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In This Section
Falls approves sale of former plaza site
Group recommends merging Akron, Summit County health agencies
Jewell Cardwell: LeBron fans cooking up fundraiser
Citizens and public officials question wetlands proposal in Lake Township
Canton school board won't seek operating levy
Downtown Akron restaurants serve up 79,000 pounds of cardboard for recycling
Most Read Stories
Another winter punch heading toward Ohio
Man robbed at Tallmadge Avenue eatery
Complaints against officer keep coming
Police: Ohio girl dies after fall into snow bank
Four teens restrain man, take items from his Akron home
Police: Man tries to buy crack with credit card
Police say couple had 50 stolen hubcaps
Blogs:
First Bell - On Education:
No City of Akron basketball tonight
Pets:
Pet telethon re-airs
The Heldenfiles:
Chipmunks "Squeakquel" on DVD/BD March 30
Akron Zips:
Zips favored on road against MAC West leader
Tribe Matters:
Blogmail response on Hafner
Cleveland Browns:
Stallworth's contract terminated
Balanced Ledger:
QB in Browns future: another mock draft
Kent State Sports:
KSU Notes – February 9
Cleveland Cavaliers:
NBA Power Rankings from Around the Internet
Buckeye Blogging:
Buckeyes grab 18 players on signing day
Varsity Letters:
Five local gridders to play in Big33
All Da King's Men:
Palin At The Tea Party Convention
Blog of Mass Destruction:
Republican Pre-Conditions
Akron Law Café:
Law, Love and Chocolate
Car Chase:
Collector Car Hobby Loses One of the Best—Jim Roll
Let's Talk Real Estate:
Decisions Decisions: Credit Cards or Your Mortgage?
Ohio Travels with Betty:
Loucile is looking for a Lake Erie getaway in June for three kids, ages 1, 3, and 5.
Sound Check:
Talk of the Town – Top entertainment picks for the weekend
HRLite House:
OFCCP Report
Akron Gamer:
Makers of 'Castle Crashers' unveil 'BattleBlock Theater'
See Jane Style:
Do IT this week: Layering
By Rich Heldenfels
Beacon Journal popular culture writer
POSTED: 06:28 p.m. EDT, Jun 08, 2009
At about 10:01 a.m. on Friday, thousands of Northeast Ohio TV viewers may sit upright in their Barcaloungers and La-Z-Boys and say, ''Hey, what happened to my TV?''
The much-discussed and long-anticipated transition from analog to digital TV will have taken place. Full-power stations in Northeast Ohio and around the U.S. will end broadcasts on their current TV channels by Friday and take up permanent residence on new channels on that day, mostly at 10 a.m.
Digital telecasts make possible better picture and sound; high-definition television is one form of digital TV, though not all digital TV is HD.
Digital also lets broadcasters offer multiple channels at the same time. WDLI in Canton, for example, has been presenting five channels in digital: its standard broadcasts from the Trinity Broadcasting Network, plus telecasts of the Church Channel, a Spanish-language channel, children's programming and young-adult fare. (Because it is using its available signal for so many channels, WDLI does not broadcast in HD.)
WUAB in Cleveland has added THIS TV, a network presenting old movies and TV shows, as a digital companion to its regular broadcasts. WKYC and WOIO each use a second channel for weather information.
At the same time, the move of TV stations to digital opens up the old analog channels for wireless-communications services and emergency-response networks such as police and fire departments.
People with cable TV or a satellite-program service should not notice any difference in their service once the change takes place. And that's most homes: Nielsen estimates that more than 90 percent of homes in this region have cable, satellite or both.
In most cases, subscribers did not need new equipment; Time Warner Cable says even subscribers to their most basic service, with no converter box, will be unaffected by the transition.
But there have been some exceptions. Massillon Cable provided customers who are getting analog-only service a converter to switch digital signals to analog for their sets; it offered up to three boxes and installation without charge to subscribers.
What happens Friday
The major impact on Friday will be on people using an over-the-air antenna with an analog-only TV set. Those viewers need a box, sold at local retailers, which will convert the stations' digital signals for viewing on an analog TV set. The remote-controlled boxes detect the digital channels and arrange them in their traditional order — so you still find Channels 3, 5 and 8 in that order on the box, even though their numerical designations on digital differ. (For the foreseeable future, you can also expect stations to continue identifying themselves on the air by their analog channel numbers.)
The switch from analog to digital was previously scheduled for February, then postponed because it was feared too many homes were not yet ready for the change; problems in issuing government discount coupons for converters were a factor.
In early February, the Nielsen Co. estimated about 5.4 percent of homes in the Cleveland-Akron-Canton area were not at all ready for the transition. That added up to more than 81,000 homes.
Coupons became more readily available. Ongoing, aggressive attempts to increase consumer awareness have included on-air crawls during shows. Informational meetings have been held, and will continue to be held in the days ahead. There have even been offers to come to your house and hook up your box.
For example, the Federal Communications Commission has joined forces with the International Association of Fire Chiefs to have firefighters voluntarily make house calls to help hook up converters. To find out if that service is available in your area, call 888-CALL-FCC. Please do not call the fire departments. According to IAFC, one department was buried under 5,000 calls.
As a result of these efforts, more homes are now prepared. As of May 24, Nielsen said the local unprepared percentage was down to about 4.4 percent.
Which still means that more than 66,000 of the 1.5 million homes in the region are not ready, according to Nielsen. The percentage here is considerably more than the national average of about 2.7 percent. While Cleveland-Akron-Canton ranks 17th in size among national TV markets, it is eighth among 56 Nielsen-surveyed markets in unreadiness.
Certain groups at risk
Albuquerque-Santa Fe is the worst, with 8.4 percent unready, says Nielsen, followed by Dallas-Fort Worth at just under 6.4 percent. And the FCC has noted that some groups are especially at risk, ''including low-income individuals, minority communities, non-English speaking consumers, senior citizens, consumers with disabilities and individuals living in rural areas or on tribal lands.''
Not that this will delay the transition.
Some local stations, including WOAC and WDLI, have already gone digital. And President Barack Obama, who supported the February delay, said in a statement on Friday that ''I want to be clear: There will not be another delay.
''I urge everyone who is not yet prepared to act today, so you don't lose important news and emergency information on June 12,'' he said. ''And I encourage all Americans who are prepared, to talk to their friends, family and neighbors to make sure they get ready before it's too late.''
But even those over-the-air viewers who have gotten their boxes may have noticed some problems with reception. Digital images can break up, and WOIO and WKYC still aren't getting their digital signals as far as they would like.
WKYC's problem stemmed from being assigned Channel 17 for digital broadcasts. Until recently, that channel was occupied by WDLI. WKYC had to broadcast on Channel 2 for the time being, and at reduced power. But WDLI has now moved to its digital channel, 39. WKYC will switch over to Channel 17 on Friday and, according to a station representative, will be available to its current analog viewers.
WOIO, which broadcasts digitally on Channel 10, has asked for a power increase from the FCC but is still awaiting action on it. It does plan to move its digital antenna to the top of its analog tower and expects that to help. In working with individual viewers with reception problems, WOIO program manager Lisa McManus said the station has found a better antenna makes a difference, ''usually one that is mounted outdoors.''
Some of the over-the-air programming will not be available to cable subscribers. For example, Time Warner Cable does not have the four additional channels from WDLI. It has added THIS TV to its digital tier under its agreement with WUAB. It also has the weather channels from WOIO and WKYC. A Time Warner spokesman said it has some supplemental PBS channels under an agreement between PBS and the National Cable & Telecommunications Association.
But if other local broadcasters add channels, their cable carriage will be subject to negotiation. ''If our contract with the broadcaster calls for a multicast, we will carry it in digital,'' said Travis Reynolds of Time Warner.
Rich Heldenfels writes about popular culture for the Beacon Journal, in the HeldenFiles Online blog at http://heldenfels.ohio.com and on Twitter. He can be reached at 330-996-3582 and rheldenfels@thebeaconjournal.com.
Local help available
''Mobile Assistance Centers'' offering advice on hooking up a digital-to-analog TV converter and ordering a discount coupon will be in the Akron area Wednesday through Friday.
The centers are from the U.S. Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration.
The centers will have demonstrations of how to connect a box. Forms will also be available for the discount coupons, although the coupons will not arrive before TV stations convert to digital on Friday.
While some people have shown up at previous centers with their TV sets, NTIA recommends you leave the TV at home.
Locations and times include:
• Wednesday, 9 a.m.-noon, Kent/Ravenna Goodwill Store, 2528 State Road, Kent.
• Wednesday, 2-6 p.m., Goodwill, 75 Midway Plaza, Tallmadge.
• Thursday, 9 a.m.-noon, Lakemore Goodwill, 1500 Canton Road, Akron.
• Thursday, 2-6 p.m., Goodwill, 570 E. Waterloo Road, Akron.
• Friday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Walmart, 2887 S. Arlington St., Akron.
At about 10:01 a.m. on Friday, thousands of Northeast Ohio TV viewers may sit upright in their Barcaloungers and La-Z-Boys and say, ''Hey, what happened to my TV?''
The much-discussed and long-anticipated transition from analog to digital TV will have taken place. Full-power stations in Northeast Ohio and around the U.S. will end broadcasts on their current TV channels by Friday and take up permanent residence on new channels on that day, mostly at 10 a.m.
Digital telecasts make possible better picture and sound; high-definition television is one form of digital TV, though not all digital TV is HD.
Digital also lets broadcasters offer multiple channels at the same time. WDLI in Canton, for example, has been presenting five channels in digital: its standard broadcasts from the Trinity Broadcasting Network, plus telecasts of the Church Channel, a Spanish-language channel, children's programming and young-adult fare. (Because it is using its available signal for so many channels, WDLI does not broadcast in HD.)
WUAB in Cleveland has added THIS TV, a network presenting old movies and TV shows, as a digital companion to its regular broadcasts. WKYC and WOIO each use a second channel for weather information.
At the same time, the move of TV stations to digital opens up the old analog channels for wireless-communications services and emergency-response networks such as police and fire departments.
People with cable TV or a satellite-program service should not notice any difference in their service once the change takes place. And that's most homes: Nielsen estimates that more than 90 percent of homes in this region have cable, satellite or both.
In most cases, subscribers did not need new equipment; Time Warner Cable says even subscribers to their most basic service, with no converter box, will be unaffected by the transition.
But there have been some exceptions. Massillon Cable provided customers who are getting analog-only service a converter to switch digital signals to analog for their sets; it offered up to three boxes and installation without charge to subscribers.
What happens Friday
The major impact on Friday will be on people using an over-the-air antenna with an analog-only TV set. Those viewers need a box, sold at local retailers, which will convert the stations' digital signals for viewing on an analog TV set. The remote-controlled boxes detect the digital channels and arrange them in their traditional order — so you still find Channels 3, 5 and 8 in that order on the box, even though their numerical designations on digital differ. (For the foreseeable future, you can also expect stations to continue identifying themselves on the air by their analog channel numbers.)
The switch from analog to digital was previously scheduled for February, then postponed because it was feared too many homes were not yet ready for the change; problems in issuing government discount coupons for converters were a factor.
In early February, the Nielsen Co. estimated about 5.4 percent of homes in the Cleveland-Akron-Canton area were not at all ready for the transition. That added up to more than 81,000 homes.
Coupons became more readily available. Ongoing, aggressive attempts to increase consumer awareness have included on-air crawls during shows. Informational meetings have been held, and will continue to be held in the days ahead. There have even been offers to come to your house and hook up your box.
For example, the Federal Communications Commission has joined forces with the International Association of Fire Chiefs to have firefighters voluntarily make house calls to help hook up converters. To find out if that service is available in your area, call 888-CALL-FCC. Please do not call the fire departments. According to IAFC, one department was buried under 5,000 calls.
As a result of these efforts, more homes are now prepared. As of May 24, Nielsen said the local unprepared percentage was down to about 4.4 percent.
Which still means that more than 66,000 of the 1.5 million homes in the region are not ready, according to Nielsen. The percentage here is considerably more than the national average of about 2.7 percent. While Cleveland-Akron-Canton ranks 17th in size among national TV markets, it is eighth among 56 Nielsen-surveyed markets in unreadiness.
Certain groups at risk
Albuquerque-Santa Fe is the worst, with 8.4 percent unready, says Nielsen, followed by Dallas-Fort Worth at just under 6.4 percent. And the FCC has noted that some groups are especially at risk, ''including low-income individuals, minority communities, non-English speaking consumers, senior citizens, consumers with disabilities and individuals living in rural areas or on tribal lands.''
Not that this will delay the transition.
Some local stations, including WOAC and WDLI, have already gone digital. And President Barack Obama, who supported the February delay, said in a statement on Friday that ''I want to be clear: There will not be another delay.
''I urge everyone who is not yet prepared to act today, so you don't lose important news and emergency information on June 12,'' he said. ''And I encourage all Americans who are prepared, to talk to their friends, family and neighbors to make sure they get ready before it's too late.''
But even those over-the-air viewers who have gotten their boxes may have noticed some problems with reception. Digital images can break up, and WOIO and WKYC still aren't getting their digital signals as far as they would like.
WKYC's problem stemmed from being assigned Channel 17 for digital broadcasts. Until recently, that channel was occupied by WDLI. WKYC had to broadcast on Channel 2 for the time being, and at reduced power. But WDLI has now moved to its digital channel, 39. WKYC will switch over to Channel 17 on Friday and, according to a station representative, will be available to its current analog viewers.
WOIO, which broadcasts digitally on Channel 10, has asked for a power increase from the FCC but is still awaiting action on it. It does plan to move its digital antenna to the top of its analog tower and expects that to help. In working with individual viewers with reception problems, WOIO program manager Lisa McManus said the station has found a better antenna makes a difference, ''usually one that is mounted outdoors.''
Some of the over-the-air programming will not be available to cable subscribers. For example, Time Warner Cable does not have the four additional channels from WDLI. It has added THIS TV to its digital tier under its agreement with WUAB. It also has the weather channels from WOIO and WKYC. A Time Warner spokesman said it has some supplemental PBS channels under an agreement between PBS and the National Cable & Telecommunications Association.
But if other local broadcasters add channels, their cable carriage will be subject to negotiation. ''If our contract with the broadcaster calls for a multicast, we will carry it in digital,'' said Travis Reynolds of Time Warner.
Rich Heldenfels writes about popular culture for the Beacon Journal, in the HeldenFiles Online blog at http://heldenfels.ohio.com and on Twitter. He can be reached at 330-996-3582 and rheldenfels@thebeaconjournal.com.
Local help available
''Mobile Assistance Centers'' offering advice on hooking up a digital-to-analog TV converter and ordering a discount coupon will be in the Akron area Wednesday through Friday.
The centers are from the U.S. Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration.
The centers will have demonstrations of how to connect a box. Forms will also be available for the discount coupons, although the coupons will not arrive before TV stations convert to digital on Friday.
While some people have shown up at previous centers with their TV sets, NTIA recommends you leave the TV at home.
Locations and times include:
• Wednesday, 9 a.m.-noon, Kent/Ravenna Goodwill Store, 2528 State Road, Kent.
• Wednesday, 2-6 p.m., Goodwill, 75 Midway Plaza, Tallmadge.
• Thursday, 9 a.m.-noon, Lakemore Goodwill, 1500 Canton Road, Akron.
• Thursday, 2-6 p.m., Goodwill, 570 E. Waterloo Road, Akron.
• Friday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Walmart, 2887 S. Arlington St., Akron.
Comments
Click here to post your comments
Posted 06:56 PM, 06/08/2009
If they haven't switched by now, they never will until they can't see Judge Judy anymore....seriously you have to be living in a cave without tv to not know this....
Posted 06:57 PM, 06/08/2009
How many lawsuits are gonna be filed over missing their soaps?
akron, oh
Posted 08:26 PM, 06/08/2009
my biggest worry is what indoor antenna to get.
Da ghetto of Fairlawn, OH
Posted 08:42 PM, 06/08/2009
These folks still probably have the "dial" telephones,too...leave them in the dust. The phone company ought to force people to get touch tone phones, too. After all, it has only been 40 years since touch tone phones became common place. Get with the times people or become Amish!
Posted 11:39 PM, 06/08/2009
I wonder what the government plans to broadcast off this all digital television.
Akron, OH
Posted 10:06 AM, 06/09/2009
Why is the focus (blame) for lack of prep forever pointed at the viewing public when certain stations themselves seem ill-prepared for the "switch"?
Channel 5 sent out a crawl yesterday evening all but apologizing in advance to specific outlying areas that they claim will not receive their digital signal after the "switch" and until their new transmitter is working in July.
Hell, man, the stations have had as much time to prep as has the general public. Still, the viewers are the bad guys.
Let's just see how prepared all the other stations (Channel 25 in particular) are come Friday.
Posted 01:06 PM, 06/09/2009
My inlaws live in western Medina County. They have their converter box, and digital outdoor antenna on an antenna rotor. They are unable to recieve a strong enough digital signal to view any stations. The Feds seem to forget that not everyone lives in town. This is even true with broadband. Many Americans can only use dial-up at the same time businesses and the government assume everyone is or can be digitally connected.
Once again our legislators have be purchased by private enterprise hungry for a fast buck at the expense of others.
Posted 04:25 PM, 06/09/2009
AAAAHHHH!!! If you haven't gotten the message by now, you're dumber than a box of rocks. I'm tired of the scroll message taking our HD channels off of HD.
Posted 07:23 PM, 06/09/2009
Medina Reader - Contact (or have a lawyer contact) the FCC and explain the situation. Ask them for assistance. This change should not be costing anyone big bucks, nor loss of service.
And put them on notice that, in the event of a tornado which destroys the home and no advance information is available, they are to expect a multi-million dollar lawsuit.
They should visit your in-laws and remedy the loss of service... at no cost to you. Whether this is cable TV, shortwave TV, Satellite TV. Whatever the solution, they should be responsible for providing it at no charge.
Posted 12:59 PM, 06/10/2009
I received this in an email today from DirecTV:
"YOUR FREE TRIAL IS ALMOST OVER.
We hope you've been enjoying your local channels in 100% digital quality. As part of the Digital Transition on June 12, local channels will no longer be available via analog antenna. If this is how you currently receive your local channels, you will need to add local channels to your DIRECTV service by June 30.
KEEP YOUR LOCAL CHANNELS
Call us at 1-800-531-5000, and we'll make sure you continue to receive your local channels in 100%
digital quality."
Do you like how DirecTV blatantly LIES to their customers in an effort to charge them for something which they already receive for free?
"...local channels will no longer be available via analog antenna."
No, this is NOT being quoted out of context. DirecTV is LYING to the public!
From Rich Heldenfels on June 9th (http://www.ohio.com/news/break_news/47427772.html):
"You do not need a special ‘‘digital ready’’ or ‘‘HD ready’’ antenna to receive DTV signals.
Over-the-air DTV signals require the same type of antenna (i.e., rooftop, set-top) as analog signals. With digital, however, it's critical that antennas receive both VHF and UHF signals. And consumers should check their existing rooftop antennas for wear-and-tear caused by wind and weather, and loose connections that could degrade performance. Weak reception that causes ‘‘snow’’ in analog could result in no digital picture at all."
Feel free to phone DirecTV at the number they've provided and ask them why they are lying to the public.
Posted 01:02 PM, 06/10/2009
By the way, I have my 20 year-old rabbit ears attached to my converter box right here. The reception is great! All local channels are available in digital format where I live.
DirecTV needs to be slapped good for this one!
