WPAT-FM
 | This article possibly contains original research. (September 2018) |
 | |
| Broadcast area | New York metropolitan area |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 93.1 MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | "93.1 Amor" |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | Spanish |
| Format | Tropical music |
| Subchannels | HD2: Spanish Christian "Visión Latina 93.1 HD2" |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WSKQ-FM | |
| History | |
First air date | March 1957 |
Call sign meaning | Paterson (WPAT's city of license) |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 51663 |
| Class | B |
| ERP | 4,800 watts |
| HAAT | 415 meters (1,362 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 40°44′54″N 73°59′9″W / 40.74833°N 73.98583°W |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | lamusica |
WPAT-FM (93.1 FM) – branded "93.1 Amor" – is a commercial radio station with a Tropical music format serving the New York metropolitan area.[2] It is licensed to Paterson, New Jersey, and is owned by the Spanish Broadcasting System. The studios are on East 26th Street in Midtown Manhattan.
WPAT-FM's transmitter is atop the Empire State Building and it broadcasts using HD Radio technology.[3] Its HD2 subchannel carries "Visión Latina," a Spanish-language Christian radio format.
History
[edit]Beautiful music
[edit]WPAT-FM signed on the air in March 1957.[4] It was the FM sister station of WPAT 930 AM, with studios in Newark, New Jersey. Its frequency of 93.1 MHz had previously been assigned to Edwin Howard Armstrong's pioneering FM station based in Alpine, New Jersey, KE2XCC. That station went off the air in 1954 with Major Armstrong's death. This was the second station to hold the WPAT-FM call sign. An earlier WPAT-FM, originally called WNNJ, had operated on 103.5 MHz from 1949 until its deletion in early 1951.
WPAT-AM-FM had a beautiful music format for nearly four decades.[5] The stations aired quarter-hour sweeps of instrumental music, mostly cover versions of popular adult songs, Broadway and Hollywood show tunes. Over time, some vocal songs were added. To help the station sound more contemporary, by the 1980s, vocals made up half of the playlist. By the 1990s, WPAT-FM had made the transition to soft adult contemporary.[6]
Changes in ownership
[edit]After being based in Newark, WPAT-AM-FM moved to studios on Church Street in Paterson. The stations later relocated to studios at the four-tower transmitter site of the AM station, at 1396 Broad Street in Clifton, New Jersey. WPAT-AM-FM were purchased by Capital Cities Communications in 1961.[7]
In 1985, Capital Cities announced that it would buy the ABC Network, including its television and radio stations.[8][9] As a result of Federal Communications Commission regulations at the time, the company decided to sell WPAT-AM-FM because ABC already owned 770 WABC and 95.5 WPLJ in New York City. (A broadcasting company could only own one AM and one FM station in each market.) The WPAT stations were sold to Park Communications, owned by Roy H. Park.[10]
Switch to Spanish-language programming
[edit]On January 19, 1996, at 11:59 pm, WPAT-FM ceased being an English-language station when control was switched over to current owners Spanish Broadcasting System. WPAT-FM DJ Karen Carson did the last air shift for the station's adult contemporary format that day.[11] Operations Director Ken Mackenzie gave a farewell speech right before the station ended its broadcast.
Immediately after the station signed off from Clifton, a new Spanish-language adult contemporary format signed on from SBS studios in Manhattan. The branding became "Suave 93.1" ("Smooth 93.1"). Eventually, on February 4, 1998, the station's branding was changed to "Amor 93.1" ("Love 93.1") and in January 2002, returned to "93.1 Amor" ("93.1 Love"). Over time, the station transitioned from Spanish AC to Spanish tropical music.
References
[edit]- ^ "Facility Technical Data for WPAT-FM". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ "Nielsen Audio Ratings New York City". Retrieved January 12, 2024.
- ^ "HD Radio station guide for New York, NY". Archived from the original on December 23, 2015. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
- ^ Broadcasting Yearbook 1961-1962 page B-105. Retrieved Oct. 29, 2024
- ^ Broadcasting and Cable Yearbook 1980 page C-145. Retrieved Oct. 29, 2024.
- ^ Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 1994 page B-238. Retrieved Oct. 29, 2024
- ^ "FCC okays $30 million in station sales." Broadcasting, August 7, 1961, pg. 90.
- ^ Kleinfield, N.R. "ABC is being sold for $3.5 billion; 1st network sale." The New York Times, March 19, 1985. pg. 1.
- ^ "Capcities ABC." Broadcasting, March 25, 1985, pp. 31-33.
- ^ "Breaking up and breaking records." Broadcasting, August 12, 1985, pg. 29.
- ^ Hinckley, David IT'LL BE MULLER TIME AT WYNY IF CHI DEEJAY JOINS A.M. BREW New York Daily News January 23, 1996
External links
[edit]- lamusica
.com /en /stations /wpat - Facility details for Facility ID 51663 (WPAT-FM) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
- WPAT-FM in Nielsen Audio's FM station database
- HD Radio stations
- Spanish Broadcasting System radio stations
- Radio stations in New Jersey
- Spanish-language radio stations in New Jersey
- Radio stations established in 1957
- Hispanic and Latino American culture in New York City
- 1957 establishments in New Jersey
- Tropical music radio stations
- Paterson, New Jersey