WSJU-TV

WSJU-TV is a full-power television station in San Juan, Puerto Rico transmitting over digital channel 31. The station is currently owned by Aerco Broadcasting Corporation. During most of the 2000s (decade), the station's programming mostly consisted of music videos until it became an affiliate of Spanish Broadcasting System's Mega TV on August 25, 2008. It is carried by Dish Network and Puerto Rico's three cable companies.

On May 29, 1966, WITA-TV signs on for the first time, as the first English-language television station in the island broadcasting in Color, and was owned by El Imparcial, but in 1967, El Imparcial, surrendered the WITA-TV license to the Federal Communications Commission, which canceled it in 1968.

Before the year 2000, the station's callsign was WRWR-TV. When the station first started, it was branded as Cinema 30 TV and was broadcasting older movies, then in 1986, became an affiliate of Univisión. The station went off the air around 1991. It then reappeared around 1999-2000.

Prior to, and including the early 1990s, the call letters WSJU (now WTCV) were owned by an NBC affiliated station broadcasting on UHF channel 18 (Liberty channel 12) with studios located in Carolina, Puerto Rico. Most of the programming was in the English language, making it one of at least two stations at the time to broadcast in English (the other was WPRV TV Channel 13, "The Bright Spot"). In addition to carrying local television programming, like The Judy Gordon Show and "Chicola y la Ganga," WSJU carried a variety of NBC programs such as "Wheel of Fortune," "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson" (and later Jay Leno), and "Late Night with David Letterman" during his run at NBC.

As with many stations serving the metropolitan area of San Juan and vicinity, the transmitter tower was located at the peak of El Yunque, the most famous peak in Puerto Rico. Broadcasting hours ran from 6am to 12am daily. At the end of each broadcast day, the station played video rolls of the Puerto Rican and United States national anthems.

Today, the Carolina studios for the former WSJU Channel 18 are now owned and operated by the local affiliate of the Catholic Radio and Television Network, TeleOro channel 13 WORO-DT (formerly WPRV-TV).

WSJU has continuously been branded "Tele San Juan" from its time on UHF channel 12 to its current seat on UHF TV 30.

WSJU-TV's studios are located at the IBC-AERCO building in 1554 Bori street, Urb. Antonsanti in Rio Piedras. Its transmitter tower is located at Cerro la Marquesa in Aguas Buenas.

In August 2008, SBS entered into an agreement with WSJU, which formerly had aired music videos, making it an affiliate of Mega TV. Mega TV Puerto Rico, as WSJU is branded now, carries a full primetime schedule as well as a Puerto Rico-focused newscast, Meganoticias.

WSJU airs infomercials 15 hours a day (midnight to 3pm).

On August 2009, the station opened a digital subchannel dedicated to music videos. This subchannel made its formal debut on September 2009 as PlayTV. Like competing music video channels TCV and VideoMax, PlayTV allows viewers to send text messages to friends, which are displayed on air. PlayTV differentiates itself though, in that they assign numeric codes to each music videos, and viewers can send a text message to the station using those codes to request a particular video.

On October 2009, WSJU opened a third subchannel airing programming from the Dominican Republic.

WSJU-TV became the dominant television station for young-adults by airing music videos in partnership with the major record companies (Sony, Universal, etc.). In 2010, WSJU-TV introduced new television stations that proved to have significant value to the TV viewers.

WSJU-TV also developed new media platforms (known as AiLive Network) to compliment its electronic media offering. Adding iPhone, Android, Internet, Games and many more digital platforms that now receive WSJU's host of stations regardless of the viewers locations. AiLive also allows viewers to send text messages to friends, which are displayed on air.

WSJU-TV reaches 80 percent of the 1,000,000 households directly over-the-air and 100% of the territory via the three major cable providers.

Digital television

External links

• Query the FCC's TV station database for WSJU-TV
• BIAfn's Media Web Database -- Information on WSJU-TV