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DTV Talk Turns Divisive Despite Realities

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By WALT BELCHER

wbelcher@tampatrib.com

Published: February 6, 2009

So the great nationwide analog cutoff has been delayed.

And for 94 percent of America's couch potatoes, this will have absolutely no effect whatsoever on their TV viewing habits.

Zip. Zero. Nada. If you've got cable, a satellite service or a digital TV, you're covered.

But because anything involving the federal government can be turned into a divisive issue, some people - including bloggers, radio commentators and those who complain about everything - are sounding off.

It's haves versus the have-nots again.

The switch had been scheduled for Feb. 17, but Congress has delayed the conversion to June 12 to accommodate the unprepared.

More than 6.5 million U.S. households, or 5.7 percent, are still not ready, according to an estimate from the Nielsen Co. Some not only need converter boxes, they need help hooking up the converters.

The government program that offered coupons to help offset the cost of converters to make old TVs work in the new digital era was poorly run from the get-go. The giveaway didn't meet demand and millions are still on a waiting list.

Many who haven't received the converters are poor, older than 55, rural residents or racial minorities, according to Nielsen's estimates. Among them are people who can't afford to pay for cable or satellite TV service or buy a new digital TV.

According to some of the comments I found surfing the Internet, some of haves - those with cable, digital TV sets and home computers - don't have much sympathy for the elderly, technically challenged or financially downtrodden.

The federal government is giving the challenged a little more time.

For those already wired, this shouldn't be a big deal. The worst that will happen is more of those are-you-ready-for-the-switch commercials.

The only legitimate concern about the delay is from cash-strapped PBS stations such as WEDU, Channel 3, which is facing a $10,000-a month power bill to keep running the analog signal.

CHANNEL FLIPPING: Saturday night is usually a dead zone for TV viewing, but there are some bright spots this week:

•"Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story" (8 p.m. on TNT) stars Cuba Gooding Jr. as a poor kid who lifts himself out of poverty to become a famous neurosurgeon with the help of his tough-love mom (Kimberly Elise). It's based on a true story.

•"The Good Witch's Garden" (9 p.m. on Hallmark) stars Catherine Bell ("JAG") as a sweet, sexy woman with witchy powers. In this sequel to last year's "The Good Witch," her bed and breakfast is threatened by the arrival of a mysterious stranger and some people in town would like to see her gone.

•"Journey to the Center of the Earth" (9 p.m. on Sci-Fi Channel) is a cheesy, low-budget remake of the Jules Verne classic that's so bad it's fun. The twist in the tale is having a group of sexy females trapped below the Earth's surface. Greg Evigan and Dedee Pfeiffer star.

CABLE RATINGS: The top-rated dramas on cable last week were "The Closer" on TBS, and "Burn Notice" and "Monk" on USA. All three were new episodes.

TUNE IN TONIGHT

"Ghost Whisperer," 8 p.m. CBS

Melinda (Jennifer Love Hewitt) helps a "ghost mom" who is hiding evidence that points to the person who killed her. Also, Melinda starts dating a guy who can't know she sees ghosts.

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