FCC Says 35 Stations To Go Dark June 12

The Federal Communications Commission announced that 35 full-power television stations that have been broadcasting in analog have said they will be ceasing operation entirely on or before June 12 -- meaning they won't start digital operations after they pull the plug on analog. Seventeen of these stations are having technical difficulties and the FCC said it expects them back by year's end. Eighteen of the stations are owned by one company in bankruptcy, Equity Media, while seven of the 35 stations are affiliates of a major network. The FCC said it would try to reduce the number that would go dark, pointing out that some of the Equity signals would still be available on the multicast channel of another digital station.