KSKC Public TV to go digital next week

PABLO — Transmitter technicians are scheduled to arrive the week of July 13 to activate and test KSKC’s new digital transmitters.

This will mean some new channels and the need for viewers with converter boxes or digital TVs to rescan for the new frequencies. KSKC will move its primary feed to channel 27 on Jette Hill northwest of Polson. Arlee will continue to receive channel 48 but it will become digital and the transmitter will move to the hill between St. Ignatius and Arlee, northwest of the current site on Pistol Creek. St. Ignatius channel 28 will go dark and the digital transmitter will be channel 42 broadcasting from the hill west of Charlo on Moiese Hill. Ronan channel 25 will go dark as well, replaced by transmitters on the other channels. 

KSKC director Frank Tyro reminds viewers who watch KSKC over the air with outdoor antennas may have to re-point them. “We will try to assist viewers by phone as soon as we complete the installations, hopefully by July 17 at the latest. My phone number is 275-4878.” Tyro went on to say, “I have heard from several viewers in the St. Ignatius area that the commercial network stations from Missoula are no longer available in some low-lying areas because of lack of line of sight to TV Mountain where they broadcast from. We will do our best to assist viewers with reception of both our signal and the commercial stations as soon as we complete our work.” 

If people need converter boxes for older televisions, they need to ask for coupons as soon as possible as that federal program ends on July 31. The website is www.dtv20009.gov or phone 888-388-2009.

Tyro reminded viewers that KSKC will have two “streams” in the channel; 27.1 will be high definition, 27.2 will be standard definition digital. Tyro said, “The station may initially use the standard definition channel for the published program schedule until all the issues with new equipment are ironed out.”