DTV Transition Will Hurt Broadcast Ratings: Turner Exec

Turner chief research officer Jack Wakshlag said the transition to all-digital signals in February will reduce broadcast TV's audience in a year in which it already lost 2 million viewers. As of November, roughly 20% of TV homes will be affected by the DTV transition, with 10.3% of homes "partially unready" -- or have some TV sets that are not digital-ready -- and 7.4% having "no-ready" sets. Right now, nearly 13% of broadcast viewing comes from homes with "unready sets," namely homes that only get broadcast stations, but viewing patterns change when households make accommodations to prepare for the DTV transition, according to Wakshlag.