Why did my channel disappear?
If you watch with an antenna and a channel vanished, the most likely reason right now is that the station moved its signal to make room for NextGen TV. 111 stations have done it so far. The fix is almost always a channel rescan.
Try this first (2 minutes)
- Make sure the TV’s input is set to Antenna (sometimes “Air”), not Cable.
- Open Settings → Channels → Auto scan (also called Auto program or Channel search).
- Choose the full scan, not “add channels.” Let it finish.
Still missing? Find your station below to see exactly what happened to it.
Look up your stations
The 7 reasons a channel disappears
1. The station moved its signal to a partner station (most common)
When a station becomes a NextGen TV "host," its own transmitter switches to the new ATSC 3.0 format, which older TVs can't decode. Its regular channel doesn't go away. It moves onto a partner station's transmitter, usually on a different frequency. Your TV keeps looking in the old place until you rescan. Fix: run a full channel scan. The channel comes back under its usual number.
2. A subchannel was dropped or moved (the .2, .3 and .4 channels)
Partner stations have limited room, so when stations reshuffle for NextGen TV, some extra subchannels (classic-TV and movie networks) move to another station's signal or are dropped. Networks also come and go when contracts change. Fix: rescan first. If a subchannel is still missing, check the station's page here or its website; it may now be on a different number or gone.
3. The station changed frequency
Stations occasionally move to a different real (RF) broadcast channel, even though the number on your TV stays the same. The big nationwide channel reshuffle ended in 2020, but individual moves still happen. Fix: a full rescan. If the new frequency is on a different band, your antenna may need adjusting (see cause 5).
4. The station is temporarily off the air
Tower work, transmitter repairs and power outages knock stations off for hours or days. If one channel vanished and nothing else changed, this is likely. Fix: check the station's website or social media for a notice, and rescan once it's back.
5. Reception changed, not the station
Signals shift with weather, leaves and new buildings. Stations on VHF (real channels 2–13) are the most common casualty: many flat "HD" indoor antennas are built mainly for UHF. Warm, still weather can also bring in distant stations that interfere with local ones. Fix: try moving the antenna higher or to a window facing the towers, rescan, and check each station's band on its page here. If you use an amplifier near a strong signal, try without it; overload can knock channels out.
6. A low-power station switched to NextGen TV only
Low-power stations (call signs ending in -LD, or translators with numbers in them like K19AB-D) aren't required to keep an old-format version when they switch. If one moves to ATSC 3.0, a TV without a 3.0 tuner loses it for good. Fix: only a TV or converter box with a 3.0 tuner gets it back.
7. Something changed on your TV
A setting reset, an input switched from Antenna to Cable, or an "add channels" scan that kept a stale list. Fix: make sure the TV's input is set to Antenna (Air), then run the full scan, not the add-only one.
Channels that moved most recently
Each of these stations’ own transmitters now broadcasts NextGen TV only. Their regular channels moved to the station shown. Source: FCC filings, checked October 29, 2026. Week-by-week changes →
Showing the 25 most recent of 111. Every market page lists the moves in that market.
Questions
Why did my antenna channel suddenly disappear?
The most common reason right now is that the station moved its regular signal to a partner station's transmitter while its own transmitter switched to NextGen TV (ATSC 3.0). A full channel scan brings it back under the same number. Other causes are a frequency change, a temporary outage, reception changes, or a dropped subchannel.
How do I get a missing channel back?
Set your TV's input to Antenna (Air) and run a full channel scan, usually under Settings, then Channels, then Auto scan or Auto program. Use the full scan, not "add channels." If it's still missing, check whether the station is on VHF and adjust or upgrade the antenna, or check whether it's temporarily off the air.
Is my TV broken because it lost a channel?
Almost never. When one channel disappears and the rest work, the cause is the station or the signal, not the TV. If every channel disappeared at once, check the antenna cable and the TV's input setting first.
Will I need a new TV when stations switch to ATSC 3.0?
Not yet. Full-power stations that switch must keep an old-format version of their main channel on the air, and the FCC hasn't set a shutoff date. If that changes, TVs without a 3.0 tuner will need a converter box.
Signal strength by address: FCC reception maps and RabbitEars.info.