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Not Much Viewer Static At Stations That Cut Analog Signal

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By WALT BELCHER | The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 18, 2009

The telephones were quiet at Tampa stations that cut off analog signals just before midnight Tuesday, according to officials at WEDU, Channel 3, WTTA, Channel 38, and WCLF, Channel 22.

"Overnight, we only had 36 calls, and our phones have not been ringing off the hook," WEDU President Richard Lobo said this morning.

"We think our audience is aware of what has happened because 36 calls is not a great number when you reach 3 million viewers," he said.

The switchboard at WTTA, which also cut its analog signal, reported no calls between 7 and 9 a.m. today. Officials at Christian station WCLF said only two calls were received by midday.

Prior to the cutoff, WEDU received more than 150 calls on Tuesday. Station officials said most were inquires about how and where to get the converter boxes needed for analog TV sets to receive digital signals.

"We were anxious about reaction to the cutoff because we don't want to upset our viewers," Lobo says. "But this reaction so far leads me to believe to that most of the people who need to take action to keep receiving our signal are taking steps to do just that."

WTTA marketing director Kent Welch said the station didn't anticipate that there would be many calls today. He said that overnight WTTA kept a crawl on its analog signal explaining that the station's programs are now in digital.

Five Tampa Bay area TV stations are among more than 421 stations nationwide that ended their analog broadcast signals at 11:59 p.m. Tuesday in a federal-mandated program to switch all stations in the U.S. to digital-only signals.

In addition to WEDU, WCLF and myNetworkTV affiliate WTTA, Univision affiliate WVEA and Sarasota ABC affiliate WWSB went digital-only on Wednesday.

Many stations that ended their analog signal cited economic hardships while approximately 11,500 TV stations in the country plan to continue analog signals under a new federal deadline that puts the cutoff date at June 12.

Reporter Walt Belcher can be reached at (813) 259-7654.

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