The change already begun, as WAAY was running a slide on its analog signal announcing people to call the hot line or visit the station’s Web site in order to get more information about what digital transmission means and how it will occur.

 

Initially all television stations were supposed to make the transition today but the Congress approved with a delay until June. In order to avoid misunderstandings and make the switch as easy as possible for the population, the Federal Communications Commission allowed stations that were ready to turn to digital transmission on the originally scheduled date. Therefore consumers who still rely on antennas to receive over-the-air broadcast signals will need to obtain a set-top converter that will receive the digital signal and convert it to analog and they have four extra months to do so. The decision, strongly supported by president-elect Barack Obama, gives approximately 6.5 million unprepared households more time to get ready for the transition. Surveys show that nearly every TV viewer is aware of the switch, and is preparing for it with analog sets that will need to be connected to cable, satellite TV or a $40 to $70 converter box that can tune in digital signals.

When broadcasters in Wilmington, N.C., voluntarily shut down their analog stations four months ago, they realized that more than 1,000 people were not ready for this kind of change. That was the reason why President-elect Barack Obama's transition team asked the Congress to postpone the cutoff indefinitely. Manufacturers were not happy at all with this decision because they have been promoting the switch to digital for more than a decade.

 

WHNT (CBS Channel 19), WAFF (NBC Channel 48) and WZDX (Fox Channel 54) have decided to stick to the old analog broadcasting. The marketing director of WAFF, Becky Shores, said that the station relied on the delay approved by the Congress and will not give up on analog broadcasting for the moment.

The Obama transition team representatives also said that the subsidy program for converter boxes ran out of money in January but the Congress seems to have a solution to the problem, so that Washington gains enough time to resume mailing coupons, giving recipients a few weeks to use them before the scheduled switch. The converters vary in price and can be purchased online or through retailers such as Best Buy and Wal-Mart among others.

 

The bill passed by the House on Wednesday does not include new money for a federal program that provides viewers with $40 coupons toward a converter box. The program has dispensed its total of $1.34 billion worth of coupons and is waiting for other unused ones useable for 90 days. The coupons waiting list gathered 3.5 million requests at the moment, especially since the legislation allows consumers to reapply for a coupon in case their vouchers have expired.