Have you ever wondered how our voices here at MTN News make it over the air to your TV at home? Well, it’s thanks to an antenna, and we’re making some changes that you’re going to want to hear about.
"They are investing a lot of money into Montana. It really is for over-the-air broadcasting in Montana, for many years to come," says Mark Huller.
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Huller is a part of the engineering team for Scripps, the parent company of MTN News stations like KBZK and KXLF. Huller explains that the company is making the switch from VHF radio frequency to UHF.
"The picture will basically look the same, but it will be better for indoor reception—that’s the #1 reason," he says.
UHF has a higher frequency range, giving it better coverage, penetration, and environmental suitability. Huller says this better positions the company for the future of TV broadcasting in Montana.
"People are cutting the cable. They’re going more and more to antennas for free television. So this just makes that a better product for them," he says.
As engineers bring down part of the old tower to make room for the new, viewers who get their news over the air will have to bear with some outages.
Huller says, "It’s a safety thing for the tower crew, we cannot be broadcasting once they’re up there right around the antenna."
He says the outages could last about a week before crews have things back up and running.
"We will still show up, once you have your channel scanned, as 7.1 through 7.6. But when we put this new one on, it is a different frequency. You will need to do a channel scan on your television," Huller says.
The option to rescan your television can be found in the menu settings via your remote. Visit this KBZK page for instructions on rescanning your remote.
Streaming and cable viewers will not be affected by outages.
