said by number_one :

seriously, leave it to the government to spend crazy amounts of money on something and still miss the point entirely. I mean, really, who out there can afford a TV but can't afford a freakin converter? Is this really where our government needs to spend our tax dollars?

said by JPL :

said by knightmb :

The fact that they can switch but chose not to kind of proves that point that not all stations were really going to be ready by the deadline.

said by JPL :

But they allocated $650 million? What's the extra $186 million for?

said by KingofCola :

All broadcasters should switch tonight at midnight. If Obomanites want to keep the transmitters running then let them pay power bill. Why are we putting the burden on broadcatsers to keep paying the power bill for the outdated transmitters.

said by vinnie97 :

What about the poor/minorities who haven't received their coupons yet?

said by N10Cities :

Uhhh.....yea.....but they have to have PERMISSION from the FCC before they can switch anyway. If they do it without permission, they can be nailed with big $$$$$ fines. Your point?

said by BF69 :

Um no it's tonight. As in 1 more hour in the EST.

said by afiggatt :

The switch is/was at midnight on Tuesday, Feb. 17, not tonight (Feb. 16).

said by eat_me :

You forgot one big thing - interference.

That is why our local O&O cannot go full power with an omni antenna. They have to notch out South Jersey because of issues with WMCN.

There's an app filed for when the FT is built but for now they're stuck on the ESB with the current power and antenna.

said by BF69 :

I've only know about his transition since 1995. What were you in grade school then?

said by whocares :

“If we have a serious natural disaster and folks don’t have a TV on which to receive updates, that’s a problem,” said =============
»www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/tec···126.html

said by tschmidt :

Actually this has been know for a long time and is very difficult to address.

said by tschmidt :

1) Digital Cliff effect is much different the gradual degradation of analog TV. There are many fringe viewers that lived with poor quality snowy analog that will lose some channels after transition.

said by battleop :

...I don't think I know anyone who only watches OTA tv anymore.

said by nwrickert :

Personally, I think they should have stuck with the Feb 17th date. However, I'm not shedding any tears over the cost to broadcasters. After all, this is about them keeping their audience that generates the advertising revenue that pays them the big bucks.

said by tschmidt :

Our local PBS station will be moving back to VHF once analog is shut down. VHF antenna is higher then one used for interim digital. Once analog is shut down they will be able to use higher VHF antenna currently used for analog. Post-transition DTV coverage area will be larger then interim UHF coverage area.

said by RadioDoc :

You clearly have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. None. Zero. Nada. Except for instances where the station did not want to invest in a full-power digital transmission plant for it's interim channel, and could not economically convert that plant to it's post-transition channel, there is no technical reason for analog presence to reduce digital power levels.

Of course, what do I know. I only work in this industry. :uhh:

said by iknowiknow :

These issues were not known until really the last few months and the gov failed to account nor educate anyone on this and still aren't.

said by RadioDoc :

there is no technical reason for analog presence to reduce digital power levels.

said by RadioDoc :

You clearly have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. None. Zero. Nada. Except for instances where the station did not want to invest in a full-power digital transmission plant for it's interim channel, and could not economically convert that plant to it's post-transition channel, there is no technical reason for analog presence to reduce digital power levels.

Of course, what do I know. I only work in this industry. :uhh:

said by insomniac84 :

What is a 3 month delay going to do for those that couldn't figure it out in the past 2 years?

said by KingofCola :

If Obomanites want to keep the transmitters running then let them pay power bill.

said by whocares :

WASHINGTON — With millions of U.S. viewers still apparently unprepared for the nation’s switch to digital TV, nearly 500 full-power television stations across the nation are preparing to move ahead with the transition anyway and drop traditional over-the-air broadcasts Feb. 17.

The loss of signals in those markets means that some viewers will no longer get television reception unless they have installed a digital converter box and, in some cases, purchased a new antenna.
Nielsen Co. has estimated that 6.5 million over-the-air households are unprepared for the “digital transition.” Elderly, Latino and low-income households are believed to be most affected.
“If we have a serious natural disaster and folks don’t have a TV on which to receive updates, that’s a problem,” said =============
»www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/tec···126.html

said by nasadude :

Why should granny lose her TV just so some of the richest corporations in the world don't have to wait three more months to get richer?

said by afiggatt :

The switch is/was at midnight on Tuesday, Feb. 17, not tonight (Feb. 16).

Why are we putting the burden on broadcatsers to keep paying the power bill for the outdated transmitters.

said by RadioDoc :

Nope. Not correct. In fact, some stations have been running their analog transmitter at lower power due to having to convert part of it to digital and/or not wanting to spend tens of thousands of dollars to repair or replace something that will be useless in a few months.

The actual problem is the model used to allocate channels and "equivalent coverage" has been found to be inaccurate.

said by RadioDoc :

Why should granny lose her TV just so some of the richest corporations in the world don't have to wait three more months to get richer?

The arrogance of some here is astounding.

said by NOCMan :

What burden? {etc}

said by iknowiknow :

I realize this is a hotly debated topic with much finger pointing to all the issues surrounding the coupons, the funding, who got them, people failing to get them sooner sparking a "tough luck" attitude to those who are not ready, etc... but all this still does not address the issue of those in coverage gap areas, known as rural fringe, who are just realizing now that they will still need to make an additional equipment investment beyond the "all you need is this little box".

These issues were not known until really the last few months and the gov failed to account nor educate anyone on this and still aren't.

»Digital Switch Creating Broadcast Coverage Gaps

PS: Don't be fooled by the "rural fringe" designation. The area in question in the link is hardly "rural".

Just sayin'

said by cork1958 :

Totally ridiculous to have moved the date!!

said by battleop :

I don't think I know anyone who only watches OTA tv anymore.

said by Derspankster :

I know no one who took a coupon. Even my 81 year old mother knew she didn't need one because she had cable. However, I'm sure someone, somewhere was confused, despite the myriad of announcements and explanations.

said by Eat Me :

But they require FCC approval, so the FCC can say yea or nay.

On Thursday, the Federal Communications Commission ordered stations that still plan to turn off analog signals on Feb. 17 to notify the FCC by Monday.

Acting Chairman Michael Copps said the commission could prohibit stations from making the switch if doing so is not in the public interest.

For instance, if all stations in a market want to turn off early, that would draw FCC scrutiny, he said at a commission meeting.

said by battleop :

Maybe after the people who took the coupon figure out they didn't need the box in the first place. I know plenty of people who got the coupon who don't understand they don't need it. I don't think I know anyone who only watches OTA tv anymore.

said by NOCMan :

They've been paying those bills just fine the last 40+ years. I think they can wait a few more months. They should be happy energy costs have decreased a little from last year.

said by battleop :

Maybe after the people who took the coupon figure out they didn't need the box in the first place. I know plenty of people who got the coupon who don't understand they don't need it. I don't think I know anyone who only watches OTA tv anymore.

said by KingofCola :

.... Why are we putting the burden on broadcatsers to keep paying the power bill for the outdated transmitters.

said by battleop :

Maybe after the people who took the coupon figure out they didn't need the box in the first place. I know plenty of people who got the coupon who don't understand they don't need it. I don't think I know anyone who only watches OTA tv anymore.

said by battleop :

There probably was enough money but people who didn't need it took it anyway.

said by KingofCola :

All broadcasters should switch tonight at midnight.