sources: rabbitears.info, FCC

Mid-Illinois is a very large geographic area, and not all channels will be watchable across the entire area. If you have questions about what you could expect to receive, click on the "coverage area" links for each station above.  Find your location on the map, and if you fall within the circular coverage area, you'll have a better chance of receiving the station you're seeking. Even from within the coverage area, your reception will depend on your antenna placement, height, your local terrain, and the directionality of your antenna.

Mid-Illinois Next Gen 3.0
Coming Fall 2022

Updated July 24, 2022, from an earlier report, posted June 21, 2022- Our first TV standard was called NTSC and was used from 1941 through 2009. It featured 525-line video with FM audio allowing for stereo broadcasts in the 1980s. By 2009 a new TV standard, ATSC 1.0, was adopted to bring high-definition video and 5.1 multi-channel audio but also give local broadcasters an opportunity to piggyback other subchannels along with their primary signals. Now, our TV system will be changing again to ATSC 3.0. Just like ATSC 1.0 wasn't compatible with NTSC, ATSC 3.0 will NOT be compatible with ATSC 1.0.  

If you're a satellite or cable subscriber, you probably need NOT be concerned with this in the immediate future. Currently, these signal providers are working on changing the standards to allow for the passing of enhanced digital television but will involve your internet availability as well.

After seeing NextGen TV emerge in other midwest markets, there wasn't any mention of that being the case for central Illinois until now. The new map was recently updated (in mid-June) and released by the website https://www.watchnextgentv.com/markets/ and nexttv.com/news/atsc-3-0-nextgen-tv.

Nextgen TV is another website with a good explanation of what ATSC 3.0, or NextGen TV is all about. In a nutshell, here's what it could mean, according to watchnextgentv.com and other sources.

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1 NextGenTV is received over-the-air from your area broadcasters with the primary service being free but it will require either an ATSC 3.0 receiver converter with your existing TV or a newer model TV with a built-in turner to receive the broadcasts. The roll-out of ATSC 3.0 TVs is underway, and many new flat screen TV monitors already have nextgenTV tuners built in. The cost, though, may reflect the additional tuner. Nextgen TV add-on tuners are just now being turned out and could be a bit pricey, at least for now.

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2 The video/audio quality of the primary signal will potentially be better. NextGen 3.0 promises built-in features that will greatly enhance your TV viewing experience. The audio alone will be able to eliminate volume changes between channels and shows, and will offer a more "pleasant, uniform sound experience." Dialog won't get lost in the scene, you will be able to set it to enhance the dialog and lower the volume of the sound effects and background noise, and music.  Overall, you'll be able to experience quality sound, similar to a movie theater.

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3 Dolby Vision will bring your video "astonishing brightness, contrast, and color." Expect 4K HDR ultra-high-definition video with a sharper picture with available select programming when it becomes available, but the door is open for even more video improvements in the future (8K).

4 Expect at some time in the future interactivity between you and "your favorite shows, news, sports, and live events." You'll also get more localized emergency alerts and a viewer's guide that you can personalize.  This will allow for viewers in areas with, for example, strong to severe weather to receive weather information as provided by your local stations but gives viewers the option to continue to watch the programming in areas under no such threat. I understand that many of these optional features will only be available through our internet connection.

5 Your local station would be able to target advertising in your area within programming. For example, one station serves more than one metro area, like most of the stations in central Illinois. That station would be able to sell the same commercial availability more than once. With an advertiser only interested in the metro of their location, their advertising would be able to be targeted in that location, while other advertisers in other metros could target potential customers from their service area. Once again, an internet connection will probably be required to receive these options.
 

6 Interactive and other features will work in conjunction with your internet connection, but you can still receive NextGen TV without an internet connection. Your location will have to be established in your receiver in order to benefit from geography-based features.

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7 Future enhancements are expected down the road. This new technology will leave doors open for future growth with the addition of new features and benefits.  

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8 Just like with ATSC 1.0, each signal will have the capability to add subchannels to each primary signal. It's unclear as to how many signals will be piggybacked to each primary, but I've seen various sources say that subchannels (SD or HD) could number up to 20 or so.  

9 Even though the primary signal will be free, this will allow the station to actually program "pay-per-view" events on a subchannel or multiple subchannels. This may include sporting events, concerts, movies, etc.  There are already a couple of markets that offer pay-per-view for viewers in their area. I don't know much as to what kind of entertainment is offered.

10 The NextGen TV signal will be stronger and easier for smaller antennas and even in-door antennas to successfully receive the signal. Since all of the NextGen TV stations will be coming from one transmitter/tower you'll only have to point a directional antenna to one site.

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11 It's also being proposed that broadcasters could also become internet providers to offer Internet service to areas that might not have access to more traditional sources. 

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12 You'll be able to watch NextGen TV while moving in vehicles. (Legally, this doesn't include the driver!)

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13 Don't feel pressured to join the NextGen TV era, as the government has not mandated the change-over occur before a specified date. Local television stations will continue to broadcast ATSC 1.0 signals from the current towers/antennas as they do today for what could be another 20 years!

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What we don't know yet:
 

1 Even though the basic NextGen TV stations are expected to go on the air this Fall being projected as being late October. Like other industries, the delivery of new equipment is expected to be delayed by supply chain issues, which could delay it even further toward the year's end. 

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2. I've been told by an insider that the signals currently being emitted by WCCU and WRSP will be the home base stations for all of the Nextgen TV signals. That is, the ATSC 3.0 signals of all of the participating stations, (I assume WCIA, WAND, WICS, WICD, WCCU, and WRSP) will come from the current 27/55 transmitter(actually real UHF channels 22(WCCU) and 16(WRSP)).  That will potentially place city grade signals for all stations into all of the central Illinois metro cities (Jacksonville, Springfield, Decatur, Champaign-Urbana, Mattoon-Charleston, and Danville) but also Bloomington-Normal and fringe into Peoria, Terre Haute (IN), and Crawfordsville (IN). Effingham may be beyond the fringe area and will require more elaborate antenna systems from viewers there. 

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3. That shift will require the current subchannels of WRSP/WCCU to be moved to other transmitters. Depending on where those channels end up, some or all viewers may lose those channels. 

Sinclair has ownership of some, in my opinion, junk subchannels like Stadium and TBD, which I hope are dropped if necessary. Other Sinclair-owned subchannels include Comet and Antenna TV, which provide better programming but are certainly not the quality of MeTV. I would suggest and hope they end up on WBUI's signal. I also hope they don't try to crunch all of the channels on one signal, as the video quality will suffer greatly. For example, WCIA's crunching of subchannels Bounce and Grit, leaves them unwatchable as any fast movement of a scene causes the video to become pixilated drastically.

If those channels are redistributed between the other partner stations I would hope that MeTV and Antenna TV end up on WICD/WICS(along with the 1.0 signals of WCCU and WRSP), Comet could go to WAND, Charge, TBD, and Stadium could go to WBUI or perhaps dropped altogether. Keep in mind the virtual channel number you know these subchannels by, won't change. Confused? Stay tuned! This is all speculation on my part and may not reflect the eventual outcome! 

(Updated 7/24) The latest rumor has MeTV being dropped by WRSP/WCCU!!  It's unknown why, but possibly, the contract is near its end with the GoCom/Sinclair stations and speculation is that it will be dropped by the stations.  If it's true, it'll be another bad decision by the people that are bringing the Peoria market WHOI, Channel 19! My only hope is that another station will pick it up, and air it at the 720i (w) as it should be broadcast. Many U.S. stations broadcast MeTV at 720i (w) making the quality of the video in hi-def! 

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4. Don't expect all of the features listed above to appear at once. The rollout of all of the features above will take years maybe a decade or so to achieve.  For example, there simply isn't any 4K programming available, and it'll take millions to equip networks and TV stations to broadcast 4K programming. (Remember how long it took for HD programming to reach down to local stations, or even live color broadcasting to take place in the 60s and 70s.) 

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5. Based on previous experiences I had with C-band satellite channel distribution and promises of features that would be available with de-scrambling equipment, I'm not optimistic viewers will see some of those promises develop. I'm concerned about the "interactivity" between viewers and stations, networks, etc, and whether those entities will find an investment in personnel and technology to follow through on such features as being beneficial. One possible exception could be sporting events. Major events could see this feature occur long before other types of programming. 

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6 Don't be fooled into thinking your current outdoor antenna, if you're using one, will need to be replaced by a "special NextGen TV antenna." There's NO SUCH THING, just like there's no such thing as a"Color TV Antenna" or "Digital TV antenna."  If you're using an antenna on a tower next to your home or on your roof, and it's working fine, it will continue to serve you well.

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