Antenna TV viewers: Friday another rescan day in Jacksonville

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – If you watch local television using an antenna rather than cable or satellite, you’ll remember we asked you back in January to rescan you TV when Channels 4 and 17 were required to shift their broadcast frequencies. It’s time to do it again so you can watch the local PBS station, WJCT, Channel 7, and its sub-channels.

These changes are mandated by the Federal Communications Commission so it can free up radio frequencies to expand the spectrum available to wireless carriers.

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“We freed up some spectrum for that. And what that means is that TV stations just have to be rearranged,” Jean Kiddoo, chair of the FCC’s Incentive Auction Task Force, told WJCT’s Bill Bortzfield.

On Friday, May 1, at noon, WJCT’s channels will be on their new frequencies. But even though the frequencies are changing, the channel numbers will stay the same after the rescan. That means antenna TV viewers will continue to receive WJCT’s lineup of programming on channels 7.1 (PBS), 7.2 (Create), 7.3 (PBS Kids), 7.4 (The Florida Channel) and 7.5 (World).

To rescan your television’s tuner select scan or autotune from your TV or converter box’s menu to start the scanning process. This process usually takes a few minutes to complete.

“We have a call center that’s set up seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 1 a.m. Eastern Time -- so evenings and weekends -- as well as during the work day. And the number for that call center is 1-888-call-FCC, which is 1-888-225-5322," Kiddoo said.

WJCT’s engineering team doesn’t expect any issue with the transition, but if there were to be a problem with programming, WJCT will post a notice on its Facebook page and provide updates at 89.9 FM and WJCT.org.

WJCT viewers on cable, satellite, Passport or in the WJCT app, don't need to do anything.

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