Is WSES (Heroes and Icons 33) on NextGen TV?
Heroes and Icons · channel 33 · Tuscaloosa, AL (Birmingham (Ann and Tusc) market)
WSES's own transmitter now broadcasts only NextGen TV (ATSC 3.0). Its regular channel didn't go away — it moved to WDBB's signal, and a rescan finds it under the same channel number.
Source: FCC licensing records, checked October 29, 2026.
WSES at a glance
- Channel on your TV
- 33
- Real (RF) broadcast channel
- 36 · UHF
- Network
- Heroes and Icons
- City of license
- Tuscaloosa, AL
- TV market
- Birmingham (Ann and Tusc) (#43)
- License type
- Full-power
- NextGen TV (ATSC 3.0)
- Yes — 3.0-only transmitter
- NextGen TV since
- June 24, 2022
- Old-format (1.0) signal
- Carried by WDBB (CW 17)
- FCC facility ID
- 21258
How WSES 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.
- WSES’s transmitter carries the NextGen TV versions of WDBB (CW 17).
- WSES’s old-format programming now airs from WDBB (CW 17) (RF 14).
Questions about WSES
Is WSES broadcasting in ATSC 3.0 (NextGen TV)?
WSES's own transmitter now broadcasts only NextGen TV (ATSC 3.0). Its regular channel didn't go away — it moved to WDBB's signal, and a rescan finds it under the same channel number.
Will WSES stop working on my TV?
WSES's programming already moved to WDBB'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 33?
If channel 33 disappeared, it's almost always because its old-format signal moved to WDBB's transmitter. Run a full channel scan (Settings → Channels → Auto scan) and it comes back under the same number. WSES transmits on real (RF) channel 36, 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 Birmingham (Ann and Tusc)
- WRDY-CD
- WJMY-CD (Telemundo)
- WEAC-CD
- WTBM-CD (Telemundo)
- WVUA-CD (COZI TV)
- WBRC (FOX 6) · 3.0
- WCIQ (PBS 7)
- WBIQ (PBS 10)
- WVTM-TV (NBC 13) · 3.0
- WDBB (CW 17) · 3.0
- WTTO (CW 21) · 3.0
- WVUA (COZI TV 23)
- WGWW (Heroes and Icons 40)
- WIAT (CBS 42) · 3.0
- WPXH-TV (ION 44)
- WTJP-TV (TBN 60)
- WABM (MyNetworkTV 68) · 3.0
Full Birmingham (Ann and Tusc) station list and shutoff timeline →