For Low Power TV Stations, DTV is a Countdown to Disaster

FOR LPTV, DTV IS A COUNTDOWN TO DISASTER
[SOURCE: tvnewsday]
For most full-power TV stations, the analog cut-off date of Feb. 18, 2009, is now no more than a big and sometimes costly chore. They are already broadcasting digital signals so it’s mostly a matter of switching to the right channels and shuffling around antennas on the tower. But for the far more numerous low-power TV stations and translators, the cut-off date is an impending disaster. That’s because most haven't been given a chance to build digital facilities. They will have to continue broadcasting analog signals long after the cut-off date. The problem with that is that the government and full-power broadcasters have launched an aggressive campaign to equip millions of viewers with government-subsidized converter boxes that, in essence, turns their old TV sets into digital receivers no longer able to pick up analog signals. Compounding the problem is that few low-power stations are carried on cable systems and, because they don't have must-carry rights, they can't demand carriage. They will be analog ignored by a digital world. Faced with this dire prospect, the Community Broadcasters Association, which represents the 2,800 Class A and other low-power stations, is turning to the government for help. They want it to require converter boxes that pass through analog signals and they want limited must carry rights.
http://www.tvnewsday.com/articles/2007/11/15/daily.2/