DTV transition update: New York City TV goes post-analog
Channel 7's analog feed went off the air after the noon news broadcast.
(Credit: John P. Falcone/CNET)Updated Monday, June 15, at 9 a.m. PDT with post-weekend channel status.
When we last checked in with the local analog TV band, it was the afternoon of Friday, June 12 (scroll down for the original post). Some analog channels had dropped off the grid, while others were flagging their imminent demise. About 72 hours later, with the DTV transition deadline firmly behind us, we rescanned the spectrum to see what we could pull in. Only a handful of analog channels are still standing:
Channel 2 (WCBS): Running a public service announcement in English and Spanish on how to obtain and set up a DTV converter box. (This programming is only on the analog station; the digital one is running the standard CBS feed.)
Channel 4 (WNBC): Running the same public service announcement as WCBS. (This programming is only on the analog station; the digital one is running the standard NBC feed.)
Channel 17 (WEBR): This affiliate of religious broadcaster Global Christian Network is up and running. (It may be a low-power broadcaster, meaning it's exempt from the shutdown for the time being.)
Channel 46 (WMBQ): This affiliate of religious broadcaster Cornerstone TV is a low-power broadcaster, and thus currently exempt from the shutdown.
Channel 60 (W60AI): This Home Shopping Network affiliate is a low-power broadcaster, and thus currently exempt from the shutdown.
It's also worth noting that some of the digital stations have moved. For instance, the WABC digital stations are now broadcasting on RF channel 7 (where the analog station used to be located) instead of channel 45. Likewise, many stations seem to have boosted their digital signal strength, now that they don't have to worry about interfering with their analog counterparts.
Both cases reinforce the importance of rescanning your available channels, so those changes can be detected by the digital tuner. Also, as some stations move from UHF to VHF locations, you may need to reorient your antenna--or you may need to get a new one that pulls in both frequencies. (Indeed, while DTV converter boxes seem to be in plentiful supply, antenna issues and shortages have been one of the notable problems of the transition.)
The original post--which includes links to resources for anyone who remains confused about the transition--follows:
Today's the day. After being pushed back from the original February deadline, the nationwide conversion to digital TV is finally upon us. While the switch does not affect the majority of viewers who receive TV service via cable, fiber, or satellite--or those who are already enjoying digital TV via an antenna--anyone who's been watching analog broadcasts via an antenna should be starting to lose channels.
When we checked our local stations this morning (at CNET's New York City offices on 28th Street), we noted that nearly all of them were still on the air, but were broadcasting a warning crawl at the bottom of the screen alerting viewers that a shutoff was imminent. Throughout the day, starting around noon, some stations started dropping away. As of 5:30 p.m. Eastern Time, here's the status of our local stations:
Channel 2 (WCBS): Running a public service announcement in English and Spanish on how to obtain and set up a DTV converter box. (This programming is only on the analog station; the digital one is running the standard CBS feed.)
Channel 4 (WNBC): Running the same public service announcement as WCBS. (This programming is only on the analog station; the digital one is running the standard NBC feed.)
WNBC's analog station is showing a DTV-related PSA.
(Credit: John P. Falcone/CNET)Channel 7 (WABC): Off the air.
Channel 9 (WWOR): The MyTV affiliate is up and running, but a continuous crawl on the screen is warning of a shutdown at 11:59 p.m. tonight.
Channel 11 (WPIX): The CW affiliate is off the air.
Channel 13 (WNET): The PBS affiliate is off the air.
Channel 17 (WEBR): This affiliate of religious broadcaster Global Christian Network is up and running. (It may be a low-power broadcaster, meaning it's exempt from the shutdown for the time being.)
Channel 25 (WNYE): This public access station is still up and running.
Channel 31 (WPXN): This Ion affiliate is off the air.
Channel 41 (WXTV): This Spanish-language Univision station is still up and running.
Channel 47 (WNJU): This Spanish-language Telemundo affiliate is still up and running.
Channel 60 (W60AI): This Home Shopping Network affiliate is a low-power broadcaster, and thus currently exempt from the shutdown.
Channel 68 (WFUT): This Spanish-language Telefutura affiliate is still up and running.
We'll be updating this post over the next 24 hours to determine which, if any, of these analog stations are still on the air.
Still confused about the switchover? Check out CNET's Guide to the Digital TV Transition for complete information.
In the meantime, let us know how the transition is going in your area in the comments below.
John P. Falcone covers home theater and network entertainment products. He's been writing for CNET since 2002. 
Technical reference:
http://notionscapital.wordpress.com/2009/06/12/tv-d-day-usa/
Wait, WCBS is back on, but it's just a top-of-building cam of Central Park. Guess they're having trouble...
...and WCBS is off the air in Detroit.
"Strangely, both digital channels for WCBS-TV and WABC are down for me! Can't pick up anything, even after rescanning! What gives, I've been watching both digitally for months."
Same here... happened months ago ... when the local NBC station turned off their analog, they also changed broadcast frequency. I lost the signal.. rescan did nothing. I had a DIY Digital Antenna that worked perfectly good before, so what gives?? I have an old house with aluminum siding, so I guess that particular frequency couldn't penetrate it or something.. ANYWAY.. Ended up I had to get a powered HDTV antenna, and boost up the signal to max.. (an RCA brand from Wally world)... One thing I found also... the antenna has to be away from the TV as far as possible, as the TV interferes with reception. Also, Anything metal nearby can affect reception.. like a tall metal floor lamp that didn't matter before, but I had to move it after the switch, because it was also interfering with reception. Cheers! I'll be GLAD when it's al complete tomorrow!!!!
WNYW is fine, but WWOR is dead, which is fine because WNYW is broadcasting both station's signals.
13 is dead, which it has been for me for a while. WLIW is up, though its been dead for me for the weeks leading up to the transition.
WNYE is being picked up. WPXN (usually 11, now on 31) is dead, I'll rescan to see if they moved back, but both CW and that Latin station is gone. WNYN is up, but the audio is extremely low.
NJN is up.
WFUT (channel 68) fades in and out
There's something on channels 69, 70 and 72 that I'm picking up. Its WNYN but reflected. No volume on this channel. 71 is WNYN-3 but with audio
WFME is dead
KEAR-FM is dead and all Channel 66 channels are dead (not sure what this is, but it shows up on my EyeTV setup on my mac). Additionally 66 has another channel, 66-10 that's been described for future use.
Additionally week digital signals that I managed to pick up (some Korean/spanish station w/ 4 subchannels in the 60s or 70s) are MIA after the rescan. 13 most notably is totally gone.
I'm a chief engineer and will be going in at 11pm central time tonight to flip the switches on my transmitters. I'm expecting about a zillion voicemails when I come back to work on Monday.
- by wavjockey June 12, 2009 6:59 PM PDT
- At my station, we put up a slide during the Noon news and we immediately got phone calls from morons who had no idea this was happening. Hopefully, the weak will perish.
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Showing 1 of 3 pages (52 Comments)On a different note:
I wish ALL DTV tuners, set-up and integrated, would automatically detect station changes---without manual auto scanning; much in the same way computers know when a device is connected or deconnected.
It can happen either during power-up/power-down or while in stand-by.
Given the relative stupidity of many viewers in this country, doing a rescan is harder than planning a manned mission to Mars.