fox affiliate in Duluth, Minnesota

KQDS-TV is a television station in Duluth, Minnesota, United States, affiliated with the Fox network. Owned by Coastal Television Broadcasting Company, the station has studios on London Road in Duluth, and its transmitter is located west of downtown in Hilltop Park. Master control and some internal operations are based out of the studio facilities of sister station and fellow Fox affiliate KVRR on South 40th Street and South 9th Avenue in Fargo, North Dakota.

WOCH-CD was a low-power, Class A television station in Chicago, Illinois, United States. The station was owned by NRJ TV, LLC.

WELU, branded on-air as CTNi Puerto Rico, is a CTN-affiliated television station licensed to Toa Baja, Puerto Rico. The station is owned by Senda Educational Broadcasting. The station shares transmitter facilities with WSJN-CD at the Monte Renovados La Peña in Bayamon.

WTCV is a television station in San Juan, Puerto Rico, serving as the U.S. territory's outlet for the Spanish-language network Mega TV. Owned and operated by Spanish Broadcasting System, it is sister to radio stations WZNT, WZMT, WODA, WNOD, W276AI, WRXD, WNVI, W233CW, W238CR, WIOB, WMEG and WEGM. WTCV shares studios with independent station WJPX at the Amelia Industrial Park in Guaynabo; the two stations share transmitter facilities at Barrio Cubuy in Canovanas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WRUA</span> TV station in Fajardo–San Juan, Puerto Rico

WRUA, branded on-air as Tiva TV, is a Spanish-language independent television station serving northeastern Puerto Rico that is licensed to Fajardo. The station is owned by Eastern Television Corporation and operated by Grupo TIVA, a joint venture between Dr. Norman Gonzalez Chacon, under Dr. Norman's Broadcasting (stockholder), Iglesia Cristiana El Caballero de la Cruz & Alejandro Luciano. The station is showing lifestyle and health programs. WRUA maintains its studios located at Julio Andino Street, at the corner of Simon Madera Avenue in Rio Piedras and its transmitter is located in the El Yunque National Forest.

WOST is a ShopHQ-affiliated television station licensed to Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. The station is owned by HC2 Holdings. WOST maintains its studios in Puerta del Condado in San Juan, with additional studios in Yauco. The transmitter is situated in Monte del Estado in Maricao.

WNYI is a religious television station licensed to Ithaca, New York, United States, serving the Elmira, Binghamton and Syracuse television markets as an owned-and-operated station of the Daystar Television Network. The station's transmitter is located on Quarry Road in Moravia, New York. It shares its channel and tower with co-owned WDSS-LD, a low-power translator station that previously broadcast on UHF channel 38 from a transmitter in Onondaga.

WDLI-TV is a television station licensed to Canton, Ohio, United States, serving the Cleveland–Akron area as an affiliate of the digital multicast network Scripps News. It is owned by Inyo Broadcast Holdings alongside Ion Television affiliate WVPX-TV.

WCLO-TV, branded on-air as Nueva Vida TV, is a Spanish-language religious television station licensed to Aguada, Puerto Rico. Founded in 1993, the station is owned and operated by New Life Broadcasting, making it a sister station to radio stations WNVM, WDNO & WNVE. The Licensee is Western New Life, Inc. WCLO-TV's programming is also seen on translator station, W06DA-D, channel 6 in Aguada. The station broadcasts Christian music videos 24 hours a day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WRFB</span> ABC affiliate in Carolina, Puerto Rico

WRFB, branded on-air as ABC Puerto Rico, is a television station licensed to Carolina, serving the San Juan area as an affiliate of ABC. It is a full-time satellite of Mayagüez-licensed WORA-TV which is owned by Telecinco, Inc. WRFB's transmitter is located on Cerro Marquesa in Aguas Buenas; its parent station maintains studios on Ponce de León Avenue in Santurce, with additional studios at the Guanajibo Building in Mayagüez.

KBTZ, UHF analog channel 24, was a Fox-affiliated television station licensed to Butte, Montana, United States. The station was owned by Equity Media Holdings. KBTZ was simulcast on translator station KBTZ-LP on UHF channel 32 in Bozeman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Digital television transition in the United States</span> 2009 switchover in the U.S. from analog to digital broadcasting of TV programming

The digital transition in the United States was the switchover from analog to exclusively digital broadcasting of terrestrial television programming. According to David Rehr, then president and CEO of the National Association of Broadcasters, this transition represented "the most significant advancement of television technology since color TV was introduced." For full-power TV stations, the transition went into effect on June 12, 2009, with stations ending regular programming on their analog signals no later than 11:59 p.m. local time that day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WFXS-DT</span> TV station in Wittenberg, Wisconsin

WFXS-DT was a television station licensed to Wittenberg, Wisconsin, United States, which served north-central Wisconsin, including Wausau and Rhinelander. Owned by Davis Television, LLC, it was most recently affiliated with the Fox network. WFXS-DT's studios were located on North 3rd Street in Wausau, and its transmitter was located northeast of Nutterville in unincorporated Marathon County.

References

  1. "Mega TV available island wide in Puerto Rico". HispanicAd. November 24, 2009. Retrieved December 19, 2009.
  2. "FCC Broadcast Television Spectrum Incentive Auction Auction 1001 Winning Bids" (PDF). Federal Communications Commission. April 4, 2017. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  3. RabbitEars TV Query for WMEI