Is WLIW (PBS 21) on NextGen TV?
PBS · channel 21 · Garden City, NY (New York market)
WLIW's own transmitter now broadcasts only NextGen TV (ATSC 3.0). Its regular channel didn't go away — it moved to WNET's signal, and a rescan finds it under the same channel number.
Source: FCC licensing records, checked October 29, 2026.
WLIW at a glance
- Channel on your TV
- 21
- Real (RF) broadcast channel
- 32 · UHF
- Network
- PBS
- City of license
- Garden City, NY
- TV market
- New York (#1)
- License type
- Full-power
- NextGen TV (ATSC 3.0)
- Yes — 3.0-only transmitter
- NextGen TV since
- October 16, 2023
- Old-format (1.0) signal
- Carried by WNET (PBS 13)
- FCC facility ID
- 38336
How WLIW 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.
- WLIW’s transmitter carries the NextGen TV versions of WCBS-TV (CBS 2), WNBC (NBC 4), WNET (PBS 13) and WNJU (Telemundo 47).
- WLIW’s old-format programming now airs from WNET (PBS 13) (RF 12).
Questions about WLIW
Is WLIW broadcasting in ATSC 3.0 (NextGen TV)?
WLIW's own transmitter now broadcasts only NextGen TV (ATSC 3.0). Its regular channel didn't go away — it moved to WNET's signal, and a rescan finds it under the same channel number.
Will WLIW stop working on my TV?
WLIW's programming already moved to WNET's transmitter and is still free over the air in the old format. 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 in the 55 largest markets end old-format signals in February 2028. 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 21?
If channel 21 disappeared, it's almost always because its old-format signal moved to WNET's transmitter. Run a full channel scan (Settings → Channels → Auto scan) and it comes back under the same number. WLIW transmits on real (RF) channel 32, 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 New York
- WEPT-CD (15)
- WVVH-CD
- WCBS-TV (CBS 2) · 3.0
- WNBC (NBC 4) · 3.0
- WNYW (FOX 5)
- WABC-TV (ABC 7) · 3.0
- WWOR-TV (MyNetworkTV 9)
- WPIX (CW 11) · 3.0
- WNET (PBS 13) · 3.0
- WNYE-TV (ETV 25)
- WPXN-TV (ION 31)
- WJLP (MeTV 33)
- WXTV-DT (Univision 41) · 3.0
- WZME (Story Television 43)
- WNJU (Telemundo 47) · 3.0
- WRNN-TV (Shop LC 48)
- WEDW (PBS 49)
- WNJN (PBS 50)
- WTBY-TV (TBN 54)
- WLNY-TV (55)
- WNJB (PBS 58)
- WMBC-TV (EstrellaTV 63)
- WFTY-DT (True Crime 67)
- WFUT-DT (UniMás 68)