INDIANAPOLIS -- Three Indianapolis TV stations will accept millions from the FCC to either give up or move their real estate on the broadcast spectrum as part of the agency's first ever "incentive auction."
The auction was announced in March 2016 as a way to free up valuable low-band frequencies for wireless broadband.
More than 170 stations across the U.S. took part in the auction, including three in Indianapolis: WCLJ; WHMB; and WNDY.
WCLJ, which is owned and operated by the Christian-oriented Trinity Broadcasting Network, will take $18.8 million to give up its spot on the UHF spectrum.
Another Christian broadcaster, LeSEA Broadcasting, will accept $18.3 million to move from the UHF band to the High-VHF band.
WNDY, which has broadcast in Indianapolis since 1987 (originally as WMCC), will also give up its part of the UHF band in a $17.7 million deal with the FCC – but will continue to broadcast through a channel-sharing agreement with WISH-TV.
WNDY, broadcasting as MyWNDY Channel 23, is owned by Nexstar Media Group and already operates as a duopoly with WISH-TV.
The station broadcasts a lineup including Pawn Stars, Family Feud and Major League Baseball games played by the Chicago Cubs and White Sox.
While the moves mean big money for the stations and their owners, they'll have little to no impact on TV viewers, according to Tim Boling, senior director of engineering for RTV6's parent company E.W. Scripps.
"The only thing a local viewer will have to do is do a re-scan on their TV," Boling said. "It will still come through on the same channel number on their TV as they had before, but it will actually be coming through a different channel (over the airwaves)."
Stations will have 39 months to complete the transition to their new channel assignments or to go off the air. More information about the FCC's reverse auction can be found here.
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CORRECTION: This story originally reported that WNDY would be going off the air as a result of this deal. Although the FCC is paying WNDY to "go off the air" on its current portion of the broadcast spectrum, WNDY will continue broadcasting on Channel 23 through a channel-sharing agreement with WISH-TV.
