Charter Communications, the developer of the Spectrum platform, delivers live TV and On Demand content to over thirty-two million people in over forty-one states in the U.S. With its affordable prices, Spectrum took over a huge portion of this ever-growing market.
This over-the-top service also allows users to manage their DVR recordings, amplifying the range of TV shows subscribers can enjoy.
Alongside the almost infinite content, Spectrum delivers outstanding quality of both audio and video, making binging sessions even more remarkable. Next to DirecTV and Hulu, Spectrum takes its place amongst the internet TV platforms with the most subscribers.
Nevertheless, not even a platform as excellent as Spectrum is totally free from issues. As it has been reported in many online forums and Q&A communities, there is an issue that is hindering the performance of the platform.
According to these reports, the issue causes some, or sometimes even most, channels on Spectrum to display a message that says, ‘to be announced’. The problem is that this issue is causing the ‘to be announced’ channels not to display their content, which, in turn, has brought disappointment to many users.
All Channels Say “To Be Announced” On Spectrum
Should you be experiencing the same issue as the users who reported it, bear with us as we walk you through how to get rid of this issue and enjoy all the outstanding content Spectrum TV can offer.
So, without further ado, here is what you can attempt to get rid of this issue without any risk of harming your equipment.
- Is The Signal Coming Through?
First things first, the most probable cause of the issue might be the lack of signal reception by the HD box. Should this happen, the device will not have enough signal strength to decode and transmit to the TV screen.
So, the first thing you want to do is check if the signal is being properly transmitted by Spectrum servers and satellites. The best way to do it is to contact their customer support and enquire about the status of the signal transmission.
Should there be any ongoing outages or any sort of obstacles hindering the distribution of the signal, Spectrum’s professionals will let you know. Also, as they will probably be fixing whatever problem is blocking the transmission of the signal, they can inform you of the estimated time for the repair.
So, before anything else, make sure to check there is nothing wrong with the signal transmission. After that, it is time to check your own equipment.
- Give Your HD Box A Reset
In the event the signal is being stopped from reaching your end, there is a good chance the issue is with your Spectrum TV HD box. So, before you start looking for possible ways to fix the alignment or even if there is some sort of equipment that could enhance the signal reception on your HD box, give it a reset.
As it has been reported by users who got rid of the ‘to be announced’ issue with Spectrum TV channels, once the device restarts, the odds the signal will go through are fairly high.
So, make sure to use this underestimated troubleshoot method and give your HD box a reset. There are two ways to reset the HD box and, although we strongly recommend the second method, it is up to you to choose.
The first way involves going to the Services menu and then the TV tab. From there you can select the option that says, ‘Experiencing Issues Options’, which will lead you to a list of options to troubleshoot your device. Amongst those options you should find the restart.
Give it a go and let the HD box do the rest. Alternatively, you can simply unplug the power cord from the power outlet. Then, wait for a minute or two, plug it back on and let your HD box perform the restarting procedures and protocols.
Although many experts do not acknowledge the reset procedure as an effective troubleshoot method, it actually is.
Not only it will allow the device to clear the cache and get rid of unnecessary temporary files, but it will also check for minor configuration errors and give the HD box a chance to resume activity from a fresh starting point.
So, go ahead and give your Spectrum TV HD box a good reset and allow it to troubleshoot all its features before continuing.
3) Give Customer Support A Call
Should you attempt both fixes and still experience the ‘to be announced’ issue with the channels on your Spectrum TV, the last thing you can do is contact their customer support.
By giving them a call, you will be told about any possible issues their servers, satellites, or any other piece of equipment might be going through. Also, should there be any sort of problems with your subscription, this is a good chance to sort them out and have your signal transmission re-established.
Thirdly, should they identify any kind of issues with the equipment on your end, you can schedule a visit and have one of Spectrum’s professionals check your devices and cables. This can come in handy, especially if you find yourself to be not all that tech-savvy when dealing with electronics.
The best thing about contacting customer support is that they will be able to give you a more permanent solution to whatever issue you might be experiencing, so, go ahead and give them a call.
The Last Word
On a final note, in the event you find out about other ways to get rid of the ‘to be announced’ issue with Spectrum TV channels, make sure to leave us a message in the comments section. By doing so, you may be helping other users to get rid of this issue and enjoy their binging sessions to the fullest.
Our original problem was the lower number channels (2-12) were “To be Announced” and a box appeared “LOCKED” Please enter your 4-digit Locks PIN. We enter our PIN and we are able to view that channel. We turned off the power for 3-4 minutes. Plugged back in and now all the channels even the higher number channels say “To be Announced” and a PIN has to be entered for any channel we switch to.
What do we do now?