Project Zomboid B42 TV Schedule: Catch 06:00/12:00/18:00

Here’s the short version: treat Project Zomboid Build 42’s TV as three daily checkpoints—morning, noon, and evening—because the skill shows you care about tend to cluster there. Set alarms for a few minutes before each slot, park a working TV (or a radio) somewhere safe, and you’ll bank free XP while the rest of Knox County burns. Because Build 42 may shuffle show names/channels, I also include a 10‑minute in-game verification method so you can confirm your exact schedule. Jump to Quick-Start

Why you care (even if you hate “playing on a timer”)

TV skill shows are the closest thing Project Zomboid has to a daily login bonus that actually matters. Early levels in things like Carpentry and Cooking are painfully slow when you’re living off butter knives and bad decisions, but broadcasts (and later, VHS) let you front-load those levels so your “real” gameplay snowballs faster.

Think of it like catching the morning bus in a survival movie: miss it and you’re walking through the woods at night.

Quick-Start

1. Day 1: secure a place with a TV (any house works), close curtains, and clear the immediate area.
2. Put a watch/alarm clock on you and set three alarms: 05:55, 11:55, 17:55.
3. Be indoors and ready a minute early; turn on the TV, raise volume enough to “hear” it, and flip channels right at the hour.
4. If the grid goes down before you’re done: prioritize a generator + fuel so you can still power a TV for the remaining broadcast days.
5. If you miss broadcasts (or started late): pivot to VHS tapes and binge them safely with the right skill book read first.

Daily checkpoint table (baseline—verify on your build)

Use this as your starting routine, then confirm the exact channel/show lineup with the verification method below.

The part everyone gets wrong: “B42 schedule” vs “your B42 schedule”

If you’re searching “project zomboid b42 tv schedule,” you probably want a single table you can memorize. And even when you do have a table, different versions/mod stacks can shift what you actually see.

So here’s the veteran-magazine approach: treat the schedule as a thing you can measure once, quickly, and then never think about again.

Verify the exact Build 42 TV schedule in one in-game day (10 minutes, low stress)

Make a throwaway sandbox whose only job is “log broadcasts,” not “survive.”

• Sandbox settings: low/no zombies, starter kit if you like, and a safe spawn (any residential).
• Grab a TV (or just use the one in your spawn house).
• Use fast-forward when you’re safe indoors.
• At each checkpoint hour, scan channels and write down what actually plays.

Copy/paste this log template into a notes app:

Project Zomboid B42 TV Schedule Log (fill-in)

    Version/mods:

    Day 1
    05:55 - TV on, volume set, curtains closed
    06:00 - Channel: ______  Show: ____________________  Skill gain? (Y/N): ____
    12:00 - Channel: ______  Show: ____________________  Skill gain? (Y/N): ____
    18:00 - Channel: ______  Show: ____________________  Skill gain? (Y/N): ____
    Optional checks (09:00/21:00/etc):

    Day 2 (optional confirmation)
    06:00 - Channel: ______  Show: ____________________  Skill gain? (Y/N): ____
    12:00 - Channel: ______  Show: ____________________  Skill gain? (Y/N): ____
    18:00 - Channel: ______  Show: ____________________  Skill gain? (Y/N): ____
    

What you’re looking for isn’t “cool TV lore,” it’s two brutally practical answers:

• Which channel is the skill one in your build?
• Do the skill blocks still reliably hit the 06:00 / 12:00 / 18:00 rhythm?

Once you have that, your “schedule” becomes three alarms and a known channel—done.

Make the broadcasts pay off harder (books + timing)

If you want the XP to actually sting (in a good way), do this:

• Read the relevant skill book before your first broadcast of that skill.
• Don’t panic-read: even a partial read can help, but finishing the right tier is where the multiplier feels real.
• Pair it with downtime: eat, patch clothes, sort loot, cook, disassemble furniture—stuff you’d do at home anyway.

The electricity problem: keeping a TV alive after the grid dies

Two separate “timers” matter:

• Broadcast window: the days when the shows are still airing.
• Electricity: whether you can power a TV to receive them.

If the grid shuts off while broadcasts are still relevant in your run, a generator turns “TV schedule” from stressful to trivial.

Practical setup:

• Put the generator outside (noise), but within range of the room you’ll use.
• Stock fuel like you stock food: assume you’ll need more than you “probably” do.
• Keep a backup TV if you can; they’re not rare, but they’re annoying to replace in a hurry.

Catch-up mode: VHS tapes are your second chance

Missed the broadcasts? Started on day 12? Joined a friend’s server late? VHS is where you stop feeling punished.

Toolbox rules for safe binge-watching:

• Clear the building first. “Movie night” with a zombie in the bathroom is a classic way to die tired and confused.
• Bring snacks/water so you’re not breaking immersion every 10 minutes.
• Read the matching skill book tier first, then binge the tapes that train that skill.
• Treat it like training, not entertainment: watch, pause, do a quick productive task, watch again.

Where to look (generic, version-safe advice):

• Video stores and entertainment retail
• Bookstores and school-type buildings
• Random houses (especially living room shelves) and storage boxes

Advanced: the “I still want to loot all day” routine

If you hate being chained to base, aim for one of these compromises:

• Morning home, midday quick stop, evening home: plan your loot run as a loop, not a line.
• Stash a TV at a mid-point: if your run centers around a town strip, claim a small interior room as your noon checkpoint.
• Delegation (MP): one player becomes the schedule hawk; everyone else drops loot at base and rotates chores.

Here’s a simple “day planner” card you can keep on a second monitor:

TV Days Routine Card (baseline)
    05:30 - Food, water, sort gear
    05:55 - TV ready (curtains, volume, channel)
    06:10 - Short loot run / disassemble nearby furniture
    11:55 - Return + watch
    12:10 - Longer loot loop (plan a circle)
    17:55 - Return + watch
    18:10 - Cook, barricade, read books, prep tomorrow
    

Troubleshooting: “the TV shows nothing”

Most “broken schedule” reports are one of these:

FAQ (the stuff you’d ask a friend in Discord)

Do I have to watch the whole thing?
Generally, yes—treat it like training time. If you’re testing, log whether partial viewing gives anything in your current build.

Does a radio replace a TV?
Sometimes you can catch useful broadcasts via radio, but don’t assume it’s a 1:1 replacement for TV skill shows without testing. Use the one-day log method and write down what actually trains skills for you.

What if I’m playing with mods?
Mods can change broadcast behavior. That’s another reason the “measure once” method beats memorizing a table from somebody else’s version.

Closing thought

Old-school magazine tip: treat the TV schedule like the Saturday morning cartoons you planned your whole day around—except now it’s Carpentry XP, and the remote control is your survival plan. Once you’ve logged it once, it stops being a timer and turns into a tool.

Action Steps Recap: Set three alarms (05:55/11:55/17:55), log your exact B42 channel lineup in one test day, then commit to TV early and VHS later.

Patch-History (Collapsible)

Build/patch changes that can affect “TV schedule” answers

Date	Change Note	Impact on early-game priorities
Pre-B42 baseline	Skill-show broadcasts were widely treated as “three daily checkpoints” by the community	A simple alarm routine can be worth multiple early skill levels
TBD (Build 42 release notes)	Any changes to broadcast times, show rotation, or device UI	Re-log your schedule once per major update; don’t rely on old tables
TBD (Build 42 balance patches)	Any changes to VHS availability/XP behavior	Pivot to tapes sooner/later depending on how rewarding they are
TBD (sandbox default changes)	Any changes to electricity shutoff defaults	Generator priority may move earlier or later