DTV Transition

Roughly 16%.

You know those commercials you've been seeing on your TV for the last year about the transfer to digital television?

16%

What's the date that broadcast stations are going digital? Say it with me...February 17.

16%

How much are the government coupons worth for buying a dtv converter box? Say it with me again... $40 (you actually get two $40 coupons you know).

16%

Oh that 16%, what's that all about? 16% is the percentage of households with televisions that would be effected by the transition if they don't already have a converter box or if they don't have a television that can read a digital signal.

Now congress is pushing a bill through that would delay the digital transition because they think people aren't ready. This isn't a partisan thing, I blame both sides. To me it seems as though the government thinks people are too stupid to figure this thing out.

Come on. Really? We've been busting our humps here to make sure everyone out there understands what the conversion means to them. It's important to us because if their televisions go black, they're not watching us. We've done PSA's, weekly news stories, held phone banks that have received hundreds of calls. And that's just at our station. I'm sure the others have tried to make viewers aware too.

Just in case...if you have satellite, cable or a digital receiver, the transition won't effect you - if you receive an analog signal over the air (that means you have rabbit ears and you get just a few channels like 11, 13, 24, 30, & 36), you will need a converter box to continue seeing a picture on your television.

Our congressional representatives need to give our viewers more credit. They also have much more important things that they could be working on. The transition means more to local stations than it does politicians any way. We've worked hard to get the word out. Let's get this transition over with and move on, instead of dragging out the countdown for another four months.

Sorry. Had to get that out there. I fell better now.

-Billau