Bye Bye TV!

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TV stations get ready to cut analog signal
(AP) Posted on Mon Feb 16, 2009 5:27PM EST

tech.yahoo.com/news/ap/20090216/ap_on_hi_te/tec_digital_tv_transition

"NEW YORK - In theater superstition, a bad dress rehearsal is supposed to foretell a good opening night.

If so, the U.S. might be in good shape when it turns off the last analog TV broadcasts in June, because the lead-up to the smaller-scale turnoff on Tuesday has been confusing to both viewers and TV stations.

For years, the government and industry has said Feb. 17 would be the day when analog TV signals go away, and viewers who lack cable or satellite would have to tune in to digital signals. But when funding ran out for coupons to subsidize TV converter boxes, Congress became concerned that viewers wouldn't be ready, and hurriedly passed a bill to delay the deadline to June 12.

At the same time, Congress left the door open to stations to keep the Feb. 17 date. When a third of U.S. full-power stations said they'd like to do so, the Federal Communications Commission put its foot down, placing extra conditions on some of them. Only late Friday did it become clear, or nearly so, which stations would shut down analog four days later, and which would wait for a few more months.

A patchwork of 641 stations across the country, mainly in thinly populated areas, are still turning off their analog broadcasts this week or have already done so. The most populous markets where many or all major-network stations are cutting analog include San Diego and Santa Barbara, Calif.; Providence, R.I.; La Crosse and Madison, Wis.; Rockford, Ill.; Sioux City, Iowa; Waco, Texas; Macon, Ga.; Scranton, Pa.; and Burlington, Vt.

more....."

But here's the real game plan! A "must read" imo.

The Sound of Silence
The Antithesis of Freedom

educate-yourself.org/cn/soundsofsilence11dec08.shtml

excerpt:
"The terrestrial television bandwidth that was used by the analog tv is now freed up for the transmission of emf's to literally turn us into puppets. I am currently putting together a 'research paper' on the subject which I will forward as soon as it's completed. My reason for writing today is to warn those that do not need convincing to act now to protect yourself. There are ways to 'stop' the emf's both airborne and those sent through the ground. Make no mistake, both paths will and are being used."

Sound Of Silence - Simon & Garfunkel (live sound)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZGWQauQOAQ

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Hmmm. All the channels are still on here. Maybe they'll switch at noon.

update: My brother tells me the switch time is 5 PM.

second update: One down, 4 to go.

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Late word in from the FCC. Channel 28 (analogue) ordered to stay on the air!
And why? Because the sheeple have been a little slow running out to buy their converter boxes!
So in fairness to us, the FCC has had to intervene and extend the old system, even though
it will only be used for the local news and public service announcements. (2 months)

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Day 2

What a clusterf*** this is turning out to be! I don't know how this is playing out elsewhere, but
as of this morning, channel 28 is off the air, and channel 16, which was the first to leave the air,
is back on. I think I know what happened: When channel 16 heard that 28 was going to stay
on the air for 60 days, they "graciously offered" to turn their signal back on so that 28 wouldn't
have to leave theirs on.
Now here's what you need to understand. Channel 16 has the highest viewership per capita
of any TV station in the United States. Its newscast is rated at a 74% share of the market, and
has for decades! So no doubt they didn't want all us slackers watching 28's news, so their offer
to stay on the air and let 28 go off wasn't a decision motivated by purity and noble sacrifice;
it was to keep the competition from getting the upper hand.
(And I told them that would happen last week, but did they listen? Noooooo.)
This is all amusing; I'll keep you posted. Be ready for chaos when this dog and pony show comes
to your town.

[JoJo]

LB, did you buy a converter box? I don't rely on over the air broadcasts, but at my late grandparents' place (which is still in the family) we installed the box. Amazed, because the analog VHF broadcasts from Boston were always pretty scratchy, sorta clear but noticeably noisy. This is with a gigantic rooftop antenna, but a good 125 miles from the transmitters I'd estimate. (also on a small mountain and luckily pointed in the right direction) Well, turns out the digital signal comes in, so it's like getting a cable TV signal for free.

I know there are some however who could get something "watchable" with analog, but don't meet the signal strength threshold to get anything at all now.. Not so good in that circumstance. Or perhaps it's not so bad, maybe people will pick up books en masse.. Uh oh, heh.

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No, I haven't bought a converter box yet, and neither have a lot of other people here. This has foiled
the plans of a number of box sellers, who figured that when channel 16 left the (analogue) air,
people would rush in to buy boxes because the station is so popular.
Instead, many people being hard-pressed financially, and resentful at being forced to change,
said "the heck with it", myself among them. This isn't what was supposed to happen! ;D
When 28 announced that it would keep an analogue signal on the air, 16 saw the error
they had made, and quickly restored their signal on analogue, claiming that they felt an obligation
to keep a signal on the air for us Johnny-come-latelies.
There is a very large older population in this market, second only to Florida, and many people are
both stubborn and incapable of making the change on their own. (Not me of course;
at least as far as the "incapable" part goes. ;D) But seriously, it's winter, and I have heating bills
to take care of! There's no reason they couldn't wait, but no... they all wanted to be the first on
the block to have all the cool subchannels etc.

[eyesbleed]

www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjHl6Q1oKPQ

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