WASHINGTON—For the first time since Hurricane Ian hit the Gulf Coast of Florida a week ago, all of the affected region’s TV stations are back on the air, according to the FCC. Five FM stations and two AM stations, however, remain off air.
The situation has vastly improved since the commission reported 6 TV stations and 21 radio stations went off air due to the storm immediately after it hit the southwest region of the state on Sept. 28. The areas impacted include the counties of Baker, Bradford, Charlotte, Clay, Collier, Desoto, Duval, Flagler, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Highlands, Hillsborough, Lake, Lee, Manatee, Marion, Monroe, Nassau, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns, Union, Volusia.
Although power outages were the chief culprit for the stations going off air, one station, WINK-TV went off the air after having to evacuate its studios due to flooding.
Cell service has greatly improved as well as the commission reported only 3.1% of cellular service was down, compared to a high of nearly 18% on the 29th. Cell service outages are highest in Desoto (19.2%), as well as in Charlotte (13.2%) and Lee (14.5%) Counties, where Ian made direct landfall.
