Five Stations Launch NextGen Broadcasts in Green Bay

NextGen TV

Five stations in Green Bay, Wisconsin, have collaborated to roll out NextGen TV in the markets.

The stations are Gray Television’s WBAY-TV, WLUK-TV and WCWF-TV, owned by Sinclair, E.W. Scripps’ WGBA-TV and WFRV-TV, owned by Nexstar Media.

Sinclair’s WCWF has converted and is broadcasting all of the participating stations’ programming over NextGen TV signal using the new ATSC 3.0 broadcast standard, which is capable of carrying multiple streams. 

All of the stations’ programming is also being broadcast in the market using the current digital TV ATSC 1.0 standard.

Also: Fox, Nexstar Stations Launch NextGen TV in Los Angeles

In addition to being able to carry more programming streams, NextGen promises better pictures and improved sound quality. Users can also receive programing on mobile devices and receive additional internet content and other services.

BitPath, which is developing new data broadcasting services, led the planning process and coordinated efforts across the five television stations.

Nexstar last year said it planned to launch ATSC.3.0 broadcasting in 22 markets in 2022.

The company pointed to studies estimating that the services enabled by NextGen technology could generate up to $15 billion in additional broadcast revenue by 2030. ■

Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.