WATERLOO - Station officials at KWWL hope a boost in power will help them reach viewers who had problems tuning in after the NBC affiliate switched to a digital signal.

The Waterloo-based station upped its power from 5 to 30 kilowatts starting at about 2:30 p.m. Friday, Station Manager Kim Leer said.

She added that some residents had trouble receiving the digital broadcasts following the digital upgrade in February, which included moving from the UHF to the VHF band.

Leer said even with the increased power, viewers have to use antennas capable of picking up VHF signals.

"If the people still don't have the right antenna, it's still not going to work," Leer said.

She noted that other area stations will soon switch to the VHF band and some will remain on UHF, so she recommends getting antennas that handle both.

Residents also need to "rescan" their television sets to pick up KWWL.

"If they try again and don't get us, we invite them to give us call," Leer said.

The station's switchboard number is (319) 291-1200.

Contact Jeff Reinitz at (319) 291-1578 or jeff.reinitz@wcfcourier.com.