WECN

WECN
Naranjito / San Juan, Puerto Rico
Branding Único TV
Channels Digital: 18 (UHF)
Virtual: 18 (PSIP)
Subchannels 8.3 Tiva TV
18.1 Religious
Affiliations Religious
Owner Único TV Media
(Encuentro Christian Network Corp.)
Founded June 20, 1983
First air date 1986
Call letters' meaning Encuentro;
Encuentro Christian Network
El Canal de Naranjito
Sister station(s) WRUA
WJVP
Former callsigns WART (1983-1986)
WMPE (1986)
Former channel number(s) Analog:
64 (UHF, 1986–2009)
Former affiliations Religious (1986-2007)
Independent (2007-2010)
teleSUR (2009-2014)
HispanTV
(2012-2013)
ViVe (2013-2014)
Silent (2014-2015)
Transmitter power 50 kW
Height 221 m
Facility ID 19561
Website http://www.unicotv.com

WECN, known locally as Único TV is a Spanish-language Religious television station in Naranjito, Puerto Rico, serving eastern Puerto Rico on digital channel 18. The station is owned by Único TV Media under its licensee, Encuentro Christian Network Corporation. WECN programming was also seen on WRUA, channel 33 in Fajardo before that station switched affiliations & frequency to Tiva TV. Since September 24, 2015, WECN returns to the air, broadcasting Religious programming on channel 18.1.

History

WECN Channel 64 began operations in 1986; branded as Telecadena ECN or Encuentro Christian Network, better known as El Canal de Naranjito. WECN thereafter is a Religious Independent station. The station was founded by Televangelist Rafael Torres Ortega, until his death on October 16, 2015. WECN has its studios & offices located at the Iglesia El Caballero de la Cruz Building in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. in the 1990s, WIRS channel 42 in Yauco, (now operated by America CV Network) joins the network and started broadcasting religious programming, throughout the northern Puerto Rico. In 1997, WRUA channel 34 in Fajardo, started broadcasting & joins the Telecadena ECN network, changed its branding to EncuentroVision.

In 2004, Lin Media, the former owners of WAPA-TV & WJPX purchased WIRS for $50,000, leaving WECN & WRUA as the remaiming religious stations.

From 2006 to 2007, WRUA operated as a standard independent station, using the Citytv branding, under license from CHUM Limited – it was the first Citytv franchise on American soil.[1] Rogers Media discontinued the licensing for WRUA, after its acquisition of Citytv, and the station now serves as a translator for Tiva TV.

Both prior to its time as Citytv and after, WRUA was and still is a religious station.

In 2009, WECN & WRUA, changes its affiliation with teleSUR, a pan–Latin American terrestrial and satellite news television network from Venezuela. teleSUR is a public company which has various Latin American governments as its sponsors. Its sponsors are the governments of Argentina (20%), Bolivia (5%), Cuba (19%), Ecuador, Nicaragua, Uruguay (10%) and Venezuela (51%).

WECN & WRUA forces to shut down on October 22, 2014, due to financial reasons. as of 2014, WECN is Silent, and its sale is pending to the new officers & directors under Único TV Media for $1.9 millon. On March 1, 2015; WRUA returns to the air, and will become a Satellite of WVQS-LD, repeating The Retro Channel on Channel 33.1. On April 17, WRUA will become a full-time Locally owned Independent station, broadcasting Retro Music Videos on channel 33.1, just before WVQS-LD moves CTNi to 50.1 & Telemicro Internacional to WSJU-TV channel 31.1. teleSUR programming is available on Encanto TV, WVDO-LD channel 10.1 in Carolina, W20DQ-D channel 20.1 in Luquillo, W24EI-D channel 22.1 in Naranjito, W02CS-D channel 22.1 in Ponce, W36EP-D channel 22.1 in Yauco, W20DS-D channel 28.1 in Caguas, W20DR-D channel 28.1 in Humacao, W31DV-D channel 31.1 in Guayama, W02CU-D channel 28.1 & WNTE-LD channel 36.1 in Mayaguez. Since September 24, 2015, WECN is back on the air, and will change its branding to Único TV on channel 18.1. The sale of WECN to Único TV Media was completed on September 25, 2015. On November 9, 2015, WECN will simulcast with Tiva TV on channel 8.3, showing lifestyle and health programming.

Local programs produced by WECN

Digital television

WECN's digital signal is multiplexed:

Channel Video Aspect PSIP short name Programming
8.3 480i 4:3 TIVA 3 WRUA programming / Tiva TV
18.1 WECN-DT main WECN programming / Único TV

On February 17, 2009, WECN and WRUA signed off their analog signals. Both WECN/WRUA had completed its digital transmissions, although some people had believed that WECN went digital after WRUA.

FCC Spectrum Auction & WECN sale

In 2012, the Federal Communications Commission announced they were going to hold a voluntary Incentive Auction for a portion of the radio frequency spectrum that is currently used by Digital Television broadcasters across the country. WECN's owner,Unico TV Media announced he would participate in the auction, since it was estimated the station would net somewhere in the range of $236 Million USD, much more than it would be worth on the open market otherwise. Since that time the auction estimate has increased to somewhere between $177 and $94 Million USD, with the auction currently scheduled to take place in early 2016.

References

  1. ↑ Mediacaster Magazine

External links


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