Is WLWT (NBC 5) on NextGen TV?
NBC · channel 5 · Cincinnati, OH (Cincinnati market)
Yes. WLWT 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 WSTR-TV's transmitter (since September 14, 2021).
Source: FCC licensing records, checked October 29, 2026.
WLWT at a glance
- Channel on your TV
- 5
- Real (RF) broadcast channel
- 20 · UHF
- Network
- NBC
- City of license
- Cincinnati, OH
- TV market
- Cincinnati (#36)
- License type
- Full-power
- NextGen TV (ATSC 3.0)
- Yes — via WSTR-TV
- NextGen TV since
- September 14, 2021
- Old-format (1.0) signal
- On its own transmitter
- FCC facility ID
- 46979
How WLWT 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.
- WLWT’s NextGen TV version airs from WSTR-TV (MNT 64) (RF 18).
- WLWT’s transmitter also carries the old-format signal of WSTR-TV (MNT 64).
Questions about WLWT
Is WLWT broadcasting in ATSC 3.0 (NextGen TV)?
Yes. WLWT 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 WSTR-TV's transmitter (since September 14, 2021).
Will WLWT 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 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 5?
Start with a full channel rescan (Settings → Channels → Auto scan) — stations change transmitters and frequencies more often than people expect. WLWT transmits on real (RF) channel 20, 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 Cincinnati
- WCPO-TV (ABC 9) · 3.0
- WKRC-TV (CBS 12) · 3.0
- WPTO (PBS 14) · 3.0
- WXIX-TV (19) · 3.0
- WCET (PBS 48) · 3.0
- WKON (PBS 52)
- WCVN-TV (PBS 54) · 3.0
- WSTR-TV (MNT 64) · 3.0