Is WICS (ABC 20) on NextGen TV?
ABC · channel 20 · Springfield, IL (Champaign&Sprngfld-Decatur market)
Yes. WICS still broadcasts its regular signal from its own transmitter, so nothing changed for your TV. A NextGen TV (ATSC 3.0) version also airs from WRSP-TV's transmitter (since December 6, 2022).
Source: FCC licensing records, checked October 29, 2026.
WICS at a glance
- Channel on your TV
- 20
- Real (RF) broadcast channel
- 15 · UHF
- Network
- ABC
- City of license
- Springfield, IL
- TV market
- Champaign&Sprngfld-Decatur (#85)
- License type
- Full-power
- NextGen TV (ATSC 3.0)
- Yes — via WRSP-TV
- NextGen TV since
- December 6, 2022
- Old-format (1.0) signal
- On its own transmitter
- FCC facility ID
- 25686
How WICS shares transmitters
During the switch, stations in a market pair up: one transmitter (the “lighthouse”) goes NextGen-only and carries everyone’s 3.0 versions, while its own old-format programming moves to a partner. Your TV shows the same channel numbers either way.
- WICS’s NextGen TV version airs from WRSP-TV (FOX 55) (RF 16).
- WICS’s transmitter also carries the old-format signal of WRSP-TV (FOX 55).
Questions about WICS
Is WICS broadcasting in ATSC 3.0 (NextGen TV)?
Yes. WICS still broadcasts its regular signal from its own transmitter, so nothing changed for your TV. A NextGen TV (ATSC 3.0) version also airs from WRSP-TV's transmitter (since December 6, 2022).
Will WICS stop working on my TV?
Not under today's rules. Any full-power or Class A station that switches to NextGen TV must keep an old-format (ATSC 1.0) simulcast on the air, and that requirement has no end date. What could change it: broadcasters have asked the FCC to let full-power stations outside the largest markets end old-format signals in February 2030. The FCC's own October 2025 proposal leaned the other way — letting each station choose when to stop. A final decision is expected by the end of 2026.
Why can't I get channel 20?
Start with a full channel rescan (Settings → Channels → Auto scan) — stations change transmitters and frequencies more often than people expect. WICS transmits on real (RF) channel 15, which is UHF. UHF (channels 14–36) is what most indoor antennas are designed for. Reception problems on UHF are usually about distance, walls, or line of sight to the tower — try a window facing the transmitter.
Why channels disappear → · Where the FCC decision stands → · Does my TV have a 3.0 tuner? →
Other stations in Champaign&Sprngfld-Decatur
- WBXC-CD (Heartland)
- WCIA (CBS 3) · 3.0
- WILL-TV (PBS 12)
- WSEC (PBS 14)
- WICD (ABC 15) · 3.0
- WAND (17) · 3.0
- WBUI (CW 23) · 3.0
- WCCU (FOX 27) · 3.0
- WCIX (CBS 49) · 3.0
- WRSP-TV (FOX 55) · 3.0
Full Champaign&Sprngfld-Decatur station list and shutoff timeline →