TV Worth Blogging
by David Thiel, Program Director for WILL-TV
An insider's view of public television programming and the issues that help determine what and how you watch
End Of An Analog Era
WILL-TV will be shutting down its analog transmitter for the final time on Tuesday, March 31 at 6:00 am. That's about six weeks later than the original national analog TV shut-off date of February 17, but about ten weeks shy of June 12, the new drop-dead date selected by Congress last month.
Of course, we're not going anywhere. WILL will continue to broadcast a digital signal offering high-definition programming and multiple channels.
We believe that the vast majority of our viewers are capable of receiving that signal, but if you are not, you'll need to take action sooner rather than later to guarantee uninterrupted service.
Several factors influenced the decision to cease our analog signal prior to June 12, among them the additional costs involved in continuing to operate a second transmitter and in mounting a new consumer education campaign, as will be required by the FCC of all stations still broadcasting in analog after March 31.
We've been in contact with several of the area broadcasters that turned off their analog transmitters on February 17. It appears that the phone calls they received were lighter than expected.
We know that most of our audience already subscribes to cable or satellite, and should therefore experience no disruption of our service. Many of those still relying on over-the-air signals have informed us that they've already made the switch to digital. We've helped those who have reported problems picking up our digital signal.
If you have not taken the steps necessary to receive digital television--buying a new set, installing a digital converter box, or subscribing to cable/satellite--we hope that you will take action now. We will have staff members standing by to take viewer calls regarding digital television on March 31 and April 1. You can contact us with questions at any time, and we'll do our best to respond promptly.
back to the main {blog_title} page
Post a comment on this entry: