Rafael Perez Perry
Encyclopedia
Rafael Pérez Perry was a businessman and a pioneer in Puerto Rico
's radio and television broadcasting industry. He owned one of the most successful radio stations on the island (WKBM AM) and in 1954 founded Puerto Rico's television Channel 11, which now is known as Tele Once and owned and operated by Univision
, the largest Hispanic television network in the United States.
descent and a mother of French
descent. When he was a child his family moved to New York City, where he received his primary and secondary education. He went to college after he graduated from high school and earned a degree in engineering in the field of electronics.
, Rio Piedras and Santurce
.
Pérez Perry was hired by the Government of Puerto Rico
as a communications consultant. He founded the "Escuela del Aire" (Airwaves School) which in 1945 became the radio station known as "WIPR". His radio station was located in the Condado area of San Juan. During this time he also worked as a consulting engineer for Angel Ramo's
"El Mundo Enterprises
".
and operated from his facilities in San Juan. Pérez Perry moved the operations of his radio broadcasting station to the City of Mayagüez and in 1954 founded "WKBM", Channel 11, his first television station. It wasn’t until 1960, that the U.S. Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) finally granted Pérez Perry the license to operate WKBM. On August 1960, Pérez Perry inaugurated his television station which he named "Telecadena Pérez-Perry".
Among the shows which Telecadena Pérez Perry aired throughout the years were: Una Hora Contigo (An Hour with You) & Tira y Tapate (Throw and Duck) with Myrta Silva
, Yo Soy el Gallo (I am the Rooster) with José Miguel Class
, El Show de Carmita (Carmita's Show) with Carmita Jiménez
, El Show de Lissette (Lissette's Show) with Lissette Alvarez, El Show de Iris Chacón (The Iris Chacón Show) with Iris Chacón
, El Hit del Momento (The Hit of the Moment) & El Super Show Goya (The Goya Super Show) with Enrique Maluenda, Lillian Hurst
, and Luz Odilea Font, Una Chica llamada Ivonne Coll (A Girl Called Ivonne Coll) with Ivonne Coll
, Cambia Cambia (Change Change) with Alfred D. Herger
, Almorzando (Lunch Break) & Del Brazo (From the Arm) with Ruth Fernández
, La Criada Malcriada (The Rude Maid) with Norma Candal
and Mediodia Circular (Circular Mid-Day) with Vilma Carbia, among others. From 1965 to 1974, Telecadena Pérez Perry aired soap opera
s imported from Peru
's Panamericana Television.
Under Pérez Perry's leadership Channel 11 became the first television channel in Puerto Rico to present its "News" broadcast, "El 11 en Las Noticias" (11 in the News), with a journalist "panel" and a news anchor. Among the television news journalists who began their careers in Channel 11 were Silvia Gomez, Pedro Zervigon and Carmen Jovet
.
.
Pérez Perry had had three children, Papo, Icha and Ingrid. From his marriage to Zayda Ramirez de Arellano. After his death his children continued to run the operations of Pérez Perry Enterprises until 1981, when WKBM declared bankruptcy and ceased operations.
In 1986, Lorimar-Telepictures
acquired the station from bankruptcy Court and changed its call sign to the current WLII
. The channel was branded as "Tele Once" with a new slogan: "Tele Once… Vívelo!" (Tele Once… Live it!). It was subsequently sold to Malrite Communications Group in 1991. In 2002, Univision entered into a local marketing agreement with Raycom Media
to operate WLII and WSUR-TV. At the time, WLII had a longtime local marketing agreement with another Puerto Rican station, WSTE, which Univision honored. Both WLII and WSUR-TV were sold to Univision in 2005.
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
's radio and television broadcasting industry. He owned one of the most successful radio stations on the island (WKBM AM) and in 1954 founded Puerto Rico's television Channel 11, which now is known as Tele Once and owned and operated by Univision
Univision
Univision is a Spanish-language television network in the United States. It has the largest audience of Spanish language television viewers according to Nielsen ratings. Randy Falco, COO, has been in charge of the company since the departure of Univision Communications president and CEO Joe Uva...
, the largest Hispanic television network in the United States.
Early years
Pérez Perry was born in the town of Guayama in Puerto Rico to a father of SpanishSpanish people
The Spanish are citizens of the Kingdom of Spain. Within Spain, there are also a number of vigorous nationalisms and regionalisms, reflecting the country's complex history....
descent and a mother of French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
descent. When he was a child his family moved to New York City, where he received his primary and secondary education. He went to college after he graduated from high school and earned a degree in engineering in the field of electronics.
Radio broadcasting pioneer
Pérez Perry returned to Puerto Rico in 1934 with the intention of going into business as an electronic engineer. At first he failed in his attempts because of the lack of experience and capital. However, it wasn’t long before he was able to establish several radio workshops in San JuanSan Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
, Rio Piedras and Santurce
Santurce
Santurce can refer to:*Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico, a district of San Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico*Santurtzi, a town near Bilbao, the Basque Country, Spain...
.
Pérez Perry was hired by the Government of Puerto Rico
Government of Puerto Rico
The Government of Puerto Rico is a republican form of government subject to U.S. jurisdiction and sovereignty. Its current powers are all delegated by the United States Congress and lack full protection under the United States Constitution...
as a communications consultant. He founded the "Escuela del Aire" (Airwaves School) which in 1945 became the radio station known as "WIPR". His radio station was located in the Condado area of San Juan. During this time he also worked as a consulting engineer for Angel Ramo's
Angel Ramos
Angel Ramos may refer to:* Ángel Ramos , Puerto Rican founder of Telemundo* Ángel Ramos , Puerto Rican superintendent of the Idaho School for the Deaf and the Blind...
"El Mundo Enterprises
Telemundo
Telemundo is an American television network that broadcasts in Spanish. The network is the second-largest Spanish-language content producer in the world, and the second-largest Spanish-language network in the United States, behind Univision....
".
Telecadena Pérez Perry
His radio station had its transmitters in the City of AreciboArecibo
Arecibo may refer to:*Arecibo, Puerto Rico, a municipality located by the Atlantic Ocean*Arecibo Observatory, a very sensitive radio telescope located approximately south-southwest from the city of Arecibo...
and operated from his facilities in San Juan. Pérez Perry moved the operations of his radio broadcasting station to the City of Mayagüez and in 1954 founded "WKBM", Channel 11, his first television station. It wasn’t until 1960, that the U.S. Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
(FCC) finally granted Pérez Perry the license to operate WKBM. On August 1960, Pérez Perry inaugurated his television station which he named "Telecadena Pérez-Perry".
Among the shows which Telecadena Pérez Perry aired throughout the years were: Una Hora Contigo (An Hour with You) & Tira y Tapate (Throw and Duck) with Myrta Silva
Myrta Silva
Myrta Silva was a Puerto Rican singer, composer and television producer. She was known affectionately as "La Gorda De Oro".-Early years:...
, Yo Soy el Gallo (I am the Rooster) with José Miguel Class
José Miguel Class
José Miguel Class is a Puerto Rican singer who gained wide international fame during the 1960s and 1970s....
, El Show de Carmita (Carmita's Show) with Carmita Jiménez
Carmita Jiménez
Carmita Jiménez was a Puerto Rican singer who was considered a diva in Puerto Rico. She was born in San Lorenzo....
, El Show de Lissette (Lissette's Show) with Lissette Alvarez, El Show de Iris Chacón (The Iris Chacón Show) with Iris Chacón
Iris Chacón
Iris Chacón is a dancer, singer, and entertainer. She enjoys great popularity in Puerto Rico and in other Latin American countries, as well as such US locales as New York, Miami, and Los Angeles.-Career:Chacon has been known by various nicknames, such as "La Bomba de Puerto Rico" Iris Chacón...
, El Hit del Momento (The Hit of the Moment) & El Super Show Goya (The Goya Super Show) with Enrique Maluenda, Lillian Hurst
Lillian Hurst
Lillian Hurst is a Puerto Rican actress and comedienne. Hurst made her debut as a television comedian in the early 1960s. She participated in various Off-Broadway and movie productions in the United States.-Early years:...
, and Luz Odilea Font, Una Chica llamada Ivonne Coll (A Girl Called Ivonne Coll) with Ivonne Coll
Ivonne Coll
Ivonne Coll is a former Miss Puerto Rico turned actress who played the role of "Yolanda" in the movie The Godfather II.-Early years:...
, Cambia Cambia (Change Change) with Alfred D. Herger
Alfred D. Herger
Alfredo Domingo Herger is a famous former Puerto Rican television show host and a psychologist. He has been labeled the Ed Sullivan of Puerto Rico in local media, due to his strong influence in Puerto Rican pop culture and his success as a television presenter.-Early life:Herger, of Spanish and...
, Almorzando (Lunch Break) & Del Brazo (From the Arm) with Ruth Fernández
Ruth Fernández
Ruth Fernández, a.k.a. Titi Ruth , is a Puerto Rican singer and former member of the Puerto Rican Senate. According to the "Comisiones Nacionales para la Celebración del Quinto Centenario" is said to be one of three artists whose contributions have helped unite Latin America...
, La Criada Malcriada (The Rude Maid) with Norma Candal
Norma Candal
Norma Candal , was an actress and comedian who was best known for her role as "Petunia".-Early years:Candal was born in Fajardo, Puerto Rico and lived with her family in the Fajardo Sugar Co. sugar plantation where her father was an accountant...
and Mediodia Circular (Circular Mid-Day) with Vilma Carbia, among others. From 1965 to 1974, Telecadena Pérez Perry aired soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
s imported from Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
's Panamericana Television.
Under Pérez Perry's leadership Channel 11 became the first television channel in Puerto Rico to present its "News" broadcast, "El 11 en Las Noticias" (11 in the News), with a journalist "panel" and a news anchor. Among the television news journalists who began their careers in Channel 11 were Silvia Gomez, Pedro Zervigon and Carmen Jovet
Carmen Jovet
Carmen Jovet, , is a journalist, the first Puerto Rican woman news anchor in Puerto Rico.-Early years:Jovet was born and rasied in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico into a family where having a good education was important. She was considered a gifted child and quickly advanced in school...
.
Later years
On May 10, 1978, Rafael Pérez Perry died from a heart attack while working on a Channel 11 transmitter at Cerro la Marquesa located in the town of Aguas BuenasAguas Buenas, Puerto Rico
Aguas Buenas, commonly known as "La Ciudad de las Aguas Claras" or "the city of clear waters, is a municipality of Puerto Rico located in the Central Mountain Range, north of Cidra, south of Bayamón, Guaynabo and San Juan; east of Comerio; and north-west of Caguas...
.
Pérez Perry had had three children, Papo, Icha and Ingrid. From his marriage to Zayda Ramirez de Arellano. After his death his children continued to run the operations of Pérez Perry Enterprises until 1981, when WKBM declared bankruptcy and ceased operations.
In 1986, Lorimar-Telepictures
Lorimar-Telepictures
Lorimar-Telepictures was a production and television syndication firm established in 1986 with the merger of Lorimar and Telepictures until both TV divisions became separate in 1988...
acquired the station from bankruptcy Court and changed its call sign to the current WLII
WLII
WLII-DT is a full-power television station licensed to Caguas, Puerto Rico. Transmitting its analog signal on channel 11 and digital signal on channel 56, the station is owned and operated by Univision and is branded as Univision Puerto Rico...
. The channel was branded as "Tele Once" with a new slogan: "Tele Once… Vívelo!" (Tele Once… Live it!). It was subsequently sold to Malrite Communications Group in 1991. In 2002, Univision entered into a local marketing agreement with Raycom Media
Raycom Media
- History :Although Raycom Media dates its birth to 1996, the core of the company was formed in 1992 when Atlanta native Bert Ellis formed Ellis Communications. He eventually controlled 13 television stations and two radio stations....
to operate WLII and WSUR-TV. At the time, WLII had a longtime local marketing agreement with another Puerto Rican station, WSTE, which Univision honored. Both WLII and WSUR-TV were sold to Univision in 2005.
See also
- List of famous Puerto Ricans
- French immigration to Puerto RicoFrench immigration to Puerto RicoThe French immigration to Puerto Rico came about as a result of the economic and political situations which occurred in various places such as Louisiana , Saint-Domingue and in Europe....
- Angel RamosAngel Ramos (industrialist)Angel Ramos was the founder of Telemundo, the second largest Spanish-language television network in the United States.-Early years:...