WNEL (1430 AM, ) is a

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Caguas, Puerto Rico Caguas (, ) is a Caguas barrio-pueblo, city and Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality in central eastern Puerto Rico. Located in the eponymous Caguas Valley between the Sierra de Cayey and Sierra de Luquillo of the Cordillera Central (Puer ...

, broadcasting a

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and Spanish Oldies format. The station is currently owned by Turabo Radio Corporation. The station is rebroadcast on translator station W241CW (96.1 FM), also located in Caguas.

History

The Inter-American Radio Corporation applied for a construction permit to build a new radio station in Caguas on July 30, 1946, and was granted the permit for a 250-watt outlet on 1450 kHz on December 26 of that year. The firm was owned by the Biascochea family of San Juan. WRIA went on the air on July 21, 1947, with a twelve-hour inaugural program. The young station became embroiled in a conflict with the

Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, internet, wi-fi, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains j ...

(FCC). On November 15, 1950, the commission revoked WRIA's

broadcast license A broadcast license is a type of spectrum license granting the licensee permission to use a portion of the radio frequency spectrum in a given geographical area for broadcasting purposes. The licenses generally include restrictions, which va ...

and ordered the station to cease operating within 15 days for failure to follow FCC engineering rules and regulations. The station requested a formal hearing, being allowed to continue operating in the process, and was granted one by the commission in January 1951. The station argued financial issues had caused the engineering shortfalls. After the hearing, the station's technical facilities improved to the point where one commissioner, Paul A. Walker, set aside the revocation ruling in October 1950. The commission then granted WRIA a renewal. WRIA became WMIA on July 4, 1952. By 1953, the station was including time information every five minutes, calling itself "" (The Clock of Borinquen). The station changed its call sign again to WNEL on February 8, 1955. The studios were heavily damaged in a 1979 fire; the station was able to remain on the air by hastily moving to an office above a Chase Manhattan Bank branch.

Translator stations

References

External links

NEL Radio stations established in 1947 1947 establishments in Puerto Rico Caguas, Puerto Rico Oldies radio stations {{PuertoRico-radio-station-stub