Posted by chicagomedia.org on October 30, 2009 at 17:12:15:
WLS-TV to try for final fix of high-def signal
October 30, 2009 4:26 PM
WLS-Ch. 7 will upgrade its signal on Saturday evening, hoping to reach the last remaining viewers who couldn't get the station's broadcast after the June transition from analog to digital broadcasts.
The signal upgrade, which will take place at 5 p.m. on Saturday, is meant to be a permanent fix to a problem that has pestered WLS since the summer.
"We don't think it's a huge number (of affected people), but we don't really know," said Emily Barr, president and general manager at WLS. "We take calls regularly. The calls have lightened up as the summer's gone on, but we do know there are people out there who have not been able to receive us despite their best efforts."
Viewers who have been receiving WLS don't need to do anything, nor do cable TV and satellite subscribers, Barr said. But those who haven't been getting the signal or experience spotty reception must do a hard reset, also known as a double rescan, of their converter box or television. This should be done after 5 p.m. on Saturday. Instructions for a double rescan can be found at http://www.dtv.gov/rescan.html.
The Federal Communications Commission had given WLS permission in early September to effectively double its power on a temporary basis. Since then, the FCC has approved a request by WLS to pick up a second frequency, adding Ch. 44 on UHF to its current home at Ch. 7 on VHF. The additional frequency will be translated to Ch. 7.
Before the digital transition on June 12, WLS had been at Ch. 52 on UHF. The signal upgrade required significant new construction, including securing additional space in the Sears Tower, Barr said.
-- Wailin Wong, Chicago Tribune