BATON ROUGE – Viewers who use an antenna to watch WBTR TV, an independent TV station in Baton Rouge showing local high school football, college football, classic movies and TV shows along with some local news rebroadcasts, will need to rescan television frequencies because the channel location is changing.

Viewers will need to rescan this week before the channel moves broadcast channel locations on March 13, 2020.  On Friday, March 13, at 8 a.m. the TV station's frequency will have changed.  

By rescanning, the antenna will automatically recognize WBTR and viewers will notice no difference. No new equipment is needed. Viewers who watch WBTR through a cable or satellite service do not need to rescan.

Once a rescan is performed, the channel will be locked to its position correctly.

WBTR had to move frequencies by order of the federal government and the FCC which mandated broadcasters make more room on the airwaves for wireless services. Nearly 1,000 local broadcasting channels are required to move.

WBTR will broadcast on channel 36.1.  Subchannels 36.2 and 36.3 still feature a simulcast of the WBRZ+ news channel and the WBRZ weather channel. 

From now until Friday morning, color bars will be seen on channel 36.1.  By Friday morning, programming will appear on the channel. 

The frequency change does not impact WBRZ TV. 

For more information about WBTR, WBRZ and WBRZ Plus, click HERE.