TV RF Channel Changes

[makitaman]

Attention OTA TV Fans

WWTV-9 increase from 45kw to 51.8kw / ch.40 change to ch.25 15kw
WMNN-14 increase to 15kw and change to ch.17
WCMV-17 increase to 576kw and change to ch.34
WGTU-29 increase to 1 million watts
WFQX-32 increase to 1 million watts
WPBN-47 increase to 850kw and change to ch.35 / ch.50 change to ch.18 TC & ch.22 Harrietta 15kw

Don't know when this will happen and all channels are in actual RF listings don't get me started on PSIP virtual channels.

[organman95]

And still, technically NONE (except for WCMV) of them will reach Manistee. Unless you have a really good antenna

[Nelson]

Interesting (and thank you for listing them by RF channel; PSIPs are just annoying). I wonder if I'll be able to get WMNN in East Jordan.

Also, I know the upper UHF channels were sold off and stations occupying those channels have to move. However, why is WMNN moving from 14 to 17? I don't see what that accomplishes. Same with WCMV going from 17 to 34. Why? Seems like that would be a big unnecessary expense for the station.

[ftballfan]

Forgot WCMW, which moves from 21 to 20

[hunterw]

looks like WFQX and WPBN both have a repeater construction permits for tc area too.

[Nelson]

I guess this means stations still find considerable value in their OTA signals.

[ftballfan]

Even in the early days, I'm surprised how few translators there were in rural Michigan. I know WGTU and WGKI/WFQX had translators in Alpena and WFQX had translators in Traverse City, Sault Ste. Marie, and Pickford. I'm surprised WJRT or WZZM never put translators in northern Michigan before 29&8 came on

[Arthur Mometer]

I don't think they could have translators owned by WJRT's owners. WZZM-TV had a translator in Kalamazoo, W12AP as I recall. And a satellite would be the same as another station in ownership limits. WJRT-TV was on most of the cable systems all the way up to Sault Ste. Marie.

[statmanmi]

Attention OTA TV Fans

WWTV-9 increase from 45kw to 51.8kw / ch.40 change to ch.25 15kw
WMNN-14 increase to 15kw and change to ch.17
WCMV-17 increase to 576kw and change to ch.34
WGTU-29 increase to 1 million watts
WFQX-32 increase to 1 million watts
WPBN-47 increase to 850kw and change to ch.35 / ch.50 change to ch.18 TC & ch.22 Harrietta 15kw

Don't know when this will happen and all channels are in actual RF listings don't get me started on PSIP virtual channels.

Regarding the "when this will happen", it's going to play out kind of like if someone lined up dominoes attached to a Rubik's cube.

Rabbitears.info helps to decipher much of that. The full-power stations move during Phase 6 of the repack, which has a Completion Date of 10/19/2019:

https://www.rabbitears.info/phasemap.ph ... &maptype=s

That specifically includes: WCMV RF 17 to 34; WCMW from RF 21 to 20; WTOM RF 35 to 16; WPBN RF 47 to 35; and WFUP RF 45 to 21. And because of in-market and adjacent-market transitioning, the FCC has devised "Linked Station Sets" that need to coordinate their changes to accommodate the stations right after them (such as WCMW needing to complete their switch before WFUP).

~~~~~~~~

WMNN's change and power boost was just approved last week, and includes a good example of a condition that helps to dictate their time line somewhat (specifically that WCMV has to clear off RF 17 before WMNN can switch from RF 14 to 17):

https://enterpriseefiling.fcc.gov/datae ... ff76260dbf

~~~~~~~~~

From makitaman's list above, these full-power stations have their power increases filed, but are still pending approval:

WWTV RF 9; WGTU RF 29; and WFQX RF 32.

Thus, there's a chance that one or more of these requests might not be allowed by the FCC.

~~~~~~~~~

Regarding the translators for WWTV and WPBN, my sense is that their time line is somewhat "whenever they can", regarding necessary resources becoming available (new equipment) and being scheduled (tower crews).

Exciting times!
Cheers,
Statmanmi

[Nelson]

Exciting times!
Cheers,
Statmanmi

Thanks for researching this and breaking it down so well!

[statmanmi]

You're welcome Nelson, albeit very belatedly!

A bit of the above information in the thread has changed, but not much:

These three full-power non-repack station ERP increases remain pending FCC approval: WWTV RF 9; WGTU RF 29; and WFQX RF 32.

WFQX is still not back broadcasting on RF 32 after the fire on 8/31/2018. Their 4/8/2019 Special Temporary Authority filing noted they hadn't yet received the replacement transmitter, nor had done the transmission line work and tower repair. The FCC extended the silent STA just last week--6/11/2019...so the station won't have to give another public update now until early December.

hunterw mentioned that WFQX had a construction permit for a translator right around TC: I'm not seeing that filing, so maybe it expired quite awhile ago?

WPBN did have their new TC translator approved, for RF 18, as of 3/1/2019. Right on the tower adjacent to their studios. Not sure when they'll line up the equipment and tower crew to make that happen. Although a good guess may be that'll be in the same repack weeks in Sept. & Oct. this year as when the full power signals all need to move. (They might do the Harrietta translator then as well.)

Not previously mentioned in this thread above is that WFUP Vanderbilt (full-power satellite of WFQX) had received FCC approval in Jan. 2018 to maximize to 1 million watts ERP during the repack. That would have been something, from my perspective at least! But they filed in March, 2019, with FCC approval days later, to instead have the new RF 21 signal be only 100 kilowatts...so their coverage will be almost identical to the current reach.

tvanswers.org doesn't yet have any specific dates for rescanning--just that all in the region need to do repack in Phase 6: September 7, 2019 - October 18, 2019.

Cheers! ~ Statmanmi

[hunterw]

https://transition.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/tvq? ... W=W&size=9

Here’s the list of stations that either have an application or construction permits for traverse city.

[innate-in-you]

I don't think they could have translators owned by WJRT's owners. WZZM-TV had a translator in Kalamazoo, W12AP as I recall.

Wow. Must have been a real slugfest on warm spring and early summer days when tropospheric refraction carried WISN-TV Milwaukee in.

For a few years, our mom would take us to my aunt & uncle's house across the street from Grand Haven State Park. The stations across the lake came in like locals.

I don't remember any CCI hitting WISN.

[Jim Sofonia]

The Milwaukee stations are rarely a nuisance in the GR and Kzoo areas. One has to be far away from the city or within, say, 10 miles of the lake shore for that to be a major issue.

A lot of people remember wwtv back when ch 13, Cadillac as the first tv signal they could get in Traverse City. But if you go back a little further, WTMJ TV 4 was the first signal that people bought tv's and roof top antennas to see their first tv programs. So I'm not surprised that people further South sometimes get interference across the lake. Probably not as bad with DTV these days.