Digital Transition Could Wreak Havoc On 2009 Feb. Sweep, Report Says

Has anyone thought of the harmful affect next year's digital television transition could have... on sweeps? Ad agency Carat notes that there are home that aren't ready for the digital transition -- including the Hispanic population, homes with older viewers and rural homes... the most “unready” markets are Minneapolis, Salt Lake City, Houston and Albuquerque -- and they will lose their broadcast signals Feb. 17, 2009 if they don't take steps to connect to digital-only signals. Carat expects the impact of the government-mandated transition to all digital -- rather than analog -- broadcast signals on national ratings to be slight. But the agency warned that local-market ratings could potentially be affected, depending on the market. Carat said that some are calling for the February sweeps period be moved out of that month and pushed back.
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