Approximately 690 tv stations plan to terminate analog service on or before Feb 17

[onenote]

According to documentation published by the FCC, 190 full power television stations have already terminated analog operations or are planning to do so before February 17; another 490 have given notice that they intend to terminate analog service on February 17. While the FCC has reserved the right to block some of these stations from terminating analog service on February 17, it is likely that most, if not all, will be permitted to shut off their analog signals as planned.

There are roughly 1750 full television stations in the US; there also are more than 2700 low power stations (which will continue to broadcast analog past Feb 17 in virtually all instances).

If you want to see what's happening in your market: http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-09-221A3.pdf

[ferrous wheel]

1. The screwball congress made the situation even more nuts with their ill-advised legislation

the other day. :grr:

[rvablue]

2. Kicking so others can see. n/t

[Statistical]

3. It is very expensive to operating 2 full power transmitters.

Ad revenue is down and running two transmitters is putting them in the red.

The govt is not offering any financial compensation for the delay.

A full power transmitter runs about $10,000 - $30,000 a month in electricity usage.
That doesn't include manpower (doubled), repairs (doubled), parts (doubled).

The secondary transmitter in most cases is on a rented tower. Tower rentals spiked because of the need for secondary towers so no TV station got a good deal on their backup tower.

For a small station like your local PBS the total cost of a one month delay can be as much as $50,000.

If these 690 are not blocked I would expect the number to spike to well over a thousand shortly.

[onenote]

9. this is the entire list of those that can terminate on or before feb 17

In order to qualify to terminate on Feb 17, a station had to give written notice to the FCC by midnight last night. The earliest a station could terminate after Feb 17 is mid March and its not clear how the FCC is going to handle requests for early termination during the March to June period.

[ferrous wheel]

11. Any station that wants to stop analog next Tuesday can do so with impunity.

The FCC isn't about to penalize them for complying with a federal mandate that has been in place for 5 years and just got "tweaked" by a knee-jerk congress a few days ago. I guarantee it.

[onenote]

12. wrong

The FCC will come down like a ton of bricks on any station that shuts down its analog service on February 17 that didn't comply with the conditions that the FCC set for doing so.

I guarantee it. And my guarantee is based on conversations with the staff of the FCC, including the staff of the FCC chairman. And the staff of Senator ROckefeller, who is chairman of the committee charged with FCC oversight. What's your guarantee based on?

[ferrous wheel]

15. Based on the fact that hundreds of them have already made the switch and shut off

the analog broadcast. But since you're so tight with the FCC (and probably the Pentagon, Secret Service and Thor the Hammerer) I won't offer any big odds.

[onenote]

16. I wouldn't offer any odds if I were you. If a station isn't on the list published today

it isn't going to shut down on or before Feb 17. Not if it still wants to stay in business.

And, in the interest of accuracy, you were also wrong when you said that the deadline has been in effect for five years. The Feb 17 2009 deadline was established by Congress in early 2006: http://www.plasmatvbuyingguide.com/plasma-news.php?newsId=42

And I know these things because for 30 years I've been representing clients before the FCC.

[ferrous wheel]

20. Ooooooooo you are a lawyer? I knew I liked Shakespeare for a reason.

:thumbsdown:

[Born_A_Truman]

14. I've also heard

many of these stations had already booked crews/equipment to move towers. This isn't something that can be done without planning and equipment. It isn't just pulling a lever or flipping a switch.

[Captain Hilts]

4. With the special antenna, I still don't get strong enough of a signal. So, no DTV. nt

[Purveyor]

5. I refuse to buy a 'special antennae' for my shop TV so I hope the advertisers

on these digital stations force the stations to drop ad rates as the number of viewers plummet next week.

We will be all radio come the 17th...

[ferrous wheel]

10. You mean just your shop?

...

[Elwood P Dowd]

6. What kind of antenna do you have, and how much did it cost?

Remember, many TV stations are not broadcasting a strong digital signal right now. We will know more after the switch when they go full power.

[Captain Hilts]

21. Interesting. My area - Bethesda/ChevChase is, evidently. I have one of those $40 AWACS-style...

round ones.

[rhett o rick]

7. I think you mean broadcast analog service. There is a lot of confusion and it needs

to be clear. Stations are terminating broadcast analog service. Comcast is trying to confuse things by terminating also some analog cable service. But as i understand it, not all analog (meaning most cable analog) will be terminated in Feb. I am sure that cleared up everything (not)

[rhett o rick]

8. Getting a bigger antenna may not help. Digital broadcast signals will not get to

all the homes that analog did. you may have to get cable.

[KharmaTrain]

13. Too Many Stations Have Too Much Invested...

Right now every TV channel is running both analog and digital signals...and the analog is the more expensive to keep going. Also, many of these stations need to have their digital antennas raised and power increased...contracting tower crews months and years in advance. This delay screws up all that planning that could cost stations even more money in costly delays and pissed off viewers caught with poor signals.

Somehow with all the problems this country is facing right now, losing the channel that airs 24 or Katie Couric is no great loss.

[elocs]

17. All of my full powered stations will switch off analog next week.

Locally they have found that only 1% of viewers are not ready. Since 5% unemployment is considered to be full employment, then why wouldn't 5% not ready for the digital switch be considered to be ready enough? I had heard before the Super Bowl that some of the players were not ready so they were considering postponing the game's date.

[onenote]

18. According to the FCC two noncommercial stations in your market are staying with analog

WHLA and WHWC. But you are right that all of the commercial stations in your market intend to shut down analog.

[elocs]

19. I have also read that delaying until June would cost PBS $22 million.

WHLA is my PBS station. I do not even come close to getting WHWC which is in Menomonie (100 miles away) and is a Wisconsin Public Television station just like WHLA. Same programming, but I get all 3 PBS channels on digital just fine now.