Freeview changes may mean a retune is needed

Freeview have said if you are missing channels it could be due to recent changes by the provider.

The issue could affect people in north east Wales, and into north west England, and will have surfaced in the last few days.

The work has been described as “Maintenance and development of terrestrial TV services sometimes require engineering work on transmitters”, and surrounds the move to free up some frequencies for use by mobile broadband services and is a rolling programme throughout this year in the UK.

To restore the channels you may need to retune your TV, however there have been reports that some channels have not returned despite the retune process taking place, and others saying they have lost a large amount of previously accessible channels. There does not appear to be a fix aside from suggestions to choose a different area if possible, and retune again.

Freeview have said that retuning is a “normal part of Freeview and most viewers find this straightforward” , adding “Information and advice on retuning Freeview equipment, including video guides for some of the most popular brands, is available on our website.”

“Anyone who needs extra help, or who finds they are still missing channels after retuning, can contact the advice line free on 0808 100 0288, where our team will be happy to help”, although their website notes

There is also the ongoing Wales v England media battle with many in the area consuming information from England and therefore oblivious via TV news to what is going on in Wales – more important than ever before with the pandemic and health being devolved.

Often during a retune you get the option of which transmitter or area to receive, and people can then decide between options including Winter Hill / The Wrekin / Long Mountain / Moel y Parc / Rhos .

(Top image – an old picture of the Rhos transmitter)