FCC Proposes Changing WCPO Channel Assignment

The FCC has proposed allowing Scripps' ABC affiliate WCPO-TV Cincinnati to move its channel assignment so it can reach more viewers with its digital signal.

The station told the commission that after the June 12 DTV switch it "received a large number of telephone calls and emails from viewers unable to receive the station's new digital service."

It was not alone.

The FCC has continued to work with a handful of stations, mostly high VHF channel assignments, to help resolve coverage issues, particularly in big cities where tall buildings are affecting the digital signal.

Scripps asked to move from channel 10 to channel 22, saying that even with a post-June 12 (the date of the DTV switch) boost to its maximum allowable power, it was still unable to offer "acceptable service" on channel 10.

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.