Hundreds of TV Stations to Remain in Analog Next Week
Hundreds of TV stations will keep broadcasting in analog past next week, when the FCC will let some stations stop, and many will stick with it until June 12, the new date for the nationwide full-power switch to DTV, our survey found. In addition to all TV stations owned by the Big Four broadcast networks (CD Feb 9 p12), many other companies said they plan to stay in analog until June, or at least for now, in markets where they haven’t already gone all-digital. Many public stations are sticking with plans to shut down analog operations next Tuesday because of budget and other reasons, though some will wait until June.
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More than 300 commercial stations will remain on the air in analog past Feb. 17. Companies holding off abandoning analog operations at most or all of their stations include Allbritton, Belo, Gannett, Hearst-Argyle, Ion Media, Meredith, Raycom, Scripps and Univision, our survey found. Stations owned and operated by ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC and Telemundo were identified last week by Acting FCC Chairman Michael Copps as among those sticking with analog until June.
Some commercial broadcasters gave up plans to go all- digital next week because of technical reasons, since analog cutoffs now would entail moving to another digital channel after June 12, executives said. “There’s a big daisy-chain involved” in markets such as Washington, D.C., where five stations will share the same digital tower, said Jerald Fritz, Allbritton general counsel. The company will continue broadcasting in analog at all seven stations it owns, he said. Scripps believes “a market is best served if all the local stations convert at the same time because it eliminates confusion,” said a spokesman for the firm, which is keeping analog broadcasts at 10 stations. Although most of them probably will move to digital in June, “we'll judge it on a case-by-case basis after consulting with the other stations in our markets about when would be the best time for a joint transition,” he added.
Further reason to hold off making the transition in many markets is that some broadcasters plan to stay in analog, putting those that move to digital early at a disadvantage because over- the-air viewers without digital converter boxes wouldn’t be able to get their signal, said executives. “You don’t like to be the only station in a market to shut off analog,” said Dave Folsom, chief technical officer of Raycom, which is keeping all 43 stations it runs in analog. “That makes for an even competitive situation” when all stations in a market transition at the same time, as well as making it simpler for viewers and cable- and satellite-TV operators, he said. Competitive considerations may keep some from going through with the switch on the 17th, even though they'd said they wanted to after Congress began working on a delay, said Dave Glenn, Ion president of engineering. Eight of its approximately 60 stations will be all-digital as of Tuesday, including three stations that already transitioned, he said.
Several broadcast chains haven’t finalized plans. LIN TV, operating 29 stations, still is weighing options, a spokeswoman said. “We are carefully considering the needs of our viewers as we evaluate on a market-by-market basis.” Young Broadcasting is also taking a market-by-market approach for its 11 stations, said Chief Financial Officer Jim Morgan. “There are real reasons why it’s a good idea, and why it’s a bad idea.” All Tribune stations are “ready to go” digital-only, but it’s not disclosing plans, said a spokesman. Officials at Media General and Nexstar didn’t disclose their plans.
Some public stations already made the digital switch or are sticking with plans to do so next week, officials said. Nebraska Educational Telecommunications has switched six of nine transmitters and will transition the remaining three Tuesday, said General Manager Rob Bates. All public stations in the state look set to switch Tuesday, he said. South Carolina ETV, that state’s public broadcaster, also will switch Tuesday, though KQED San Francisco will wait until June, like most of the other Bay Area broadcasters, officials said. About half of broadcasters polled by the Association of Public Television Stations said they'll go all-digital this month if there’s no federal money to remain on-air in analog, said a PBS spokeswoman.