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Digital Switch May Be Before June

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By RICHARD MULLINS

rmullins@tampatrib.com

Published: February 6, 2009

Some of your favorite TV shows could still disappear this month if you use rabbit-ear antennas and lack a new digital converter box.

This is despite the maneuvering of politicians in Congress trying to delay the full nationwide transition to digital television from the current Feb. 17 deadline to mid June.

How could that happen?
TV executives spent Thursday trying to interpret a patchwork of new federal rules and exceptions. Legislation that President Barack Obama could sign this week moves the date when TV broadcasters must turn off their traditional analog TV broadcasts to June 12.

There's a loophole, however. TV stations can choose to turn off their old, analog broadcasts sooner, especially given the financial hardship many stations face by continuing to run them.

More than 140 TV stations already have made the switch to all-digital as part of early changeover tests. Officials with the Federal Communications Commission say more than 300 stations indicated they may switch off their analog signals on or before Feb. 17.

At least 60 percent of Florida stations might go that route and turn off analog sometime before June, said Pat Roberts, president of the Florida Association of Broadcasters. Already, TV stations in Fort Myers collectively decided to turn off their analog broadcasts before June.

In Tampa, plans are mixed, but most major stations want to go sooner than June.

Cost is a major factor. Broadcasters are nursing along their old analog transmitters and paying tens of thousands of dollars a month in extra electric bills to keep analog and digital running together.

WFTS, Channel 28, the local ABC affiliate with shows such as "Dancing With The Stars," might not wait until June to unplug its analog broadcast.

"Things are still fluid," said vice president and general manager Rich Pegram. "We're of the belief that all stations should try to go at once to avoid or lessen the confusion already out there. ... For me, I think it would make sense to go ahead and do it in February."

WTSP, Channel 10, the CBS affiliate, plans a June changeover. WTVT, Channel 13, the Fox affiliate, plans a June changeover but would like to do it sooner. So would WFLA, Channel 8, the local NBC affiliate.

"We're prepared to go," said Michael Pumo, president and general manager of WFLA. "We've done soft tests. We've already equipped the station. We feel viewers are ready to go. Running both analog and digital costs us more money, and we could delay this 10 years and there would still be a percentage of people who are not going to do anything until they switch on their TV and see nothing."

WEDU, Channel 3, a local PBS affiliate, hopes to unplug its analog broadcast before June, though an exact date hasn't been set. WUSF, Channel 16, the other major public TV station, is also exploring ways to go all digital sooner.

"Much as it is important to serve the people who have not yet made the switch, me and my colleagues in town are eager to make that switch," said JoAnn Urofsky, general manager of WUSF. "It would make a bigger impact that would be helpful if we all go at once."

Already, WUSF had to turn down the power on its old analog transmitter by 50 percent to "nurse it along," Urofsky said. If it broke down, the station probably would not buy a replacement that would only be useful for a few more months, she said. Running both analog and digital through June could cost the station an extra $90,000, she estimated.

WMOR, Channel 32, plans to go with the new June switchover but is exploring its options and could make a decision this week to go earlier, said Vice President and general manager Ken Lucas.

More than 5.8 million U.S. homes, or about 5.1 percent, are not ready for the transition to all-digital broadcasting, according to Nielsen. In the Tampa Bay area, 63,000 households are not ready, about 3.49 percent of the market, meaning they have no cable or satellite TV, or digital converter box to use their old TVs. That's a better average than most U.S. markets.

Meanwhile, the government program aimed at handing our $40 coupons to people who need to buy a digital converter box has run out of money and has put hundreds of thousands of people on a waiting list - part of the impetus for delaying the changeover date.

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