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.