Digital delay overthrown...the countdown is nearly done...
Musings From Eric:If you're one of the 6-odd million people without cable and not ready for the switch to digital transmission, you darn well better get ready or come February 17 you're going to be hearing emergency dispatch on your TV. Well, ok, slight exaggeration, but I'm telling you it's not going to be long. You might have your Congressional Representative to blame, so you better bark up that tree as soon as you can...if you really care to. If you're confused about this transition now, you can thank the Republicans who said the delay would confuse consumers. So at least you won't get more confused. But further reason is that the wireless companies and emergency services which are supposedly chomping at the bit to take up the analog TV spectrum would be burdened.
Hold the cell phone, Charlie. (Read on)
Let's think about this. A four-month delay wouldn't burden those companies any more than the requirement that all TV stations go digital by February 17th. Most of the TV stations have been broadcasting two signals for well-over a year. That's so they could be in compliance and positive that it would function well by the time this day rolled around. I hardly think a measly four months is going to burden the cell phone companies.
Let me add that there will be some digital signals on analog channels as of that date, so don't try to get me hyped up about the cell phones. In Pittsburgh, once WPXI-TV (11) moves over to 48 for keeps, WPCW-TV (19) will be flashing onto 11. And WQED-TV (13) which is broadcasting digital on 38 right now, will be flashing back to 13 while putting WQEX-TV (16) (whose current digital home is 26) on 38. In the Ohio Valley, both WTOV-TV (9) and WTRF-TV (7) are expected to switch their current digital signals back over to their old analog homes in two weeks. Those are just mere examples I'm sure.
Spare me the whining, please.
Readers’ Forum
The best I can tell, the House bill that failed yesterday was one requiring a two-thirds vote to “fast track” a delay of the Feb. 17 DTV transition until June. Reports today indicate another House vote is likely next week, although it isn’t clear if this requires a simple majority, or the same two-thirds supermajority.
Richard Emery - January 29, 2009 at 09:37 am
It’s not often I’ll agree with Republicans but this is an exception. We’ve been ready for quite some time, as have the vast majority of homes in this country. I’m sure most of us want it over with at this point, if nothing else so that the DTV transition ads can go away. Gheez, they’ve jammed it so far down our throats at this point we’re going to the bathroom with it.
On an unrelated note, I can confirm the format change of WJST in New Castle to Fox Sports Radio, seeing that I live in New Castle. I guess that leaves WKPL (Pickle 92.1), which since being sold to Keymarket and dropping the Star 92.1 format has technically been an Ellwood City station, is the last surviving music station in the Fireworks Capital of America.
Joe Gerard (URL) - January 29, 2009 at 09:39 am
I am still confused as to why this was needed? If people are set up for it and they were able to use the coupon they still were asked to pay 40 bucks for their TV to have digital format.
Is this conversion to DTV really neccessary?
Dave - January 29, 2009 at 10:05 am
I can see two reasons why they’d want to delay it. The first reason is technical. Many people are beginning to realize that they can’t receive the ATSC channels and need an outdoor antenna (or an upgraded one). Try installing one in January/February in the northern states such as Pennsylvania. The second one is the lack of proper administration of the coupon program. Seems that they’ve run out of coupons and they need a bailout to get more coupons. I doubt they can get all that done in 2 weeks. Normally I say “let’s get this done and over with” as I’m ready with two boxes for OTA signals (if the cable goes out), have cable for old NTSC boxes and a ATSC TV for the new sub-channels and hi-def signals. I’m ready, but I can agree that everyone isn’t ready yet.
Dave - January 29, 2009 at 11:16 am
Eric, spare me your whining and let the conversion begin.
John - January 29, 2009 at 12:52 pm
There has been plenty of notice regarding the digital transition. To me it’s political grandstanding and there would be just as many viewers waiting until the last second on June 12th as there would be on February 17th. However, it looks like another vote in the House will take place next week so a delay could still occur. However, stations could still make the transition early (if it’s in June) once they notify the FCC. I see a lot of stations doing this as a way to save money instead of running two transmitters beyond February.
Tom Lavery (URL) - January 29, 2009 at 1:36 pm
Whoa, I got linked on PBRTV! :D
Seriously though, I don’t know if you saw, but a number of stations have filed to kill analog on time, including WTRF, WPGH, WPMY, WATM, and WWCP. Those stations will transition on February 17 regardless of what action Congress takes. There are plenty more where they came from; I have a list: http://www.rabbitears.info/termlist.php Apologies for the mess, but my classes are keeping me much too busy to sit down and sort it.
Trip Ericson (URL) - January 29, 2009 at 4:41 pm
Well, I’d like to know what government idiot approved a date in the middle of WINTER for this conversion. I’d like to be able to get on my rooftop and install my attenna but it’s not going to happen with a foot of snow up there. And to the smart-alecks who say “Well, why didn’t you put it up last fall?”...sort of hard to do when you are working three jobs seven days a week just to keep my head above water economically. No, I don’t want to pay for cable OR satellite, not unless they let me pick what I WANT to see, not the infomercial or religious channels that I have no use for.
YEKIMI - January 30, 2009 at 07:07 am
I’m glad they voted it down. Although I think it could have been done differently and not much of a fan on selling the spectrum, but the date has been pushed back at least once and then basically cast in stone afterwards so we might as well just go through with it.
Charles D. Mandus - January 30, 2009 at 11:25 am
As numerous news stories continue to point out, the U.S. Senate again passed a delay bill — this time unanimously — and the House is expected to vote on this new bill next week. As the old analogy puts it, it ain’t over until the fat lady sings, and she hasn’t sung yet. This delay is likely to happen, although it appears stations may still be allowed to make the switch before June, with some level of FCC approval; it’s simply the MANDATORY switch by ALL stations won’t occur until the legal deadline, whenever that ends up being.
I echo the earlier comment by “YEKIMI” — what genius picked mid-February for the desired switch date? You couldn’t pay me enough money to get onto my roof right now in southwest Ohio, if a new rooftop antenna were needed. This is the case in a wide swath of the nation right now — and it’s entirely predictable. For many people, the DTV conversion is NOT simply a matter of buying a converter box, or even a new digital TV, if you watch over-the-air signals. Given that the FCC’s predicted reception maps are predicated on an outside antenna with a 30-foot elevation (= rooftop in most instances), this means the good old rabbit ears that sufficed for analog signals simply won’t cut it. As others have put it, this “dirty little secret” of DTV is going to come back to bite many people in the pocket book.
Richard Emery - January 31, 2009 at 07:00 am