DTV Shift: Industry leaders expect success, but acknowledge there will be bumps

With only a few days remaining until June 12 and the end of analog television broadcasts, most predictions are for a manageable shift. But there will be bumps; some inevitable, some perhaps not. The expected bumps include dealing with procrastinators who have not yet taken the steps to be digital-ready, viewers who have had trouble making the switch for reasons of language or finances, and myriad reception problems that will undoubtedly fall upon people who have done everything the government asked them to do. Federal Communications Commission members and industry players alike are cautioning that the transition is not so much an ending, as a beginning of dealing with yet-unforeseen issues, along with knowns carrying an impact yet to be determined. On that list is how the first blizzard in Detroit—or unlicensed wireless devices, for that matter—might affect a digital signal more prone to interference than its analog predecessor. The FCC says more stations than it previously thought would lose at last 2% of their analog viewers when they make the switch to digital. The FCC initially concluded that 319 stations would lose more than 2% of their analog viewers (stations are also picking up new viewers with digital) as their coverage areas change slightly. That loss triggers an FCC requirement to inform viewers on-air with "geographically specific" information on impending signal losses. But the FCC Friday said that after recalculation based on new maps and data, 19 of those stations actually didn't have to run the on-air info, while an additional 55 will have to, for a net 355 stations now losing more than 2% of their former analog audience. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) sent letters to the major government DTV stakeholders "urging" them to help consumers make the transition to digital.