TechnoBabble

It is now 90 days left until television as we have known it changes forever. I look around at the work that has been done here at the station in preparations for this day and I just can’t believe that we will be turning off our venerable analog transmitter on February 17, 2009, FOREVER. Forever. That is a long time.

The meetings and discussions are getting closer and closer now as the day approaches and even though I know we will push that big red button OFF for the last time in analog, it is still a little surreal. This will mark the first time in US history that we have stopped using a broadcasting format and for no more reason than it is “out of date.” It is interesting to note that the UK has done this several times. In the 1980’s the Brit’s turned off their original TV signals that were black and white and only 405 lines of resolution. Those TV signals were all VHF signals as well. Their “colour transition” started in the late 60’s when they introduced color 625 line UHF television. By the 1980’s there were enough color 625 line UHF TVs in the country they felt comfortable in turning off the old VHF system. Other European countries soon followed suit. But not only did the UK shut down their VHF system, at the same time they introduced a change in the sound transmission of their TV signals from analog to a system called NICAM where the picture is analog and the audio is digital.  The UK is now in the process of turning off all analog TV signals as well, but they are not slated to do that until 2011. The UK started their digital transition 6 months ago using a regional approach to turning off analog by having the BBC station stop programming and broadcast an information graphic about where to find BBC programming on digital and then 30 or 60 days later, the other stations turning off their analog transmitters, something many people here said should have been. Of course here, we are slated to just turn off our analogs as if they never existed and go on our merry way. There is an attempt to put some 11th hour legislation in that would provide what is being called, “Analog Nightlight.” This is where stations that can keep their analog transmitters on the air past February 17th to do so for 30 days to run an information graphic about where to find their digital programming. This is all well and good, but many people think this should have been thought of LONG before now. We will see if it passes. Of course this doesn’t help WGHP since we are moving our digital signal back to channel 8 on the 17th of February, but it might be something to consider for other stations who are just turning off their analog transmitters since they would be staying on their digital channels.

The good news is that 85% of the population will not be effected by the change because they are connected to satellite or cable. The conversion is being done there for those people. The other 15% that receive their TV via antenna, many already have purchased the converter boxes and are viewing digital TV now. Those who haven’t moved in the “digital direction” will be watching static on February 18th, or stations with information graphics if Congress passes the Analog Nightlight law.

In our own progress to towards February 17th, the parts needed for conversion of our channel 8 transmitters have started to arrive. The plan is to have the auxiliary transmitter converted and tested by the end of the year. After that we should have all the parts ready to convert the main transmitter to digital. We will start that part of the process on February 18th after we stop broadcasting analog. While we do that, for the week or so that it will take to convert it and get it ready to put on the air, we will be broadcasting digital with our auxiliary transmitter. That is how we will be able to turn off analog channel 8 and turn on digital channel 8 immediately. Of course at the same time that happens, we will be turning off our channel 35 digital transmitter for good as well since we aren’t allowed to broadcast on two channels digitally at the same time. So as you can see, still lots of work to do, even after all the work that has been done.

We do thank you for watching FOX8 WGHP all these years in analog and we look forward to continue to serve you in the digital TV world.

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