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How will our local stations handle shutting down analog

R

Rick Rose 2.0

Guest
Now that congress has decided to delay the official analog shutdown, how will our local stations deal with it. Are all going to continue with their current plans and shut down analog on February 17th? Only PBS affiliate channel 8 will only have to shutdown their analog to move to their permanent DTV facility. 8 is currently at low power on DTV 12 and when it goes back to DTV 8 it will then be full power.

I hope the locals will announce soon.
 
So far, channel 46 filed an application on Monday to shut down their analog on Feb 17th so we know they are gone on the former deadline.
 
Congrats to 46 for going ahead with the original transition date. They'll save $12,000 a month or more on their transmitter power bill. They have a solid DTV signal via my attic antenna in Jones county. I hope WSB and WAGA will do the same on the 17th or shortly thereafter. Extending the DTV deadline is a joke.
 
I am complaining because numerous stations have facility modifications that are held up due to the analog delay. Plus the government has already sold the spectrum for other uses and those companies are also screwed. The only thing that will force most of the 6 million people that have put off upgrading is for analog signals to drop off. The number of non prepared households will not really drop by June 12th.
 
Agreed. Those who waited should face the consequences of losing their local stations. The general public has been advised since 2006 that this day would finally arrive. They failed to act promptly and now these _______ dimwits will cost local stations even more in facility costs at a time when furloughs and layoffs are reality for every station in every market, large or small. The government's unfunded mandate on broadcasters for DTV upgrades should make everyone with ties to local stations simply boil with anger. Cellphone providers bought spectrum based on this date and now this will delay their attempts to turn a profit on their investment. The stations have given untold amounts of airtime to these 21709 PSA's that spoke to simpletons at all hours of the day or night. The feds used every ethnicity possible for every age group in these lowest common denominator spots and even sponsored an ill-fated NASCAR team. Hello, it's only a $40 box. If watching television is that important , wouldn't you think one would act before one month or so until the switch. Guess that's $40 that would deprive folks of their lottery tickets or Walmart fix. Now, watch as they deploy an $80 per household coupon for a new antenna. It will be positioned as part of the "stimulus package". Is a free DTV for every household too far behind?

The only thing missing from this disaster is the Red Cross relief trucks.
 
WSB-TV has major signal issues to deal with (so does WGCL). Even though many of their sister stations are pulling the plug, I don't think Bill Hoffman is going to let WSB's dominence be threatened (WSB-TV news is big with the elderly. They will not switch elsewhere if the analog goes away). WSB-TV will probably stay on analog until the signal issues are fixed. I would tune in Sunday night at 6 PM to see if there is an editoral on this topic.

WAGA, WXIA, WATL, and WUPA will be on until June 12th according to reports (corporate decisions). The networks do not want to switch yet (although many station owners are).

Deadline is Monday to notify the FCC if they want to leave the air on the 17th. Otherwise, there is a 30-day window from notification to shutdown.
 
Most of 2's signal issues is due to the digital transmitter being side mounted on its tower and until they remove their analog transmitter from the top of the tower 2's dtv signal is challenged. I have never had issues with channel 46's signal.

Congress can play these stupid games but I have been all digital for 6 months. I only watch digital signals now.
 
My experience has been the same. I rarely see Channel 2's digital sig but have never had a problem with 46. The sooner WSB-TV dumps analog the better.
 
So far channel 46 in Atlanta, channel 6 & 54 in Augusta, channel 3 in Savannah and channel 3 in Columbus have filed to turn off analog on Feb 17.

Channel 13 in Macon the leading station in central GA is at low power on DTV 4 and they must shut down analog 13 to move to full power at DTV 13. So if you rely on an antenna you can't watch cbs hd programming in hd in a chunk of the Macon market. I would be pissed until 13 got a full power digital signal up.
 
Impulse noise is the real culprit for WMAZ and they're looking forward to DTV on 13 instead of 4. I've seen the new transmitter and building and it's top notch. Their DTV contour on 13 will easily surpass the analog grade B coverage and will reach new places outside the market. The lower power contour for DTV 4 still replicates the analog full power contour. Ice makers, lawn mowers, HVAC units, garage door openers have enough spurious energy to interrupt the data stream especially on DTV 2-6. Even power line sparkles normally seen in analog low band V throw the data stream into disarray. Ironically, the station was received in Illinois and Massachusetts via e-skip in July '08. The guy in Massachusetts even placed it on You Tube.

Bottom line, DTV on 2-6 is the equivalent to being an analog high band U....a total waste of spectrum and money.
 
When I moved to Stockbridge in the early 80s WMAZ was on our local cable so I got introduced to it many years ago. After moving back after 5 years this past summer I was able to pick up a good analog signal for channel 13 several times, but only once did I get its digital signal. Numerous nights I got the digitial signals for all the other Macon signals. Gannett appears committed to wasting the money to power an analog and digital signal so I guess it will be who knows when I can get digital WMAZ when it moves to DTV 12. I was tricked into believing the Feb 17th 2009 date was real because it looked like the governent would follow through. At this point if you are not prepared then you deserve to lose your tv shows. I highly doubt the June 12th date will be met as well. I commend channel 46 for a least filing to shut down on Feb 17th. The costs to Gannett to operate dual transmitters will probably cost several more jobs at WXIA/WATL and WMAZ.
 
I just discovered we are the 3rd most DTV ready market of the top 56 metered markets. We are 1.87% unprepared, so over 98% of the Atlanta TV market is ready for DTV. So why is 2,5,11,36 so hell bent on keeping analog up and running. Only the Philadelphia and Hartford-New Haven markets are more prepared.
 
Is ch 2 analog still on the tower near the Jimmy Carter Library? I had assumed ch 2 would move to one of the other towers to get the digital at a higher HAAT.
 
Exciting quote from WATC 57 GM

http://mobile.multichannel.com/article/173769-DTV_Switch_Put_Off_For_Some.php

John Broomall, who runs non-commercial Christian station WATC Atlanta, plans to switch on Feb. 17, “unless we are hauled kicking and screaming” to June 12. He pointed to the cost of continuing with his aging analog equipment: “I am ready on a moment’s notice to produce a spot that says we don’t care when anybody else is shutting down, we’re shutting down on [Feb. 17].”

Broomall already has a 30-minute program on the history of television ready to go for that last day. “At the very end, this hand goes to an off button on-camera, and everything goes black.”
Click to expand...

Apparently...the only station that plans on going out with a bang.
 
Does anyone know when digital WATC will go full power because I can't get the digital signal in Stockbridge. We have a great antenna with a rotator but 14 & 57 wont pick up.
 
Rick Rose 2.0 said:
Does anyone know when digital WATC will go full power because I can't get the digital signal in Stockbridge. We have a great antenna with a rotator but 14 & 57 wont pick up.
Click to expand...

Since WATC-DT is on 41 I assume they won't be able to go full power until WMGT 41 analog in Macon shuts down.

As far as WSB-TV, will moving their Digital antenna up really help at their current location? During the 90's when I lived in Midtown, in order to watch WSB-TV analog you had to have cable because all the ghosting etc made it look like a scrambled pay channel. Never had a problem with WAGA 5.

Does anyone know if the WDTA 53 digital signal is up yet on Ch. 35? All I ever get on 35 is WTVC-DT 9 from Chattanooga.

Also, will WGTV 8 be shutting off their analog on Feb. 17 so they can move their digital from 12 to 8? While I can get them without a problem on my outdoor antenna you can't get them with an indoor antenna.
 
UPDATE: WGCL has backtracked. Per a scroll on WGCL, they are waiting until June 12th. Apparently, they were afraid to lose their remaining five viewers.

Other then "screw it" WATC and possibly WHSG, don't look for anyone else (including GPB) to go.
 
Rick Rose 2.0 said:
So far channel 46 in Atlanta, channel 6 & 54 in Augusta, channel 3 in Savannah and channel 3 in Columbus have filed to turn off analog on Feb 17.
Click to expand...

In Savannah, 22 & 28 (ABC & Fox) will also be going analog-free on 2-17.

G
 
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