Press release from the Federal Communications Commission:
Currently, nearly 1,000 television stations nationwide have or will be transitioning to new frequencies in phases through July 2020. The current transition phase includes two local TV stations in the Greenville-Spartanburg, SC-Asheville, NC-Anderson, SC area. Viewers in the Greenville-Spartanburg, SC-Asheville, NC-Anderson, SC area who watch over-the-air television with an antenna will need to rescan their TV to continue receiving these local channels.
In the Greenville-Spartanburg, SC-Asheville, NC-Anderson, SC area, these are the two TV stations scheduled to change frequencies by July 3, 2020:
- WSPA-TV (CBS 7)
- WNTV-TV (PBS 29)
In previous transition phases, six other TV stations in the Greenville-Spartanburg, SC-Asheville, NC-Anderson, SC area have moved to new frequencies.
The FCC has provided a variety of online resources to help inform consumers and the press about the rescan process. By visiting www.fcc.gov/TVrescan, you will find an instructional video showing viewers how to rescan their TV, press resources, consumer toolkit, transition schedule, FAQs, and an interactive map where you can enter your address to see which TV stations are changing frequencies in your area. The reason why television stations are changing frequencies is to make room for new 5G and other mobile broadband services. Nationwide, millions of U.S. households watch national network and local TV programming using an over-the-air antenna. Cable and satellite subscribers aren’t affected by these changes.
Here are instructions and tips from the FCC to help TV viewers rescan their TV:
- Most viewers don’t need any new devices, equipment, or services to rescan their TV.
- The FCC has posted an instructional video showing viewers how to rescan their TV and information for consumers and the press about the rescan process.
- To rescan, viewers will need their TV remote control or analog TV converter box, then choose “Channel Scan,” “Channel Tuning,” or “Auto Search” in the “Setup” or “Channel” menu (the precise labels change among manufacturers). Once you find either the “Channel Scan” or “Channel Tuning” buttons, choose the automatic option to rescan.
- By rescanning, viewers who watch TV using an antenna will keep their existing channels, and may even discover new channels in their broadcast area.
- Because TV stations in the same area are changing frequencies at different times, it is a good habit to periodically rescan your TV.
For further assistance, TV viewers can visit www.fcc.gov/TVrescan or call the consumer help line at 1-888-CALLFCC (1-888-225-5322) and press “6” to speak with a dedicated help desk representative, seven days a week, from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. (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.
Before you comment
The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.