Early Digital-TV Switch Has FlawViewers Could Lose Certain Channels on Permanent Basis
One of the most surprising lessons from the early digital-television transition that took place last week in Wilmington, N.C., is that some viewers may permanently lose access to certain broadcast channels.
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin said Tuesday that TV stations whose analog signals stretch far beyond their digital broadcast areas may be on the hook to build more antennas to reach those viewers.
FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, left, accompanied by National Association of Broadcasters Television Board Chairman Jim Yager at a news conference in Washington last month.
On Sept. 8, TV stations in Wilmington made the digital switch five months early to give regulators a chance to identify potential problems with the nationwide transition.
The analog signal for Wilmington's NBC affiliate, WECT-TV Channel 6, one of the stations in the experiment, broadcasts several counties away from its actual digital market. When WECT stopped broadcasting in an analog format, as all TV stations must do Feb. 17, several customers outside the official market suddenly lost the channel.
Most of those viewers can access other NBC affiliates closer to their homes, but Mr. Martin is concerned that in February, some people will lose access to channels they have been accustomed to watching without a local replacement.
Mr. Martin told the House Energy and Commerce Committee Tuesday that about 15% of television markets across the country will shrink their markets "in a significant way" when broadcasters shut off their analog signals next year.
The Government Accountability Office estimates that stations with decreased coverage areas after the digital transition could affect 23,000 viewers.
The FCC is currently working on identifying the problematic markets and considering ways to solve the problem, Mr. Martin said. The FCC will ask TV broadcasters to build new antennas to extend their digital signals into dark areas.
"It's important and we will work with the broadcasters to make sure we're filling in those holes," Mr. Martin said.
The FCC wants to distinguish between viewers who will lose access to channels after the digital switch and those on the edge of an analog-TV station's market who can receive a similar affiliate closer to home.
In Wilmington, WECT General Manager Gary McNair said his station's large analog broadcasting domain dates back to when it was the only NBC affiliate across several markets. Other NBC affiliate stations have since sprouted in regions outside Wilmington. Until last week, some viewers on the outer edge of WECT's broadcast area had access to two NBC channels.
When WECT shut off its analog signal, several viewers outside of WECT's market called to complain that they couldn't receive that channel.
Mr. McNair described the problem for WECT viewers outside Wilmington as "inch-wide, mile deep." Even if those people had access to a local NBC affiliate, some preferred the Wilmington channel because they are from the area and feel connected to it, he said.
And when Mr. McNair told those callers there was nothing he could do about it, he said they blamed the government.
By: Fawn Johnson
Wall Street Journal; September 17, 2008
