LAUREL, Del.- Some viewers who normally watch WBOC-TV, FOX21 or WBOC Classics with an antenna may have difficulty picking up the signals for a while. Tower crews will be working to install a new digital antenna atop WBOC’s 1,000-foot tall tower in Laurel, Del., as engineers retune our broadcast transmitter to a new frequency.
The work is the result of a recent spectrum auction by the federal government that forces nearly 1,000 television stations across the nation to move to a new channel. WBOC is among those stations being forced to switch frequencies.
While the work is underway, WBOC is transmitting on an auxiliary antenna from our tower in Laurel, but at reduced power. “As a result, homes far from our broadcast tower or those which use an indoor antenna may have difficulty picking up our signal,” says Craig Jahelka, president of Draper Media. “The work is scheduled to take approximately two months, which means we should return to full power by the first week of August.” At that time anyone using any type of antenna to pick up WBOC, FOX21 or WBOC Classics will have to re-scan their television sets to pick us up on our new frequency. We’ll still be displayed on your TV as channel 16-1, 21-2 and 16-3.
“Remember, anyone can watch WBOC’s local news, weather and emergency information on digital devices,” says Jahelka. “Just download the WBOC News App for Apple or Android mobile devices, or watch live streams of our newscasts on our Facebook page. We also have smart TV apps for Roku, Apple TV and Amazon Fire. And these are all absolutely free!”
Both during and after the transition, anyone who subscribes to cable, satellite or OTT services will not be affected. Should viewers have further questions they can reach Mr. Jahelka as 443-880-9090 during regular business hours.
