Home › DMW Daily › June 17, 2009

FCC Working on Lost Digital TV Signals in DC, Chicago, Philly

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 17, 2009 - 8:10am.
Washington - In the aftermath of the relatively smooth transition to digital TV broadcasting on Friday, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is now looking into reports that viewers in D.C., Chicago and Philadelphia are unable to receive certain stations, the Washington Post reports. In the Washington area, WUSA (CBS) and WJLA (ABC) were unavailable to some viewers after switching from UHF to VHF frequencies, which require different antennas to aid in reception.

In Chicago, WLS (Channel 7) is experiencing "unique issues," the National Association of Broadcasters told the Chicago Tribune, and had received 1,735 calls from viewers affected.

Thousands have also been without ABC (Channel 6) and public TV station WHYY in Philadelphia, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

The FCC told The Post that over 260 stations switched from the UHF to the VHF band, and that these stations "may have to increase power levels or add translators to extend the signal to more viewers."

Additionally, viewers are being asked to perform multiple scans for new channels with their digital converter boxes to try to receive the new digital signals.

 

Related Links:
http://snipurl.com/kbeoc (Washington Post)

http://snipurl.com/kbenw (Chicago Tribune)

http://snipurl.com/kben2 (Philly.com)

Published in DMW Daily, June 17, 2009
tags: TV | FCC | Digital TV Transition |



Comments

So let me get this straight.

Submitted by anonymous (not verified) on June 18, 2009 - 12:39am.
So let me get this straight. After all this time and planning & further delays, someone at the FCC is just now figuring out that companies dont have enough power or translators to reach the viewing public. Some of which are within a few miles of the stations. Amazing.

Ch. 7 & 9 gone and I'm 1 mile away

Submitted by Jim (not verified) on June 18, 2009 - 7:53am.
Incredible bungling on the part of both the FCC and the ABC and CBS stations in DC. I live within ONE mile of both transmitter towers and both signals are ultra-weak. Both were among the BEST signals before June 12th.

UHF

Submitted by anonymous (not verified) on June 18, 2009 - 10:44am.
The problem is that digital antennas are built for UHF and these stations switched back to VHF for some reason. The solution is to change back to UHF frequency.

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