Michigan Radio & TV Buzzboard

https://fccdata.org/?lang=en&facid=5800

Max ERP would reduce from 370 kW to 360 kW and average HAAT would reduce by about 20 meters, but there would be a significant change in the directional pattern. Considerably less signal would be radiated westbound, resulting in more difficult reception for viewers in Livingston and Washtenaw Counties.

For those living in Macomb and portions of far eastern Oakland County, signal strength should improve following the move. I've always had poorer than expected reception from WPXD for some reason despite living only 7 or 8 miles from the 11 Mile & Inkster Rd tower. It is barely stronger than low power channel 18 at my house.

The reason for the move is obvious - Scripps (owner of ION) owns the WXYZ tower. It has to pay rent to a third party to use the 11 Mile & Inkster Rd tower.

https://www.rabbitears.info/contour.php ... 1b3&site=1

Interesting, but not entirely a surprise either. The rabbitears map of the contour boundaries tightly parallel the western Washtenaw/ Livingston county borders- the TV market boundaries- and would boost the signal within the primary market area. Always have struggled to get WPXD or WDWO, WKBD has been the easiest of the 3 to recieve but still can be a bit troublesome.

Before the repack, WKBD was sometimes tough to receive (similar to WPXD now).

After the repack, WKBD became much easier to receive.

MWmetalhead wrote: ↑Mon Sep 07, 2026 10:47 am Before the repack, WKBD was sometimes tough to receive (similar to WPXD now).

After the repack, WKBD became much easier to receive.

Before the repack, WKBD was on RF14, and IIRC, with the side-mount AUX antenna. Post-repack on RF34, up on the candelabra where the analog 50 stick was.

Wasn't ION's WPXD originally sited in Washtenaw county when it first signed on?

Until maybe 10 to 12 years ago, it transmitted from a tower located north of Chelsea. No usable signal in most of Metro Detroit.

The Ann Arbor COL did enable the station to invoke "must carry" on many Detroit market cable systems. I believe systems in Macomb, St. Clair, Lapeer and Sanilac counties were exempt.

It's odd to me that West Michigan's WZPX moved to WOTV's tower instead of that of Scripps-owned WXMI. Scripps owns the WXMI tower, which is nearly ten miles closer to Grand Rapids than the WOTV tower. WZPX would still be able to deliver a predicted city grade signal to Battle Creek from the WXMI tower thanks to the FCC's absurdly loose criteria. There must've been equipment available for WZPX to easily use at the WOTV site, or perhaps payload constraints posed an impediment at the WXMI site.

WPXD (and WHTV Jackson when they moved to the tower) came in very well in the western suburbs obviously, but was garbage in SE Oakland and SW Macomb. The old translator on 48 wasn’t great either- a low height and extremely directional from 9 and Jefferson.

I’m betting WPXD can’t be picked up in Ann Arbor with an indoor antenna despite being the COL.

We struggle with it in Brighton and we're not all that far. In most instances, I get Lansing channels better than Detroit with the exception of 4.

SolarMax wrote: ↑Mon Sep 07, 2026 5:18 pm

MWmetalhead wrote: ↑Mon Sep 07, 2026 10:47 am Before the repack, WKBD was sometimes tough to receive (similar to WPXD now).

After the repack, WKBD became much easier to receive.

Before the repack, WKBD was on RF14, and IIRC, with the side-mount AUX antenna. Post-repack on RF34, up on the candelabra where the analog 50 stick was.

Wasn't ION's WPXD originally sited in Washtenaw county when it first signed on?

Yes. Original 1000' Tower still standing and largely vacant. For reference the tower is along M-52 just south of Territorial road, or just over 8 bird miles WSW of WUOM's transmitter tower. It basically provided a double rimshot signal to both Lansing and Detroit, albeit geographically closer to Lansing yet (barely) within the Detroit market. Would have served Ann Arbor impeccably well, but was incapable of really penetrating deep into the populated areas of Detroit or nearby suburbs due to location. If anyone were to reoccupy it, a new or relocated FM or *cookie cutter* LPTV (given you can get an open RF channel) would probably be the best future use for this site

https://maps.app.goo.gl/eEFqio1GW8zbjfA98
As of the taking of this street view picture (June 2026)the old WPXD antenna was still seemingly untouched from the day it was last shut down, just being dead weight on the tower. (May need to turn the street view around, the link has it pointed the wrong way). Aside from the TV transmission antenna, a small whip antenna and 2 small microwave radio dishes are visible from the road (unclear if those are even in service).

Here's a different (slightly older) view from M-52:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/ScgNsaYp5sTi4ZKs9?g_st=ac
(Also may need to rotate view)

Nearby, WLAJ's old tower more recently has seen this same fate after the latest repack (due to WLNS taking a buyout from the FCC of their license and channel sharing with WLAJ, but relocating the shared signal to WLNS's tower). Aside from cellular antennas toward the bottom, it mostly sits as empty vertical real estate.

I wonder if that’s actually WHTV’s old stick, which sold its spectrum some time ago. They could have attempted a Detroit market move in and cable coverage, but still served Lansing and Jackson until the end. I don’t recall why they moved out there after WPXD vacated the tower.

edj wrote: ↑Tue Sep 08, 2026 5:40 am I wonder if that’s actually WHTV’s old stick, which sold its spectrum some time ago. They could have attempted a Detroit market move in and cable coverage, but still served Lansing and Jackson until the end. I don’t recall why they moved out there after WPXD vacated the tower.

My thought is they moved to the former WPXD tower in Washtenaw County simply to increase the value of the spectrum they held for the FCC auction. The auction values were based largely on population counts.

EdWalker wrote: ↑Tue Sep 08, 2026 9:20 am

edj wrote: ↑Tue Sep 08, 2026 5:40 am I wonder if that’s actually WHTV’s old stick, which sold its spectrum some time ago. They could have attempted a Detroit market move in and cable coverage, but still served Lansing and Jackson until the end. I don’t recall why they moved out there after WPXD vacated the tower.

My thought is they moved to the former WPXD tower in Washtenaw County simply to increase the value of the spectrum they held for the FCC auction. The auction values were based largely on population counts.

Yes this is correct. Forgot about WHTV coming in to that site after WPXD left. Over the years that was first WPXD then WHTV's old stick. Now nobody's stick and has been for 9 years now