TV RF Channel Changes

[WC8KCY]

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.

I've visited with an old TV technician in Iron Mountain who recalled those days, too.
WTMJ was on channel 3 'til July 1953. WBAY Channel 2 Green Bay was on the air by March of '53, beating WPBN by nearly 6 months, and that much-more-reliable signal got TV sets really moving in the Central UP and parts of the northern Lower Peninsula.
WTMJ reception in the Central UP was hit-and-miss, but it was the first taste of TV. Once in a while, WLAV-TV and the Chicago stations would make it up North, too.

[ftballfan]

The Ludington Daily News had the following stations in their TV guide:
January 1954
WKZO (3) Kalamazoo
WTMJ (4) Milwaukee
WBKB (7) Chicago

September 1954
WBAY (2) Green Bay
WKZO (3) Kalamazoo
WTMJ (4) Milwaukee

January 1956
WBAY (2) Green Bay
WKZO (3) Kalamazoo
WTMJ (4) Milwaukee
WOOD (8) Grand Rapids
WGN (9) Chicago
WWTV (13) Cadillac

January 1960
WBAY (2) Green Bay
WKZO (3) Kalamazoo
WTMJ (4) Milwaukee
WFRV (5) Green Bay
WOOD (8) Grand Rapids
WWTV (13) Cadillac

June 1963
WBAY (2) Green Bay
WTMJ (4) Milwaukee
WFRV (5) Green Bay
WPBN (7) Traverse City
WWTV (9) Cadillac
WLUK (11) Green Bay
WZZM (13) Grand Rapids

[WC8KCY]

Thanks for sharing that, ftballfan.

Seems odd to me that WOOD-TV would've been omitted from the 1954 listings. Surely those who were well-off enough to invest in the expensive early TVs and deep-fringe antenna systems required back then would've been trying to catch a signal from WLAV-TV/WOOD-TV.

Also odd: No listings for WITI-TV, channel 6, from Milwaukee. I did an antenna install near Fountain back in the analog era and 6 came in about as well as WTMJ.

[ftballfan]

Thanks for sharing that, ftballfan.

Seems odd to me that WOOD-TV would've been omitted from the 1954 listings. Surely those who were well-off enough to invest in the expensive early TVs and deep-fringe antenna systems required back then would've been trying to catch a signal from WLAV-TV/WOOD-TV.

Also odd: No listings for WITI-TV, channel 6, from Milwaukee. I did an antenna install near Fountain back in the analog era and 6 came in about as well as WTMJ.

In the analog days, I was able to get WITI audio at 87.7 on the radio some of the time.

The Ludington Daily News would add WITI by 1970. By 1979, WGTU, WGVC, and superstation WTCG would be added.

In a side note, if the Daily News still did TV listings, the Green Bay and Milwaukee stations would likely be gone and the Grand Rapids stations would be listed.

[hunterw]

They still have the TV guide in the ludington paper printed one day a week. Used to have wfrv, wbay, wluk, wwtv, wpbn, wcmu, wfqx and wzzm. They still have the tv listings but now only list it as national networks I think. Also where I’m at near fountain , all that seems to come in these days are wwtv, wpbn, wfqx(if they ever come alive) wcmw, and wzzm also since station also have sub channels WGtu can be recieved. Hence getting two abc’s. Wzzm is by far superior abc station.

[innate-in-you]

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.

Harbor Ave. & Emmet had Lake Michigan 1500' to the West and Five Mile Hill immediately to its east - blocking 3 and 8.

The cable TV system carried WBBM 2 at night, complete with WMT floating in the background.

[organman95]

They still have the TV guide in the ludington paper printed one day a week. Used to have wfrv, wbay, wluk, wwtv, wpbn, wcmu, wfqx and wzzm. They still have the tv listings but now only list it as national networks I think. Also where I’m at near fountain , all that seems to come in these days are wwtv, wpbn, wfqx(if they ever come alive) wcmw, and wzzm also since station also have sub channels WGtu can be recieved. Hence getting two abc’s. Wzzm is by far superior abc station.

WZZM always has been. If I recall from something I read a few years ago, WGTU was always low-budget, simply put on the air to put an ABC affiliate in the North market. That information could be wrong, though.

[Deleted User 4520]

WGTU is a complete joke. I agree with your assessment on them.

[organman95]

WGTU is a complete joke. I agree with your assessment on them.

I could, and very well might be completely off on this (as I was born in '87, haven't seen any former newscasts) but based on the quality of the "U&Q Creative Crew" video I think 29&8 used U-matic clear up to mid-late 80s (maybe into the early 90s??).

Someone please do correct me if I'm wrong.

[Milk]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2AIfxLqiLM

[ftballfan]

They still have the TV guide in the ludington paper printed one day a week. Used to have wfrv, wbay, wluk, wwtv, wpbn, wcmu, wfqx and wzzm. They still have the tv listings but now only list it as national networks I think. Also where I’m at near fountain , all that seems to come in these days are wwtv, wpbn, wfqx(if they ever come alive) wcmw, and wzzm also since station also have sub channels WGtu can be recieved. Hence getting two abc’s. Wzzm is by far superior abc station.

WZZM always has been. If I recall from something I read a few years ago, WGTU was always low-budget, simply put on the air to put an ABC affiliate in the North market. That information could be wrong, though.

Despite WGTU being as low budget as it is, it had Oprah, Live!, Wheel, and Jeopardy! for years (likely in part due to WZZM airing those shows as well; as other GR area stations took the rights to those shows, 7&4 and 9&10 took the TC-area rights to those shows).

In the LDN's coverage area, I would imagine WOTV gets more viewership than the Wisconsin stations combined (their coverage area includes Hart and Shelby, which has WOTV on cable and satellite).

[statmanmi]

WFQX filed with the FCC yesterday that they've fully resumed their broadcast on RF 32 as of 8/7/2019: https://enterpriseefiling.fcc.gov/datae ... d&goBack=N

So almost a year after the fire. A poster on AVSForum noticed the signal was back earlier this month, but it took a bit for the paperwork to come through it seems.

Per the filing, they're at their currently licensed 200 kW ERP. Not sure when the FCC will start considering all those non-repacked maximization requests they accepted back in November 2017, as WFQX and WWTV 9 both made then. And others, per this threads original post and replies.

Cheers ~~ Statmanmi

[hunterw]

From tv 7&4 website.


“If you receive station WPBN-TV, channel 7 Traverse City, and Comet, channel 7.3, via antenna, you will need to RESCAN the channels on your digital receiver on or after 10 am, October 18, 2019.

If you receive station WGTU-TV from WPBN’s secondary channel 7.2, Traverse City, via antenna, you will need to RESCAN the channels on your digital receiver on or after 10 am, October 18, 2019.

If you receive station WTOM TV, channel 4, Cheboygan, and Comet, channel 4.3, via antenna, you will need to RESCAN the channels on your digital receiver on or after 10 am, October 9, 2019.

If you receive station WGTQ-TV from WTOM’s secondary channel, 4.2 Cheboygan, via antenna, you will need to RESCAN the channels on your digital receiver on or after 10 am, October 9, 2019.”

[organman95]

The station should explain WHY it is changing frequencies. There will be a lot of people asking questions.

[makitaman]

Still waiting for the last 4 channel changes:

17 will be WMNN-Lake City from 14
22 will be WPBN-Harrietta from 50
25 will be WWTV-Traverse City from 40 (hope it doesn't wipe out WPNE WPT2 across the lake...Movies in HD)
30 will be WXII- Traverse City from 12 analog


29 WGTU, 34 WCMV & 35 WPBN looks great now from the Kalkaska tower !!

CW looks great in HD on 32-2 from Dighton.