📋 Tender Overview
The leading television stations serving the Champaign Springfield-Decatur television market today began broadcasting with NextGen TV a revolutionary new digital broadcast technology. Todays launch includes WICS and WICD WCIA CBS WRSP-TV and WCCU Fox WAND NBC WBUI CW and WCIX MyNet.Based on the same fundamental technology as the Internet and digital apps NextGen TV can support a wide range of features that are currently in development. In addition to providing a new improved way for broadcasters to reach viewers with advanced emergency alerts NextGen TV features stunning video with brilliant color sharper images and deeper contrast to create a more life-like experience.NextGen TV adds a new dimension to TV viewing with vibrant video and new Voice dialogue enhancement that brings voices to the foreground. Movie theater-quality sound lets viewers hear every voice clearly and keeps volume consistent across channels. NextGen TV also can be enhanced with Internet content to enable viewers to get the most out of live sports live news and live events in real-time without looking away from TV screens.Powered by ATSC 3.0 NextGen TV is the most significant broadcast technology upgrade to date. Features available on NextGen TV will vary by device and station as broadcasters roll out service across the country.Todays launch in Champaign Springfield-Decatur follows a decade of development and months of planning and preparation by the local stations. 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. BitPath which is developing new data broadcasting services led the planning process and coordinated efforts across the eight television stations.From Honolulu to Houston and from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico NextGen TV service is already on the air in more than 50 cities across the country. Champaign Springfield and Decatur viewers can learn more about NextGen TV by visiting www.WatchNextGenTV.com which offers a guide listing cities currently carrying the service as well as links to available NextGen TV set models.Antenna viewers without NextGen TV sets can simply rescan their TV sets to ensure uninterrupted service. Rescan instructions are available at fcc.govrescan. Cable and satellite subscribers do not need to take any action.For nearly 120 years Block Communications has reflected a diversified media group bringing news and entertainment to our viewers said Dale Woods Vice President of TV Broadcasting at Block Communications. As broadcast television has fundamentally changed over the last 10 years our team recognized that the introduction of NextGen TV would do the very same and our viewers are the biggest benefactors of this innovation. Our excitement about this new standard and the opportunities it presents the business of broadcasting today and in the future has only grown since we joined BitPath in this transition.
