The big switch happens today!
At 6:30 p.m. just as JET 24 Action News concludes its evening news broadcast, JET 24 (WJET) and sister station FOX 66 (WFXP) will change frequencies.
If you receive JET 24 and FOX 66 over the air with an antenna, this change will matter to you.
When both stations switch frequencies at 6:30 p.m., you will have to re-scan your TV. If not, you will no longer be able to view the two stations.
JET 24 and its sub-channels are moving to channel 28, although it will still appear as Channel 24 on your TV set. Fox 66 and sub-channels are moving to channel 26, but they will continue to appear as Channel 66.
If you receive your television programming via a cable system or satellite service, you are not affected by this change. However, if you use an antenna you re-scan by selecting “SCAN” or “AUTOTUNE” from your TV’s control “MENU”, then select “antenna” and follow the prompts. It usually takes less than 10 minutes to scan the channels.
In addition to the channel changes today, JET 24 and FOX 66 will also be broadcasting with new state-of-the-art transmitters and antennas.
Starting at 6:30 p.m. Friday, JET 24 will temporarily be broadcasting from an auxiliary antenna 300 feet lower than the soon-to-be installed main antenna. That should be in place by the end of August.
During this period our broadcast pattern will be significantly different, possibly affecting viewers to the east. This would include parts of eastern Erie County and Warren County. If you live in these areas, you may have difficulty receiving JET 24. This will be short term and should be resolved when we switch to our new main antenna by the end of the month.
The new permanent antenna is expected to be in place by late August, at which time we will return to our normal broadcast pattern.
The good news for viewers is that once these transitions are complete, JET 24 and FOX 66 will be broadcasting at much more power than ever before. JET 24 is moving from 580-thousand watts to 650-thousand watts. FOX 66 will be broadcasting at 930-thousand watts.
Why are we doing all of this? It’s mandated by the Federal Communications Commission. The change is part of the FCC repack to open bandwidth on the broadcast spectrum to sell to wireless or satellite providers.
The National Association of Broadcasters has a web site that includes instruction for many (but not all) TVs and converter boxes. Visit www.tvanswers.org for more information.
