NextGen TV Broadcasts Begin in Champaign & Springfield-Decatur

ATSC 3.0
(Image credit: ATSC)

CHAMPAIGN AND SPRINGFIELD-DECATUR, Ill.—Eight local TV stations serving the Champaign & Springfield-Decatur television market have begun broadcasting with the new NextGen TV, a.k.a. ATSC 3.0, standard. 

The Dec. 6 launch included WICS and WICD (the Sinclair-owned ABC affiliates), WCIA (the Nexstar-owned CBS affiliate), WRSP-TV and WCCU (the GOCOM Media of Illinois-owned Fox affiliates), WAND (the Block Communications-owned NBC affiliate), WBUI (the GOCOM Media of Illinois-owned CW affiliate) and WCIX (the Nexstar-owned MyNet affiliate).

For the Champaign & Springfield-Decatur launched, WRSP-TV and WCCU, which are owned by GOCOM, have converted to ATSC 3.0 transmissions. 

Those stations will broadcast their own programming, as well as the programming of the other participating stations, in NextGen TV format. 

All programming of all participating stations will continue to be available in the existing DTV format, which can be received on all modern television sets, the broadcasters reported. 

BitPath, which is developing new data broadcasting services, led the planning process and coordinated efforts across the eight television stations

TV Tech has been documenting all the launches of NextGen TV, a.k.a ATSC 3.0. Our complete list of where the broadcasts are available is here

George Winslow

George Winslow is the senior content producer for TV Tech. He has written about the television, media and technology industries for nearly 30 years for such publications as Broadcasting & Cable, Multichannel News and TV Tech. Over the years, he has edited a number of magazines, including Multichannel News International and World Screen, and moderated panels at such major industry events as NAB and MIP TV. He has published two books and dozens of encyclopedia articles on such subjects as the media, New York City history and economics.