The Merc reports that it will take until Oct. 20 for the stations broadcasting from Sutro to complete the work of installing new antennas at the top of the tower. Originally the work was supposed to be done this week.

“[D]uring the upgrade, many of the Sutro stations have had to broadcast at a lower power than their authorized levels because they were on interim antennas. During the daytime hours, when work was being done on the antennas at the top of the tower, stations have throttled down their power further so as to not harm workers, [tower general manager Gene] Zastrow said.

Thanks to such issues, many area viewers … have been unable to tune in stations that they previously watched. The South Bay has been affected more than many locations because signals tend to weaken the farther they have to travel and can be impeded by tall buildings or mountains.

Following the upgrades, all of the major Sutro stations will be broadcasting from the top of the tower. That’s where their older analog antennas were, but the stations have been unable to broadcast from there while those antennas were being replaced. The new antennas will also broadcast at the maximum power each station is allowed.”

If the Sutro stations still aren’t reaching the South Bay after the upgrade, it’s likely the stations will add low-power translator stations in that area.