Chicago stations to stick with analog until June 12

Don’t look for Chicago TV stations to dump their analog signals until June 12.

Chicago, along with a lot of other large markets, are keeping their analog signals on the air to avoid confusion from viewers (and perhaps protests from community groups.)

President Obama signed a bill today that would keep analog signals on the air until June 12 instead of February 17, the date those signals were supposed to be shut off.

Stations do have the option to shut off their analogs on February 17, but must have approval from the FCC to do so. Yesterday, the agency released a 49-page document on who would be switching off their analog signals and who would keep theirs on. Many of the 491 stations who are planning to shut their analogs off on the original shut-off date are from smaller markets.

In Illinois, the following are shutting down their full-power analogs on Tuesday, if all go to plan:

– In Champaign-Springfield-Decatur, all stations, except for CBS affiliate WCIA-TV and My Network TV station WCFN-TV

– In Carbondale, Southern Illinois University’s WSIU-TV plans to stop analog broadcasts.

– In Peoria-Bloomington, all stations except for ABC affiliate WHOI-TV.

– All stations in the Rockford-Freeport DMA.

– All stations in the Quincy, IL-Hannibal, MO-Keokuk, IA DMA.

– Just two stations in the Paducah, Ky-Cape Giredeau, Mo.-Harrisburg, IL market: Fox affilate KBSI-TV and My Net affiliate WDKA-TV.

– Three stations in St. Louis: My Network TV affiliate WRBU-TV, Independent KNLC-TV, and ABC affiliate KDNL-TV.

– Outside of the state to Milwaukee, Sinclair’s duopoly of WVTV and WCGV also plan to shutter their analogs. Sinclair also owns KDNL. In fact, most Sinclair stations plan to end analog broadcasts on Tuesday.

No stations in the Rock Island-Moline-Davenport DMA plan to shut off their analog signals until June 12.

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