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Viewers Have Mixed Reactions To Digital Test

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By WALT BELCHER

wbelcher@tampatrib.com

Published: December 18, 2008

A three-minute shut-off of the analog broadcast signal by several Tampa-St. Petersburg TV stations got mixed results Wednesday night.

Some viewers were confused. Others were upset.

And some were surprised when the signal stopped at 6:30 p.m. and a message popped up alerting them that this is what will happen Feb. 17 when television stations switch from analog to digital broadcasting.

By 8 p.m., NBC affiliate WFLA, Channel 8, reported receiving more than 600 calls. Officials at Fox-owned WTVT, Channel 13, logged 320.

It was quieter at CBS affiliate WTSP, Channel 10, which fielded only 30 calls; PBS outlet WEDU, Channel 3, took 32. ABC affiliate WFTS, Channel 28, didn't have a tally but reported relatively few calls.

"We were surprised at how few calls we received; people apparently are prepared," says ABC Action News director Doug Culver.

The difference in the numbers might have been due to the content of the messages. WFLA and WTVT directed all questions to their telephone banks while WFTS steered them to the 1-888-CALL-FCC federal line.

The majority of the 1.82 million homes in the Tampa-St. Petersburg viewing area wouldn't have seen any messages during the cutoff because they are already plugged in to the digital world.

But Nielsen Media Research estimates that more than 160,000 homes in the market aren't prepared yet. They still need converter boxes or TV sets with digital tuners, or they can subscribe to cable or satellite services.

Many people who already have converter boxes and digital TV sets discovered Wednesday night that they didn't have them properly tuned.

For example, some who had hooked up their digital TVs through a VCR were still watching the analog broadcast through the VCR's tuner.

A lot of people apparently need help because technology has become a lot more complicated since the days when people put tin foil on rabbit ears to get a better signal.

"It was an eye-opener for us and the viewers; it shows we still have some work to do," says WFLA's Catherine L. Helean, who supervised the "8 on Your Side" phone bank.

She says the calls ranged from people wanting to know how to get a government coupon for a discount on a converter box to people seeking detailed technical information on how to connect a converter to a VCR or DVD recorder.

Mike Howey, vice president of engineering at WTVT, Fox 13, says there were more calls than expected and the majority of the questions were about where and how to get the government coupons or where to get the converter boxes.

Ellen Lasher, community relations director at WTSP (10 Connects), says most of the callers had a converter box or a digital TV but they were not tuned to the digital signal.

"But we know now that most were aware of the Feb. 17 cutoff date and were taking steps to keep getting a signal," she said.

Based on similar test cutoffs in other cities this fall, the National Association of Broadcasters anticipates there will be approximately 2 million calls from viewers during the five days following Feb. 17.

"It could be that only 6 or 7 percent of this market isn't ready but that is still a lot of homes," says Richard Lobo, president of WEDU. "It's necessary to do it now and see where we stand."

Several more tests are planned in January by the Tampa-St. Petersburg stations.

TUNE IN TONIGHT

"Million Dollar Password," 8 p.m., CBS

Regis Philbin hosts a new version of a classic game show in which celebrities such as William Shatner and Betty White play word games.

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