Info for Stations

Stations preparing to move to new frequencies as part of the spectrum repack should expect and prepare for an increase in viewer questions. On the phone and through e-mail and social media, viewers are raising issues ranging from the conceptual to the technical—and training station staff to handle higher inbound question volume is one key way to ensure a smooth transition. Reno’s KTVN did a particularly excellent job handling viewer queries, and their experience may help stations preparing for repack anticipate and respond to over-the-air viewers who run into issues while rescanning their antenna televisions. To learn more about KTVN’s

What is the broadcast repack like from a station’s perspective? How should stations gear up to move frequencies? What helpful advice might smooth the transition? To answer these questions, we enlisted the help of Tracy Oliver, creative services director at WTAE-TV in Pittsburgh. Serving an audience spanning three states, and having built a loyal, multi-generational following over more than half a century on the air, WTAE took a proactive approach to communicating the station’s transition to over-the-air viewers. Their experience may help other stations have a (relatively) seamless transition to a new frequency. Here are Tracy’s tips for stations: As