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For Now, Over-the-Air Transition Means Fewer Peoria Antenna TV Channels

WAOE's new projected broadcast area
Federal Communications Commission Public File
WAOE's new projected broadcast area

If you watch TV via antenna in the Peoria area, you lost a couple channels after the great January rescan.

The Federal Communications Commission set that day as a deadline for many over-the-air stations to relocate their signal as part of a repack process meant to create more bandwidth for cellular signals.

WAOE-TV's 59.2 Antenna TV and 59.3 Light TV signals disappeared from local airwaves after the station's signal moved to a new frequency.

In the days following the repack, Channel 59.1 ran a scroll announcing the two sub-networks wouldn't be returning in the forseeable future.

The loss in channels is likely to last for the next several months. It's tied to WAOE's delays in getting its new antenna at WWTO-TV's old site near Starved Rock State Park in LaSalle County launched.

The station was transmitting from WEEK-TV's antenna in East Peoria.

Earlier this month, the FCC approved WAOE's request for a construction permit extension until July 15. Until then, the MyChannel affiliate has come to a temporary agreement with Creve Coeur-based WHOI to broadcast on its real channel 24.2.

WAOE's move to Starved Rock Country will extend its signal into much of the Chicago TV market.

Copyright 2021 WCBU. To see more, visit WCBU.

Tim Shelley is the News Director at WCBU Peoria Public Radio.