FCC Still Clearing Up DTV Reception
Chicago ABC O&O Among Stations Granted Relief
by John Eggerton -- Multichannel News, 8/18/2009 11:53:27 AM
WASHINGTON —
The Federal Communications Commission continues to work through what it characterizes as a "limited number" of over-the-air digital-TV-related reception issues.
That included proposing to grant relief in to a network-owned stations in one of the nation's largest markets -- WLS-TV Chicago, which requested that it move from VHF channel 7 to UHF channel 44. The ABC-owned station cited continuing reception problems, including the "urban canyon" effect, in which tall buildings and walls in high-rise buildings reduce reception.
The FCC concluded in an Aug. 12 notice of proposed rulemaking that the move is in the public interest and gave commenters a total of 25 days to weigh in.
The week before, the FCC proposed granting Grey Television's request that it move KKTV from VHF channel 10 in Colorado Springs to channel 49 to boost its coverage by about a million people and eliminate interference it was experiencing.
The FCC continues to work with what it continues to characterize as a limited number of reception issues in a "mop-up" operation after the switch to digital on June 12, 2009.
Solutions include moving stations from VHF to UHF channel positions, boosting power, and in at least one case -- KNMD Santa Fe, moving from one VHF channel position to another to gain viewers in mostly rural areas. WLS got FCC permission to boost power, but that was apparently not sufficient relief.
The FCC's willingness to boost power and move stations suggest to some tacit acknowledgement that the FCC lowballed the DTV power limits and is having to play catch-up. A commission spokesperson had no comment.
The agency also issued a notice of proposed rulemaking last Friday (Aug. 14) on a request by WVUE in New Orleans for a fix of its digital reception problems.
The FCC has estimated it was working with two or three-dozen stations on reception issues. That is out of the nearly 1,800 stations that made the switch to all-digital.
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