WPAT-FM

Infobox Radio station
name = WPAT-FM


city = Paterson, New Jersey
area = New York, New York
branding = 93.1 Amor
slogan =
airdate = 1957
frequency = 93.1 MHz
format = Spanish Adult Contemporary
erp = 5,400 watts
haat = 433 meters
class = B
facility_id = 51663
owner = Spanish Broadcasting System
(WPAT Licensing, Inc.)
website = [http://www.931amor.com/ www.931amor.com]
callsign_meaning = W PATerson (WPAT's city of license)

WPAT-FM, known on-air as "93.1 "Amor", is a radio station with a Spanish-language adult contemporary format. Located on 93.1 FM, the station, which is licensed to Paterson, New Jersey, serves the New York City Metropolitan area.

WPAT-FM signed on in 1957 from their studios in Newark, New Jersey. They eventually moved to new studios on Church Street in Paterson, and would later move to their last studio at the four-tower transmitter site,1396 Broad Street in Clifton, New Jersey before the station adopted its current format.

The station, along with its AM counterpart, would be owned for many years by Capital Cities Communications. This would change in 1985, when the company would buy ABC. As a result of FCC regulations of the time, the company decided to sell WPAT-AM and -FM, due to the fact that ABC already owned WABC and WPLJ. The stations would be sold to Park Communications.

For years WPAT operated both stations with a beautiful music format under the slogan "Easy 93". In the early 1990s, WPAT-FM would gradually switch to an adult contemporary format, and from October 1994 to their sign off in January 1996, the station was known as "Today's 93.1". In November 1995, the Spanish Broadcasting System (SBS) agreed to purchase the 93.1 FM license and transmitter. The building and intellectual property was excluded from the sale. The building, the AM transmitter, and 930 AM license would be sold to Heftel Broadcasting (now Univisión radio), which was another company specializing in Spanish-language programming.

On January 19, 1996 at 11:59 PM, WPAT-FM ceased being an English language broadcaster when control of the station was switched over to the new owners. WPAT-FM DJ Karen Carson did the last airshift for the station's adult contemporary format that day, and Operations Director Ken McKenzie would give a farewell speech right before the format change. Immediately after the station signed off from Clifton, the new Spanish-language adult contemporary format signed on from Manhattan, and the station would begin calling itself "Suave" 93.1" ("Smooth 93.1"). Eventually, the station would be known by its current nickname, "93.1 "Amor" ("93.1 Love").

For many years WPAT-FM's Manhattan transmitter was located at the top of the North Tower of the World Trade Center, but it was destroyed as a result of the September 11, 2001 attacks. The station's transmitter was eventually moved to the Empire State Building.

External links

* [http://www.931amor.com/ WPAT Website]
* [http://home.att.net/~carla.sanzone/jukebox2.htm Internet Jukebox 2] - features sounds and artifacts from WPAT's beautiful music era
*FMQ|WPAT
*FML|WPAT
*FMARB|WPAT