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PBS SoCal Expands Reach for Santa Barbara County and Surrounding Regions With Two Local Broadcast Stations Bringing More Content Options and Better Signal Quality to Area

Seven PBS SoCal digital subchannels on channel 26 and channel 50 now available to Santa Barbara, Solvang, Santa Ynez, Santa Maria, Lompoc and south of San Luis Obispo offering better reception and clearer picture for viewers.
July 21, 2025

Press Contact

JP Shields
jpshields@pbssocal.org
747-201-5886

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pbssocal.org/WhereToWatch
pbssocal.org/rescan

Select programming will also be available to stream on PBS.org and the free PBS App. Members of PBS SoCal get extended access with PBS Passport.

Los Angeles, Calif. – July 21, 2025 – PBS SoCal, Southern California’s flagship PBS organization, announced today that two local broadcast stations in the Santa Barbara region — Channel 26 and Channel 50 — have been launched over the past weekend, enhancing the over-the-air viewing experience for local viewers. The change in service to the region, from one to two stations, results in better reception and clearer picture of PBS SoCal content and expands PBS SoCal’s reach while improving signal quality. Additionally, the relaunch will now bring viewers seven PBS SoCal subchannels giving viewers more opportunities to watch the programs and content they love, including:

The communities affected are Lompoc, Vandenberg Space Force Base, Solvang, Santa Ynez, Los Olivos, Santa Maria to the north, Santa Barbara, Goleta, Montecito, Summerland, Carpinteria and Ventura to the south. All those viewers who use satellite or cable services in the area to watch PBS SoCal programming will be unaffected. Streaming services are always available at pbssocal.org and on the free PBS App.

To access all of the new content options, viewers will need to rescan their TV. A channel scan is a way to update channel information stored in the receiver of your television. The rescan process takes about 5-15 minutes. Over-the-air viewers will need to follow the steps on pbssocal.org/rescan for help.

Below are the basic steps to take to rescan:

1. Make sure you have a dual-band (UHF/VHF) digital antenna connected to your TV

2. Select the MENU button on your television’s remote control

3. Select “Channel Setup” (or similar option)

4. Select “Antenna” and/or “Air”

5. Select “New Scan” (or similar option like “auto-tune,” “channel search” or “auto program”)

Channel 26 was previously used to broadcast just three PBS SoCal content sub channels — 26.1 KCET-HD (PBS SoCal Plus), 26.2 Create, and 26.3 NHK — to southern Santa Barbara County (including Montecito, Summerland and parts of Goleta). In an effort to improve viewer experience and give better, more reliable access to content in the region, PBS SoCal added a second over-the-air broadcast station (Channel 50) in the region this past weekend, giving viewers in the northern Santa Barbara area (including Solvang, Santa Ynez, Santa Maria, Lompoc and the southern area of San Luis Obispo) more additive content with a total of 7 PBS SoCal subchannels on both channels including: PBS SoCal, PBS SoCal Plus, Encore, KIDS, NHK, World and Create. 

PBS SoCal engineers have been working diligently to prepare for the transition and during a testing phase these past few months, have used 33.1-33.7 to prep for what is currently running on channels 50.1-50.7.

For more information, follow us on social at @pbssocal

About PBS SoCal

PBS SoCal uses the power of public media for good, strengthening the civic fabric of Southern California and providing our community with an essential connection to a wider world. As a local, donor/member-supported non-profit organization, PBS SoCal is available to stream on the PBS app and the PBS Kids App and reaches nearly 19M viewers across 7 Broadcast channels — including 2 primary channels, PBS SoCal and PBS SoCal Plus and 5 digital subchannels. With a commitment to make content available anytime and anywhere for free, PBS SoCal offers programming that reflects the diversity of Southern California and showcases the full schedule of beloved and trusted PBS content spanning Education, News, Environment and Arts & Culture. PBS SoCal also sparks the sharing of ideas at in-person cultural events and community conversations as well as prepares children for kindergarten and beyond by bringing bilingual, hands-on learning experiences to the community for free.

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