For Millions, DTV Deadline is Now

Although the government delayed the mandatory shutdown of analog TV signals by four months to give people with older TVs more time to prepare, that's small comfort to people who live in cities where some broadcasters are switching to all-digital broadcasts Tuesday, as they had originally planned. Because it is costly to keep broadcasting analog signals, nearly 500 stations said they would make the transition on Tuesday or one of the nearby days, rather than June 12. After last-minute prodding by the Federal Communications Commission, 43 of them backed off. But still there will be an odd patchwork of programming for millions of Americans who rely on analog TV signals. To deal with the change, they need a digital converter box or a new TV with a digital tuner, or cable or satellite service.