Watch TV over the air? Here’s what to do to keep some of your favorite local stations
For those who watch television the old-fashioned way, be warned: Dallas-Fort Worth television station broadcast signals are going to change.
Eleven Dallas-Fort Worth TV stations must switch to new frequencies some time after April 13 and before July 2020. Most will switch by June 21, according to the FCC.
Here are the stations:
▪ KUVN Channel 23
▪ KLEG Channel 44
▪ KDFI Channel 27
▪ KAZD Channel 55
▪ KXTX Channel 39
▪ KTXD Channel 47
▪ KDTN Channel 2
▪ KTXA Channel 21
▪ KSTR Channel 49
▪ KDTX Channel 58
▪ KPXD Channel 68
However, some of more popular over-the-air stations such as KXAS Channel 5, KTVT Channel 11, WFAA Channel 8, KDFW Channel 4 and KERA Channel 13 won’t be changing frequencies.
If you get local stations via cable or satellite, there’s nothing to worry about.
Yet DFW has one of the lowest market penetrations for cable and satellite with 23.5 percent broadcast-only households, according to TVB Local Media Marketing Solutions.
To keep watching all TV channels over the air, viewers must reprogram their antennas, according to the FCC.
Why is this happening? To make room for new 5G and other mobile broadband services.
The FCC says TV stations won’t change frequencies at the same time, which means viewers must rescan their television antenna more than once.
▪ To rescan, TV viewers will need to find the “Channel Scan,” “Channel Tuning,” or “Auto Search” in the “Setup” or “Channel” menu of their digital TV’s remote control or analog TV’s converter box.
▪ Once you find “Channel Scan” or “Channel Tuning” button, choose the automatic option to rescan.
▪ If consumers need further assistance, they can visit fcc.gov/TVrescan or call 1-888-225-5322 and press “6” to speak with a dedicated help desk representative, seven days a week, from 7:00 a.m. to midnight. (EST). The call center is available in English and Spanish and the information on the website is available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean and Tagalog.
This story was originally published April 2, 2019 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Watch TV over the air? Here’s what to do to keep some of your favorite local stations."