Channel 1
Encyclopedia
In North America
, channel 1 is a former broadcast
(over-the-air
) television channel
. During the experimental era of TV operation Channel 1 moved around the lower VHF spectrum, swapping places with an early allocation for the FM broadcast band
. Shared use between land mobile and television broadcasters was eventually found to be unworkable in this range, so in 1948 the FCC reallocated the channel's freqeuncy range for public safety
and Amateur Radio 6m band use.
In 1940, the FCC reassigned 44–50 MHz to the FM broadcast band
. Television's channel 1 frequency range was moved to 50–56 MHz (see table below). Experimental television stations in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles were affected.
Commercial TV allocations were made by the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) under the NTSC system on July 1, 1941. Channel 1 was located at 50-56 MHz, with visual carrier at 51.25 MHz and aural carrier at 55.75 MHz. At the same time, the spectrum from 42 to 50 MHz was allocated to FM radio. Several commercial and experimental television stations operated on the 50-56 MHz Channel 1 between 1941 and 1946, including one station, WNBT
in New York
, which had a full commercial operating license.
In the first postwar allocation in the spring of 1946, Channel 1 was moved back to 44–50 MHz, with visual at 45.25 MHz and aural at 49.75 MHz. FM was moved to its current 88-108 MHz band. But WNBT and all other existing stations were moved to other channels, because the final Channel 1 was reserved for low power community stations covering a limited area. While a handful of construction permits were issued for this final version of Channel 1, no station ever actually broadcast on it before it was removed from use in 1948.
When the FCC initially allocated
broadcast television frequencies, channel 1 was logically the first channel. These U.S. TV stations originally broadcast on the 50-56 MHz channel 1
By September 1945, additional stations temporarily granted construction permits to operate on channel one included:
See also list of experimental television stations for additional channel one pioneers.
channels, the FCC decided to reserve channel 1 for low-power Community television
stations, and moved existing channel 1 stations to higher frequencies. Community television stations covered smaller cities and were allowed to use less radiated power. None of these stations were built before the FCC imposed a freeze on all television station construction permits in mid-1948, and removed the channel one allocations.
was needed for television broadcasting. Except for select VHF frequencies in Alaska and Hawaii (and some overseas territories) the FCC-administered VHF band is primarily allocated for television broadcasting to this day.
The FCC in May 1948 formally changed the rules on TV band allocations based on propagation knowledge gained during the era of shared-user allocations. The 44-50 MHz band used by Channel 1 was replaced by lower-power narrowband users.
Channel 1 was reassigned to fixed and mobile services (44-50 MHz) in order to end their former shared use of other VHF TV frequencies. Rather than renumber
the TV channel table, it was decided to merely remove Channel 1 from the table.
Military LMR. Used by the military services for tactical and training operations on a non-interference basis. (Band is otherwise non-government exclusive).
Experimental. Research is performed in various regions of the atmosphere as well as experimental development of portable space orbital debris ground radars.
Military LMR. This band is used primarily for tactical and training operations by U.S. military units for combat net radio operations that provide command and control for combat, combat support, and combat service support units. Frequencies also used for air-to-ground communications for military close air support requirements as well as some other tactical air-ground and air-air communications.
did not start regular television broadcasts until after the US had decommissioned Channel 1 (44-50 MHz) for television use; CBFT
and CBLT signed on in 1952. This TV channel was never used in Latin America
, South Korea
and the Philippines
as TV broadcasting did not start in these areas until the 1950s.
Most cable systems use frequencies below 54 MHz (VHF TV 2) for communication back to the cable provider from cable modem
s and digital apparatus, so any "Cable 1" channel needs to avoid operation on the original VHF Channel 1 frequencies from the pre-1948 bandplans. As such, "cable 1" is not related to the original 44-50 MHz VHF channel except in name. It operates always at some higher frequency - often with channels 00 and 01 merely aliased to 98/99 or 100/101.
HRC and IRC systems increase the spacing between channels 4 and 5 to a non-standard 6 MHz, inserting "cable 1" between channels four and five. This non-standard spacing is rarely-used, is not compatible with all television receivers and has the effect of pushing channel six partially into the FM broadcast band
.
(608 to 614 MHz), which is reserved for radio astronomy
. It remains on TV sets and tuners. There are a few Channel 37 stations operating in countries such as the Dominican Republic and Trinidad & Tobago.
Other channels have been removed and reassigned as well, but only from the higher UHF bands. Channels 14
to 83
(sans 37), from 470 to 890 MHz, were originally added by the FCC in 1952 for the rapidly-expanding TV service in the United States. In 1983, channels 70 to 83 (806 to 890 MHz) were removed for AMPS
mobile phone
services (leading to one side of some conversations being heard on older TV sets on those channels). On June 12, 2009, channels 52 to 69 (698 to 806 MHz) were removed and will be reallocated for other uses. These same channels were reallocated in Canada on August 31, 2011. In South Korea and the Philippines, Channels 60
to 69
are no longer used. In Brazil, these channels are used only for linking (it will be phased out in the future or government-based networks. :pt:Anexo:Lista de canais da televisão digital brasileira#São Paulo 2
In Europe
, other recently abandoned TV channels are being used for DAB
digital radio
, in VHF band III
.
would be limited to the current channels Channel 2
through 51, so that another 18 channels (Channels 52 to 69, 698 to 806 MHz) could be auctioned for private use by mobile phone
and wireless network providers; four of the channels were to be reserved for emergency services such as police radios. Renumbering in this case is not relevant, as virtual channel
s can maintain the original analog TV station brand number, despite the fact that the station actually transmits
on another channel.
standard allows for a major virtual channel
number from 1 - 99, followed by a separator ('.' or '-') and a digital subchannel
number from 1 - 99 (for broadcast TV) or 1 - 999 (datacasting
or cable TV). As such, it does not preclude the creation of a virtual channel 1.1 or a virtual channel 37.1
:
However, the specification does not define any criteria to determine whom (if anyone) could ultimately be assigned the 1.1 virtual channel series for over-the-air broadcast in a local community; it merely defines a procedure to allocate virtual channels 02-69 based on holders of the corresponding (former) analogue NTSC licenses and designates virtual channels 70-99 for possible use to carry additional, unrelated programming via the facilities of these same broadcasters. (99 was used briefly by the now-defunct USDTV
, for instance, although such applications are rare.)
KAXT-LD San José, California
has requested that the Federal Communications Commission
permit its use of digital virtual channel 1.x effective September 1, 2009 on technical grounds, asserting that existing virtual channel numbering (22.x) conflicted with that employed by educational broadcaster
KRCB
Cotati
.
channel numbering is at the discretion of the cable system operator. North American cable television frequencies
(analog System M) include a formally defined and allocated Channel 1. Cable TV's use of Channel 1 is rare and its frequency assignment is sometimes inconsistent.
Digital cable
subscribers in many areas, such as those serviced by Comcast
and Charter Communications
, can find video on demand
content at Channel 1. The TV Guide Network is also often found on a cable system's Channel 1.
Cable subscribers in the New York
area receive local news channel NY1
on channel one (actually 101), served by Time Warner Cable
and Cablevision. The physical channel number is 10, but converter boxes convert to channel one. Rapid City, South Dakota
NBC affiliate KNBN
has also used a "channel one" brand and logo, based on its former cable converter channel position (over-the-air, KNBN is UHF
channel 21).
chanel assigments depend on the receiver. Most FTA receiver
s will by default assign the first channel located during an initial signal scan as "Channel 0001" while package receivers sold by individual pay-TV providers will often use the SID, a virtual identifier sent as part of the satellite signal, as a channel number.
The original Dish Network
DishPlayer PVR
(model 7100/7200) displayed a PTV Services menu listing recorded videos and upcoming scheduled recordings if tuned to channel 1. This menu is internal to the personal video recorder and does not correspond to a broadcast signal.
ese public broadcaster NHK
General TV
broadcasts on Channel 1 in Tokyo
and other cities. The Japanese Channel 1 is assigned to the frequency 90 to 96 MHz, just above the Japanese FM band which is 76 to 90 MHz. Frequencies corresponding to Japan's channel 1 through 3 (90-108 MHz) are used primarily for FM radio broadcasting (88-108 MHz) outside Japan and correspond to cable 95-97
in North America.
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, channel 1 is a former broadcast
Broadcasting
Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and video content to a dispersed audience via any audio visual medium. Receiving parties may include the general public or a relatively large subset of thereof...
(over-the-air
Terrestrial television
Terrestrial television is a mode of television broadcasting which does not involve satellite transmission or cables — typically using radio waves through transmitting and receiving antennas or television antenna aerials...
) television channel
Television channel
A television channel is a physical or virtual channel over which a television station or television network is distributed. For example, in North America, "channel 2" refers to the broadcast or cable band of 54 to 60 MHz, with carrier frequencies of 55.25 MHz for NTSC analog video and...
. During the experimental era of TV operation Channel 1 moved around the lower VHF spectrum, swapping places with an early allocation for the FM broadcast band
FM broadcast band
The FM broadcast band, used for FM broadcast radio by radio stations, differs between different parts of the world. In Europe and Africa , it spans from 87.5 to 108.0 megahertz , while in America it goes only from 88.0 to 108.0 MHz. The FM broadcast band in Japan uses 76.0 to 90 MHz...
. Shared use between land mobile and television broadcasters was eventually found to be unworkable in this range, so in 1948 the FCC reallocated the channel's freqeuncy range for public safety
Public Safety
Public safety involves the prevention of and protection from events that could endanger the safety of the general public from significant danger, injury/harm, or damage, such as crimes or disasters .-See also:* By nation...
and Amateur Radio 6m band use.
History
Channel 1 was allocated at 44-50 MHz between 1937 and 1940. Visual and aural carrier frequencies within the channel fluctuated with changes in overall TV broadcast standards prior to the establishment of permanent standards by the National Television Systems Committee.In 1940, the FCC reassigned 44–50 MHz to the FM broadcast band
FM broadcast band
The FM broadcast band, used for FM broadcast radio by radio stations, differs between different parts of the world. In Europe and Africa , it spans from 87.5 to 108.0 megahertz , while in America it goes only from 88.0 to 108.0 MHz. The FM broadcast band in Japan uses 76.0 to 90 MHz...
. Television's channel 1 frequency range was moved to 50–56 MHz (see table below). Experimental television stations in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles were affected.
Commercial TV allocations were made by the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
(FCC) under the NTSC system on July 1, 1941. Channel 1 was located at 50-56 MHz, with visual carrier at 51.25 MHz and aural carrier at 55.75 MHz. At the same time, the spectrum from 42 to 50 MHz was allocated to FM radio. Several commercial and experimental television stations operated on the 50-56 MHz Channel 1 between 1941 and 1946, including one station, WNBT
WNBC
WNBC, virtual channel 4 , is the flagship station of the NBC television network, located in New York City. WNBC's studios are co-located with NBC corporate headquarters at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in midtown Manhattan...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, which had a full commercial operating license.
In the first postwar allocation in the spring of 1946, Channel 1 was moved back to 44–50 MHz, with visual at 45.25 MHz and aural at 49.75 MHz. FM was moved to its current 88-108 MHz band. But WNBT and all other existing stations were moved to other channels, because the final Channel 1 was reserved for low power community stations covering a limited area. While a handful of construction permits were issued for this final version of Channel 1, no station ever actually broadcast on it before it was removed from use in 1948.
When the FCC initially allocated
Frequency allocation
Use of radio frequency bands of the electromagnetic spectrum is regulated by governments in most countries, in a Spectrum management process known as frequency allocation or spectrum allocation. Radio propagation does not stop at national boundaries...
broadcast television frequencies, channel 1 was logically the first channel. These U.S. TV stations originally broadcast on the 50-56 MHz channel 1
- W2XBS/WNBT (today's WNBCWNBCWNBC, virtual channel 4 , is the flagship station of the NBC television network, located in New York City. WNBC's studios are co-located with NBC corporate headquarters at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in midtown Manhattan...
), New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
(1941–1946), reassigned in 1946 to channel 4; - W6XAO/KTSL (today's KCBS-TVKCBS-TVKCBS-TV, channel 2, is an owned-and-operated television station of the CBS Television Network, located in Los Angeles, California. KCBS-TV shares its offices and studio facilities with sister station KCAL-TV inside CBS Studio Center in the Studio City section of Los Angeles, and its transmitter...
), Los AngelesLos ÁngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, reassigned post-war to channel 2; - W9XZV ChicagoChicagoChicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, 1939–1945?; Zenith'sZenith ElectronicsZenith Electronics Corporation is a brand of the South Korean company LG Electronics. The company was previously an American manufacturer of televisions and other consumer electronics, and was headquartered in Lincolnshire, Illinois. LG Electronics acquired a controlling share of Zenith in 1995...
experimental station, billed as the first all-electric TV station in 1939. Later moved to Channel 2, it broadcast an early form of monochrome pay-TV in 1951 as K2XBS PhonevisionPhonevisionPhonevision was a project by Zenith Radio Company to create the world's first pay television system. It was developed and first launched in Chicago, followed by further trials in New York City and Hartford, Connecticut.- History :...
and conducted early color televisionNTSCNTSC, named for the National Television System Committee, is the analog television system that is used in most of North America, most of South America , Burma, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, and some Pacific island nations and territories .Most countries using the NTSC standard, as...
experiments before ultimately going darkDark (broadcasting)In the broadcasting industry, dark is a term used to describe a radio station or television station that has gone off-the-air for an indefinite period of time, or as defined by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission , a "silent" station...
in 1953. Its transmitters were donated to WTTWWTTWWTTW channel 11 is one of three Public Broadcasting Service member public television stations serving the Chicago, Illinois market; the others are WYCC and WYIN. WTTW began broadcasting on September 6, 1955 and it is owned and operated by Window to the World Communications, Inc., a not-for-profit...
(PBSPublic Broadcasting ServiceThe Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
11 Chicago) and its channel 2 assignment was taken by CBSCBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
O&OOwned-and-operated stationIn the broadcasting industry , an owned-and-operated station usually refers to a television station or radio station that is owned by the network with which it is associated...
WBBM-TVWBBM-TVWBBM-TV, virtual channel 2 , is the CBS owned-and-operated television station in Chicago, Illinois. WBBM-TV's main studios and offices are located in The Loop section of Chicago, as part of the development at Block 37, and its transmitter is atop the Willis Tower.-History:WBBM-TV traces its history...
. - KARO, RiversideRiverside, CaliforniaRiverside is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, and the county seat of the eponymous county. Named for its location beside the Santa Ana River, it is the largest city in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area of Southern California, 4th largest inland California...
, CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
; never began broadcasting, no current VHF allocation; - WSBE, South Bend, IndianaIndianaIndiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
; never began broadcasting on channel 1, but was relicensed as WSBT-TVWSBT-TVWSBT-TV, channel 22 is a television station in South Bend, Indiana. WSBT is the flagship television station of Schurz Communications, and is an affiliate of the CBS television network. It's studios are located in Mishawaka. Its transmitter is located in South Bend.-Early broadcasting:WSBT-TV first...
in 1952 on UHF channel 22. WSBT-TV remains as a digitalDigital televisionDigital television is the transmission of audio and video by digital signals, in contrast to the analog signals used by analog TV...
CBS affiliateNetwork affiliateIn the broadcasting industry , a network affiliate is a local broadcaster which carries some or all of the television program or radio program line-up of a television or radio network, but is owned by a company other than the owner of the network...
on this frequency today. Ultimately, no full-service VHF TV allocations would be available to South Bend due to its proximity to ChicagoChicagoChicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, making the city a UHF island.
By September 1945, additional stations temporarily granted construction permits to operate on channel one included:
- W8XCT (WLWWLWWLW is a clear channel talk radio station located in Cincinnati, Ohio, run by Clear Channel Communications. The station broadcasts locally on 700 kHz AM...
) Cincinnati, OhioOhioOhio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
ultimately built on channel 4 as commercial station WLWTWLWTWLWT, virtual channel 5 , is an NBC-affiliated television station in Cincinnati, Ohio, the station is owned by Hearst Television...
, later moved to channel 5. - W9RUI Iowa City, IowaIowaIowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
held an unbuilt construction permit, - W8XGZ CharlestonCharleston, West VirginiaCharleston is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is located at the confluence of the Elk and Kanawha Rivers in Kanawha County. As of the 2010 census, it has a population of 51,400, and its metropolitan area 304,214. It is the county seat of Kanawha County.Early...
, West VirginiaWest VirginiaWest Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
, licensed to a chemical company, also held a channel one construction permit; there is no indication the stations ever got on the air.
See also list of experimental television stations for additional channel one pioneers.
Community television
In 1946, prior to cable TV and the invention of Public-access televisionPublic-access television
Public-access television is a form of non-commercial mass media where ordinary people can create content television programming which is cablecast through cable TV specialty channels...
channels, the FCC decided to reserve channel 1 for low-power Community television
Community television
Australia's Community Television is a form of Citizen media much like Public Access Television in the United States and the Community Channel in Canada...
stations, and moved existing channel 1 stations to higher frequencies. Community television stations covered smaller cities and were allowed to use less radiated power. None of these stations were built before the FCC imposed a freeze on all television station construction permits in mid-1948, and removed the channel one allocations.
A shared (non-primary) allocation
From 1945 to 1948 TV stations in the U.S. shared Channel 1 and other channels with fixed and mobile services. The FCC decided in 1948 that a primary (non-shared) allocation of the VHF radio spectrumRadio spectrum
Radio spectrum refers to the part of the electromagnetic spectrum corresponding to radio frequencies – that is, frequencies lower than around 300 GHz ....
was needed for television broadcasting. Except for select VHF frequencies in Alaska and Hawaii (and some overseas territories) the FCC-administered VHF band is primarily allocated for television broadcasting to this day.
The FCC in May 1948 formally changed the rules on TV band allocations based on propagation knowledge gained during the era of shared-user allocations. The 44-50 MHz band used by Channel 1 was replaced by lower-power narrowband users.
Channel 1 was reassigned to fixed and mobile services (44-50 MHz) in order to end their former shared use of other VHF TV frequencies. Rather than renumber
Numbering scheme
There are many different numbering schemes for assigning nominal numbers to entities. These generally require an agreed set of rules, or a central coordinator. The schemes can be considered to be examples of a primary key of a database management system table, whose table definitions require a...
the TV channel table, it was decided to merely remove Channel 1 from the table.
Modern allocations 43-50 MHZ
As of September 2000, the Federal Spectrum Use of the band was as follows:- 43.69-46.6 Non-Military Land Mobile Radio (LMR). Primarily used by Federal agencies for mutual aid response with local communities.
Military LMR. Used by the military services for tactical and training operations on a non-interference basis. (Band is otherwise non-government exclusive).
- 46.6- 47 Govt. FIXED MOBILE Allocation:
Non-Military LMR. Extensive use of this band is for contingency response to various national disasters. Others uses are for national resources management, law enforcement, tornado tracking, and various meteorological research support.
Military LMR. This band is used primarily for tactical and training operations by U.S. military units for combat net radio operations that provide command and control for combat, combat support, and combat service support units. Frequencies also used for air-to-ground communications for military close air support requirements as well as some other tactical air-ground and air-air communications.
- 47- 49.6 Experimental: Used for experimental research to observe and measure currents in harbor areas in support of vessel safety.
Military LMR. Used by the military services for tactical and training operations on a non-interference basis. (Band is otherwise non-government exclusive).
- 49.6- 50 Govt. FIXED MOBILE Allocation:
Non-Military LMR. This band is used extensively to support contingencies or naturalecological emergencies, some public safety requirements, MARS system, and air-quality measurements.
Experimental. Research is performed in various regions of the atmosphere as well as experimental development of portable space orbital debris ground radars.
Military LMR. This band is used primarily for tactical and training operations by U.S. military units for combat net radio operations that provide command and control for combat, combat support, and combat service support units. Frequencies also used for air-to-ground communications for military close air support requirements as well as some other tactical air-ground and air-air communications.
Channel 1 in other NTSC using countries
CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
did not start regular television broadcasts until after the US had decommissioned Channel 1 (44-50 MHz) for television use; CBFT
CBFT
CBFT is the flagship station of Télévision de Radio-Canada, the French language television network of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Its studios and master control are located at Maison Radio-Canada in Montreal....
and CBLT signed on in 1952. This TV channel was never used in Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
and the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
as TV broadcasting did not start in these areas until the 1950s.
Historic US FCC allocation of VHF band
| Channel | 1938–1940 | 1940–1946 | 1946–1948 | since 1948 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lower edge | Upper edge | Lower edge | Upper edge | Lower edge | Upper edge | Lower edge | Upper edge | |
| 1 | 44 | 50 | 50 | 56 | 44 | 50 | ||
| 2 | 50 | 56 | 60 | 66 | 54 | 60 | 54 | 60 |
| 3 | 66 | 72 | 66 | 72 | 60 | 66 | 60 | 66 |
| 4 | 78 | 84 | 78 | 84 | 66 | 72 | 66 | 72 |
| 5 | 84 | 90 | 84 | 90 | 76 | 82 | 76 | 82 |
| 6 | 96 | 102 | 96 | 102 | 82 | 88 | 82 | 88 |
| 7 | 102 | 108 | 102 | 108 | 174 | 180 | 174 | 180 |
| 8 | 156 | 162 | 162 | 168 | 180 | 186 | 180 | 186 |
| 9 | 162 | 168 | 180 | 186 | 186 | 192 | 186 | 192 |
| 10 | 180 | 186 | 186 | 192 | 192 | 198 | 192 | 198 |
| 11 | 186 | 192 | 204 | 210 | 198 | 204 | 198 | 204 |
| 12 | 204 | 210 | 210 | 216 | 204 | 210 | 204 | 210 |
| 13 | 210 | 216 | 230 | 236 | 210 | 216 | 210 | 216 |
| 14 | 234 | 240 | 236 | 242 | ||||
| 15 | 240 | 246 | 258 | 264 | ||||
| 16 | 258 | 264 | 264 | 270 | ||||
| 17 | 264 | 270 | 282 | 288 | ||||
| 18 | 282 | 288 | 288 | 294 | ||||
| 19 | 288 | 294 | ||||||
Cable television interference issues
The use of 45.75 MHz as an intermediate frequency within television receivers became commonplace after UHF reception became an option in 1953. Channel 1's signal on this frequency (over the air, or on analogue cable) could create interference internally within TV's.Most cable systems use frequencies below 54 MHz (VHF TV 2) for communication back to the cable provider from cable modem
Cable modem
A cable modem is a type of network bridge and modem that provides bi-directional data communication via radio frequency channels on a HFC and RFoG infrastructure. Cable modems are primarily used to deliver broadband Internet access in the form of cable Internet, taking advantage of the high...
s and digital apparatus, so any "Cable 1" channel needs to avoid operation on the original VHF Channel 1 frequencies from the pre-1948 bandplans. As such, "cable 1" is not related to the original 44-50 MHz VHF channel except in name. It operates always at some higher frequency - often with channels 00 and 01 merely aliased to 98/99 or 100/101.
HRC and IRC systems increase the spacing between channels 4 and 5 to a non-standard 6 MHz, inserting "cable 1" between channels four and five. This non-standard spacing is rarely-used, is not compatible with all television receivers and has the effect of pushing channel six partially into the FM broadcast band
FM broadcasting
FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...
.
Other reassigned channels
Channel 1 is not the only "missing" channel. In most countries, no stations are assigned to UHF Channel 37Channel 37
Channel 37 is an unused television channel in countries using the M and N broadcast television system standards. Channel 37 occupies a band of UHF frequencies from 608 to 614 MHz, frequencies that are particularly important to radio astronomy...
(608 to 614 MHz), which is reserved for radio astronomy
Radio astronomy
Radio astronomy is a subfield of astronomy that studies celestial objects at radio frequencies. The initial detection of radio waves from an astronomical object was made in the 1930s, when Karl Jansky observed radiation coming from the Milky Way. Subsequent observations have identified a number of...
. It remains on TV sets and tuners. There are a few Channel 37 stations operating in countries such as the Dominican Republic and Trinidad & Tobago.
Other channels have been removed and reassigned as well, but only from the higher UHF bands. Channels 14
Channel 14
Channel 14 refers to several television stations:*Channel 14, Lithuania...
to 83
Channel 83
Channel 83 was removed from television use in 1983. The highest frequency to have been used for NTSC-M terrestrial TV broadcasting, it was formerly used by a handful of television stations in North America which broadcast on 884-890 MHz...
(sans 37), from 470 to 890 MHz, were originally added by the FCC in 1952 for the rapidly-expanding TV service in the United States. In 1983, channels 70 to 83 (806 to 890 MHz) were removed for AMPS
Advanced Mobile Phone System
Advanced Mobile Phone System was an analog mobile phone system standard developed by Bell Labs, and officially introduced in the Americas in 1983, Israel in 1986, and Australia in 1987. It was the primary analog mobile phone system in North America through the 1980s and into the 2000s...
mobile phone
Mobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
services (leading to one side of some conversations being heard on older TV sets on those channels). On June 12, 2009, channels 52 to 69 (698 to 806 MHz) were removed and will be reallocated for other uses. These same channels were reallocated in Canada on August 31, 2011. In South Korea and the Philippines, Channels 60
Channel 60
Channel 60 refers to several television stations:...
to 69
Channel 69
Channel 69 refers to several television stations:...
are no longer used. In Brazil, these channels are used only for linking (it will be phased out in the future or government-based networks. :pt:Anexo:Lista de canais da televisão digital brasileira#São Paulo 2
In Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, other recently abandoned TV channels are being used for DAB
Digital audio broadcasting
Digital Audio Broadcasting is a digital radio technology for broadcasting radio stations, used in several countries, particularly in Europe. As of 2006, approximately 1,000 stations worldwide broadcast in the DAB format....
digital radio
Digital radio
Digital radio has several meanings:1. Today the most common meaning is digital radio broadcasting technologies, such as the digital audio broadcasting system, also known as Eureka 147. In these systems, the analog audio signal is digitized into zeros and ones, compressed using formats such as...
, in VHF band III
Band III
Band III is the name of a radio frequency range within the very high frequency part of the electromagnetic spectrum.Band III ranges from 174 to 230 MHz, and it is primarily used for radio and television broadcasting...
.
Current uses
In the 1990s, it was decided that digital televisionDigital television
Digital television is the transmission of audio and video by digital signals, in contrast to the analog signals used by analog TV...
would be limited to the current channels Channel 2
North American broadcast television frequencies
The North American broadcast television frequencies are on designated television channels numbered 2 through 69, approximately between 54 and 806 MHz. Traditionally, the frequencies are divided into two sections, the very high frequency band and the ultra high frequency band. The VHF band is...
through 51, so that another 18 channels (Channels 52 to 69, 698 to 806 MHz) could be auctioned for private use by mobile phone
Mobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
and wireless network providers; four of the channels were to be reserved for emergency services such as police radios. Renumbering in this case is not relevant, as virtual channel
Virtual channel
In telecommunications, a logical channel number , also known as virtual channel, is a channel designation which differs from that of the actual radio channel on which the signal travels....
s can maintain the original analog TV station brand number, despite the fact that the station actually transmits
Transmission (telecommunications)
Transmission, in telecommunications, is the process of sending, propagating and receiving an analogue or digital information signal over a physical point-to-point or point-to-multipoint transmission medium, either wired, optical fiber or wireless...
on another channel.
Digital TV
The ATSCATSC
ATSC standards are a set of standards developed by the Advanced Television Systems Committee for digital television transmission over terrestrial, cable, and satellite networks....
standard allows for a major virtual channel
Virtual channel
In telecommunications, a logical channel number , also known as virtual channel, is a channel designation which differs from that of the actual radio channel on which the signal travels....
number from 1 - 99, followed by a separator ('.' or '-') and a digital subchannel
Digital subchannel
In broadcasting, digital subchannels are a means to transmit more than one independent program at the same time from the same digital radio or digital television station on the same radio frequency channel. This is done by using data compression techniques to reduce the size of each individual...
number from 1 - 99 (for broadcast TV) or 1 - 999 (datacasting
Datacasting
Datacasting is the broadcasting of data over a wide area via radio waves. It most often refers to supplemental information sent by television stations along with digital television, but may also be applied to digital signals on analog TV or radio...
or cable TV). As such, it does not preclude the creation of a virtual channel 1.1 or a virtual channel 37.1
Channel 37
Channel 37 is an unused television channel in countries using the M and N broadcast television system standards. Channel 37 occupies a band of UHF frequencies from 608 to 614 MHz, frequencies that are particularly important to radio astronomy...
:
- "The major_channel_number shall be between 1 and 99. The value of major_channel_number shall be set such that in no case is a major_channel_number / minor_channel_number pair duplicated within the TVCT."
However, the specification does not define any criteria to determine whom (if anyone) could ultimately be assigned the 1.1 virtual channel series for over-the-air broadcast in a local community; it merely defines a procedure to allocate virtual channels 02-69 based on holders of the corresponding (former) analogue NTSC licenses and designates virtual channels 70-99 for possible use to carry additional, unrelated programming via the facilities of these same broadcasters. (99 was used briefly by the now-defunct USDTV
USDTV
USDTV, an acronym for U.S. Digital Television, was an over-the-air, pay television service in the United States. Based in Draper, Utah near Salt Lake City, it was founded in 2003 and started service there in 2004...
, for instance, although such applications are rare.)
KAXT-LD San José, California
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
has requested that the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
permit its use of digital virtual channel 1.x effective September 1, 2009 on technical grounds, asserting that existing virtual channel numbering (22.x) conflicted with that employed by educational broadcaster
Educational television
Educational television is the use of television programs in the field of distance education. It may be in the form of individual television programs or dedicated specialty channels that is often associated with cable television in the United States as Public, educational, and government access ...
KRCB
KRCB
KRCB is a Sonoma County Public television station, broadcasting on UHF Channel 23, and public radio station, broadcasting at 91.1 MHz FM.-Television:KRCB first went on the air December 2, 1983, with a broadcast of the PBS show NOVA...
Cotati
Cotati, California
Cotati is an incorporated city in Sonoma County, California, U.S.A., located about north of San Francisco in the 101 corridor between Rohnert Park and Petaluma....
.
Cable TV
Cable televisionCable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
channel numbering is at the discretion of the cable system operator. North American cable television frequencies
North American cable television frequencies
In North American cable TV networks, the radio frequencies used to carry signals to the customer are allocated to standardarized channel numbers listed in the CEA standard 542. Cable channel frequencies are generally different from off-air broadcast frequencies...
(analog System M) include a formally defined and allocated Channel 1. Cable TV's use of Channel 1 is rare and its frequency assignment is sometimes inconsistent.
Digital cable
Digital cable
Digital cable is a generic term for any type of cable television distribution using digital video compression or distribution. The technology was originally developed by Motorola.-Background:...
subscribers in many areas, such as those serviced by Comcast
Comcast
Comcast Corporation is the largest cable operator, home Internet service provider, and fourth largest home telephone service provider in the United States, providing cable television, broadband Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers in 39 states and the...
and Charter Communications
Charter Communications
Charter Communications is an American company providing cable television, high-speed Internet, and telephone services to more than 4.7 million customers in 25 states. By revenues, it is the fourth-largest cable operator in the United States, behind Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Cox Communications...
, can find video on demand
Video on demand
Video on Demand or Audio and Video On Demand are systems which allow users to select and watch/listen to video or audio content on demand...
content at Channel 1. The TV Guide Network is also often found on a cable system's Channel 1.
Cable subscribers in the New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
area receive local news channel NY1
NY1
NY1, New York One, is a 24-hour cable-news television channel focusing on the five boroughs of New York City. In addition to news and weather forecasts, the channel also features human-interest segments such as the "New Yorker of the Week" and the "Scholar Athlete of the Week", and specialty...
on channel one (actually 101), served by Time Warner Cable
Time Warner Cable
Time Warner Cable is an American cable television company that operates in 28 states and has 31 operating divisions...
and Cablevision. The physical channel number is 10, but converter boxes convert to channel one. Rapid City, South Dakota
Rapid City, South Dakota
Rapid City is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of South Dakota, and the county seat of Pennington County. Named after Rapid Creek on which the city is established, it is set against the eastern slope of the Black Hills mountain range. The population was 67,956 as of the 2010 Census. Rapid...
NBC affiliate KNBN
KNBN
KNBN, channel 21, is the NBC affiliate in Rapid City, South Dakota. It is owned by Rapid Broadcasting, and is also the sister station to KWBH-LP...
has also used a "channel one" brand and logo, based on its former cable converter channel position (over-the-air, KNBN is UHF
Ultra high frequency
Ultra-High Frequency designates the ITU Radio frequency range of electromagnetic waves between 300 MHz and 3 GHz , also known as the decimetre band or decimetre wave as the wavelengths range from one to ten decimetres...
channel 21).
Satellite TV
Satellite televisionSatellite television
Satellite television is television programming delivered by the means of communications satellite and received by an outdoor antenna, usually a parabolic mirror generally referred to as a satellite dish, and as far as household usage is concerned, a satellite receiver either in the form of an...
chanel assigments depend on the receiver. Most FTA receiver
FTA Receiver
A free-to-air or FTA Receiver is a satellite television receiver designed to receive unencrypted broadcasts. Modern decoders are typically compliant with the MPEG-2/DVB-S and more recently the MPEG-4/DVB-S2 standard for digital television, while older FTA receivers relied on analog satellite...
s will by default assign the first channel located during an initial signal scan as "Channel 0001" while package receivers sold by individual pay-TV providers will often use the SID, a virtual identifier sent as part of the satellite signal, as a channel number.
The original Dish Network
Dish Network
Dish Network Corporation is the second largest pay TV provider in the United States, providing direct broadcast satellite service—including satellite television, audio programming, and interactive television services—to 14.337 million commercial and residential customers in the United States. Dish...
DishPlayer PVR
Digital video recorder
A digital video recorder , sometimes referred to by the merchandising term personal video recorder , is a consumer electronics device or application software that records video in a digital format to a disk drive, USB flash drive, SD memory card or other local or networked mass storage device...
(model 7100/7200) displayed a PTV Services menu listing recorded videos and upcoming scheduled recordings if tuned to channel 1. This menu is internal to the personal video recorder and does not correspond to a broadcast signal.
NTSC-J
JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese public broadcaster NHK
NHK
NHK is Japan's national public broadcasting organization. NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee....
General TV
NHK General TV
is the main television service of NHK . It shows news, drama, quiz/variety shows, music, sports, anime and specials which directly compete with its commercial counterparts. It is well known for its nightly newscasts, regular documentary specials and popular historical dramas...
broadcasts on Channel 1 in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
and other cities. The Japanese Channel 1 is assigned to the frequency 90 to 96 MHz, just above the Japanese FM band which is 76 to 90 MHz. Frequencies corresponding to Japan's channel 1 through 3 (90-108 MHz) are used primarily for FM radio broadcasting (88-108 MHz) outside Japan and correspond to cable 95-97
Cable converter box
A cable converter box or television converter box is an electronic tuning device that transposes/converts any of the available channels from a cable television service to an analog RF signal on a single channel, usually VHF channel 3 or 4. The device allows a television set that is not “cable...
in North America.
External links
- What ever happened to Channel 1? - J. W. Reiser, based on a Radio-ElectronicsRadio-ElectronicsRadio-Electronics was an American electronics magazine that was published under various titles from 1929 to 2003. Hugo Gernsback started it as Radio-Craft in July 1929. The title was changed to Radio-Electronics in October 1948 and again to Electronics Now in July 1992. In January 2000 it was...
article of the same name by David A. Ferre - Why is there no Channel One on television? - Cecil Adams
- What became of Channel 1? - Jeff Miller
- What Happened to Channel 1? - Snopes.com