The first thing I want to say is that I am impressed at how our industry has stepped up to the plate to run tests and attempt to help get people in the state of Oklahoma ready for the transition. From local stations running their own tests to the coordinated tests arranged by the OAB, OETA, and the SBE, broadcasters in this state have come together in order to ensure that a majority of the people in Oklahoma communities have an opportunity to learn what is required to make the DTV transition as smooth as possible.
Most impressive was the participation of many people, who are not involved directly with the television industry, such as the radio station personnel I saw manning the phones. I say hats off to all those directly responsible for setting this up and seeing it through. Another thing that was somewhat surprising was the absence of people with obtuse manners among those whose calls I took. Everyone I talked to was nice and had reasonable questions. I hope I have an opportunity to help in the future.
By now, I would imagine most have heard that broadcasters, in the state of Hawaii, shut down their analog transmitters at 12:00 noon, Hawaii Time, on the 15th of January, 2009. One month ahead of the transition date. This transition was overseen by the FCC, who set up a call center for those who lost their signals after the switch. The purpose of the early transition is to protect an endangered bird that nests in the area where the analog towers are located on the island of Maui. The towers for the DTV stations have been located on another mountain at a lower elevation. Broadcasters and wildlife personnel want to remove the analog towers and equipment before the nesting starts later this month.
I wrote this the day after the Hawaiian switch occurred, which leaves me with little information as to the success of the switch. I do know there were a few technical problems and the call center, with ten lines, fielded some 300 calls, from people who had problems. There are some 25 television stations on the islands of Oahu, Hawaii, and Maui. There is a LPTV station, on the island of Kauai, which will remain analog for the time being. The FCC estimated approximately 20,000 households would be affected by the switch.
In researching the above, I found the following link to an Excel spreadsheet that lists all the DTV pre and post-channel allocations: http://www.rabbitears.info/ss/. This spreadsheet could be helpful when the next series of tests are performed.
It’s up and down, about whether the incoming administration is going to be able to talk the legislature into delaying the transition. I think they should approve more money for the coupon program, but I think it is asking too much of an industry that has already taken a heavy financial hit with the depressed economy. Asking station owners to keep paying out the money for the extra transmitters, no, I won’t say it. I just think it is too much to ask. Let’s just try to keep that from happening.
Last summer, I thought we, as an industry, were not doing enough to educate the common man. Since then, I am satisfied the industry has done a lot, over the past six months, to rectify that situation. I do think, however, what I said about misinformation, has been proven beyond a doubt. When a large number of our friends in the digital age were not as prepared as they have led people to believe, as shown by our tests, a statement has been made.
Many people in the entertainment industry say that broadcasters are as extinct as dinosaurs. They say that with cable and satellite coverage, broadcast signals are redundant and archaic and will eventually go nowhere. Think about it. Major power outages occur all the time, along with natural disasters. Where are you going to get your news? Would that be from your portable cable receiver? I think broadcasting will be a viable source of entertainment for some time to come. Creative people started the business and creative people will keep it going.
The 18th of January, 2009, marks the end of my first full year without a cigarette in 54 years. I can’t say it isn’t difficult, but I can say, with certainty, that I will never look back. I’m mentioning this because my quitting was much like this transition is going to be, for some viewers TURKEY. It’s on all the TV stations, it’s in the newspapers, and on the radio. If they haven’t got the message, it’s really too late to do anything about it. It takes a minimum of six weeks to get coupons when they are available and it looks to be a while before they are available. I kept thinking about it and even got a prescription for an anti-smoking drug. I was religious, in taking the medication, but, in the end, it was pure willpower and the desire to quit that won out. It may seem to hurt us like quitting smoking, but regardless of the statistics, when the time comes, we need to pull the plug with no regrets.
In line with that, I think the plug should be pulled, on analog TV, regardless of what the legislature does. Then, again, it’s not my money.
Everyone needs to remember that the original quest, on the part of the ATSC, was not for digital television, but was for an improvement in technical quality and visual experience for home viewers. It had nothing to do with opening up spectrum for other services and the FCC did not ask for it. It wasn’t until 1987, that the FCC got involved in the search for a viable high-definition television system; five years after the ATSC was formed. What did they do? They appointed a committee to study the situation. Almost five years after that, the committee looked at a viable digital system and eventually decided that was the way to go. And I agree, digital is the only way to go. However, going digital, in itself, does not open up the frequency spectrum for use by other services. Giving up unused channels could have been done under the analog system. We have the same bandwidth, with digital RF, as we have with analog RF. The real difference is congressional mandate, as opposed to FCC rules and regulations.
We are switching to digital because, after the dust settles, we will be providing a much better product more efficiently with more variety. Let’s try to keep from side-stepping this issue. Two years from now, most of the over-the-air viewers will be asking why it didn’t happen sooner.
Let me know what you think! You can email me at mjohnson@kocb.sbgnet.com
Thank You,
Mike “Crusty” Johnson
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