WGHP switches to secondary transmitter

By: Tim Clodfelter | JOURNAL REPORTER
Published: June 23, 2009

WGHP/Fox8 has turned its UHF transmitter back on while it figures out what to do about viewers who aren't able to pick up the station's VHF signal.

After the June 12 digital transition, many viewers were unable to tune in the station's digital VHF signal on channel 8, either because the signal was not strong enough or because their antennas were not the type needed for VHF broadcasts.

WGHP is working with the Federal Communications Commission to solve the problem, and has gotten "special temporary authority" to resume using its secondary transmitter, which broadcasts on digital channel 35 in UHF.

Ross Mason, the chief engineer at WGHP, said that he spoke with 40 people yesterday who couldn't pick up channel 8 and told them how to tune in channel 35. "Every one of them was able to pick it up," he said.

Viewers need to rescan their digital converter boxes or the digital tuners in their TV sets so they can pick up channel 35 again.

The special temporary authority allows WGHP to run both the channel 8 and channel 35 transmitters for the next six months, and the station has asked for permission from the FCC to raise its signal strength on channel 8 from 11.5 to 38 kilowatts so more people would be able to tune in the VHF signal. "We don't expect to hear anything about that this week," Mason said. "Hopefully this will be resolved soon."

If the problem continues, the station may have to ask that the temporary authority be extended further or may even decide to switch off the channel 8 transmitter and stick with channel 35, Mason said.

■ Tim Clodfelter can be reached at 727-7371 or at tclodfelter@wsjournal.com.