Many Boston-area TV stations are shifting their spot on the airwaves this week, requiring people who use over-the-air antennas to rescan their television sets to find them again.
WMUR-TV in Manchester is not among the stations that will be changing this week. Cable systems and those using satellite dishes are not affected.
The move is part of long-running shift in the nation’s broadcast spectrum, squeezing together TV stations that no longer need so much space after shifting from analog to digital signals, and making room for 5G and cellular data networks. I wrote about this most recently last July.
The Federal Communications Commission in recent years has sold off frequencies worth more than $19 billion to telecom firms like Comcast. About 1,000 TV stations must give up their old frequencies by next summer.
Nine major Boston stations, including the main networks and PBS, will be making the transition between now and Friday.
The channel numbers won’t change but over-the-air viewers will have to reprogram their TV sets, using the same process when connecting up a new TV. The FCC has said that coverage area of station’s broadcast signals should not change with the transition.
Does anybody still use antennas to watch free TV? You bet.
According to Neilsen, roughly 7 percent of television viewers in the Northeast use over-the-air antennas as of March 2018, often to get local channels in conjunction with streaming media.
That’s less than in other parts of the country – nationally, about 14 percent of the population watched free broadcast TV – but the figure does appear to be rising in conjunction with so-called “cord-cutting,” in which people stop paying for large cable TV bundles.
The Boston-area stations changing frequencies include CBS 4, ABC 5, Fox 25, NBC 10, PBS 44, PBS 2, UniMas 27, Channel 68, and Channel 23.
For more information, check the FCC website https://www.fcc.gov/TVrescan
Return to the Concord Monitor
I cannot get NBC anymore channel 7 I auto scanned it it will not pick it up anymore ??????
uh-oh … maybe keep trying; they might have screwed it up at first?
I called the FCC and they are very helpful. Their number is 1-888-225-5322. They are very helpful and will talk you through it. They will stay on the line till it is resolved or have you talk to another person for trouble shooting it and suggest what to do.
I rescanned a number of times and can’t get NBC (10) or cozi tv anymore. Not sure what else is missing, I was hoping maybe I would get more not less. Not so.
The idea of the FCC process was to auction off spectrum that was once allocated to broadcast TV. So it was very unlikely that you’ll get more channels, as there is overall less space available for TV channels.
i cannot get any channels….used to get around 15 but did a rescan and cant get a thing…anyone recommend a good indoor antenna?
Does anyone know what network used to come in on channel 38? There’s nothing on 38 anymore and I can’t remember what it was – but used to watch some late night sitcoms on it.
Wasn’t that MyTV?
Still waiting on PBS in HD to come back….
I always watched channel 68-ion almost daily. I use an antenna which picked up any station I watched from south of Boston. When I check signal strength it is as high as it gets but despite rescanning at least 50+ times I no longer get channel 58, 68, and on some days get 10-20 channels instead of the 33 I used to get all the time. I have moved the antenna and the tv too many times! What else can I do? I am 75 and pretty much house bound. I paid a lot for my antenna which worked great even in a blizzard. There has to be something else that has changed. I’m ready to just throw it out the window!
How does one “rescan”. Is this done on the tv or antennae?
Usually the TV, but I suppose it’s possible that your configuration is differnt.
to my surprise, i rescanned today and ION is back. law n order, ive missed you so
Can’t get pbs anymore since aug 2 , 2019. Ugh! I rescanned. What should I do now? Any ideas? Thanks!!
I can’t get abc (5-1 or 5-2) or pbs (2-2) and others after rescan on August 2. These were perfect before rescan…
This change has been nothing less than a total disaster and a fraud for the people who don’t want to pay the outrageous bills to companies like Comcast just to watch local channels that have always been free.
We are now in September 2019 and still not able to get many of the local channels that were always available to us. And the most aggregious part is not being able to get even one consistent explanation from the parent corporations regarding why this is happening and/or when we can expect the situation to be resolved.
I’ve scanned and re-scanned my (expensive) 2017 Internet TV many times since this change was announced and still cannot get the majority of local channels that I watch most of the time, especially CBS and ABC. Before this change these were all available to me, with very strong signals, at all times of the day and night.
It’s appalling that our Govt. officials don’t do more to help resolve the situation and give the public a solid TRUE explanation of what it happening and what we can expect and when.
it’s all about the $$$
You and I are small fish in the ocean.
Many of these stations are running low power for now until the new antennas are installed on the tower. Also they are using temporary antennas probably lower on the tower. In Albany it had taken almost 2 months for the stations to come back on high power. I’d rescan from time to time and give it several months. The tower crews are booked and will go to the next site to do the antenna work for other stations. The stations should notify the public better what is going on.
The FCC repack is causing a lot of confusion as stations change RF channels and some are operating at lower effective power due to technical problems. Also for those of us in NH WGBH switched to RF5 so unless you have a VHF-lo antenna pointed toward Boston you are out of luck. But in recent years WENH and WGBH have been jointed at the hip due to funding problems in NH so mostly have the same programs.
The next big change in the Boston area is Phase 7 that is when WSBK, WHDH and WLVI move to new RF channels. Looks like they are all ready to go and will effect the change the first day of Phase 7 Oct 19th.
If you want the gory details check out the https://www.rabbitears.info/ repack tools page.
I can’t get Channel 7/This Tv and Wlvi 56 and Buzzer tv anymore. Is this because if the repack?
Probably, yes. Not sure what you can do about it, however.
You’re right on 10/19/19 I lost channel 7,38 and 56, all channels we watch often. Should I just rescan or will this take months?
Thanks
WMUR signal? I realize you state above that they are not moving – however; haven’t been able to pull it in for about a month. Do you know if they are doing any work on the tower … This if from the Durham area – and although I’ve lost signal for a few days before, it’s never been this long.
Thanks….
Is anyone else having a problem getting WMUR (9-1)? We recently purchased an indoor antenna, and hooked it up 2 days ago (Jan. 22), and WMUR came in fine. Then yesterday it disappeared on us, and is still gone today. I did a re-scan twice yesterday, and again today, and still nothing. I even installed the power booster that came with it, with no luck.
I live in Derry, NH. I recently purchased an indoor antenna with a signal amplifier (60-90 mile range). I did a scan receive many of the Boston channels, PBS channels and others, but do not received WMUR. Is WMUR transmitting?
why am i getting wmur and wenh when i live in mass.
I still miss Gus Saunders and Bill Hahn on the old WNAC 7, where’s my Yankee Network and WBZ-Boston and WBZA-Springfield? Am I dating myself?