On August 6, 2007, the F.C.C. adopted a new, and final, Table of Allotments for digital television (“DTV”) providing all eligible stations with channels for DTV operations after the DTV transition on February 17, 2009.
The final DTV Table accommodates all eligible broadcasters, reflects to the extent possible the channel elections made by broadcasters, and is consistent with efficient spectrum use.
The final DTV Table also establishes the channels and facilities necessary to complete the digital transition and ultimately will replace the existing DTV Table at the end of the DTV transition.
Complete list of ALL United States TV stations:
This is a 54 page document in PDF form. WLIO is listed on page 36.
In the related link (below) you'll find the complete, and large F.C.C. legal text involving the most recent order. It, too, is a PDF document, but is 134 pages.
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( 3 / 252 )After February 17, 2009, all full-power television stations will broadcast in digital only.
In 1996, the U.S. Congress authorized the distribution of an additional broadcast channel to each broadcast TV station so that they could start a digital broadcast channel while simultaneously continuing their analog broadcast channel.
Later, Congress mandated that February 17, 2009, would be the last day for full-power television stations to broadcast in analog. The switch from analog to digital broadcast television is referred to as the digital TV (DTV) transition. Broadcast stations in all U.S. markets are currently broadcasting in both analog and digital.
According to Fred Vobbe, VP/Chief Engineer, “February 2009 will be here sooner than we think. Now is the time for us all to get up to speed on DTV: what is it; what does it mean to me; what do I need to do? We at WLIO encourage everyone to educate themselves on this important issue.”
Digital broadcasting allows stations to offer improved picture and sound quality, and digital is much more efficient than analog. For example, rather than being limited to providing one analog program, a broadcaster is able to offer a super sharp “high definition” (HD) digital program or multiple “standard definition” (SD) digital programs simultaneously through a process called “multicasting.”
On WLIO-DT you will find the normal NBC programming on 8.1. On channel 8.2 you will find The CW. On WLIO-DT channel 8.3 you'll find NBC's WeatherPlus, the areas only local all weather TV station.
For viewers who have one or more televisions that receive free over-the-air programming (with a roof-top antenna or “rabbit ears” on the TV), the type of TV you own is very important. A digital television (a TV with an internal digital tuner) will allow you to continue to watch free over-the-air programming after February 17, 2009.
However, if you have an analog television, you will need a digital-to-analog converter box to continue to watch broadcast television on that set. This converter box will also enable you to see any additional multicast programming that your local stations are offering.
To help consumers with the DTV transition, the Government established the Digital-to-Analog Converter Box Coupon Program. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), a part of the Department of Commerce, administers this program. Every U.S. household is eligible to receive up to two coupons, worth $40 each, toward the purchase of eligible digital-to-analog converter boxes. You will be able to request the coupons beginning in January of 2008.
The coupons may only be used for eligible converter boxes sold at participating consumer electronics retailers, and the coupons must be used at the time of purchase. Manufacturers estimate that digital-to-analog converter boxes will sell from $40 to $70 each. This is a one-time cost. For more information on the Digital-to-Analog Converter Box Coupon Program, visit the NTIA’s Web site at www.dtv2009.gov, or call 1-888-388-2009 (voice) or 1-877-530-2634 (TTY).
Cable and satellite TV subscribers with analog TVs hooked up to their cable or satellite service should not be affected by the February 17, 2009, cut-off date for full-power analog broadcasting, but should contact their provider to find out anything is needed to be prepared for the February deadline.
There are many sources of information about the digital transition but one of the best is the government’s Web site www.dtv.gov. It contains information on what DTV is, questions consumers should ask when purchasing new television sets, what programs are available in DTV, and much more. You can also call 1-888-CALL-FCC.
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( 3 / 418 )Several years ago we started building the new transmitter room at WLIO. Below, Fred Vobbe (R) meets with Dave (L) of M&W Construction to discuss the plans for the building.
In the picture below, Brent from ERI changes the beacon on the top of the tower. The beacon, which was originally installed in 1969 was an incandescent 1240 watt bulb. It was replaced with an energy efficient LED beacon that consumes just 40 watts!
;)
Meanwhile, the new Channel 8 antennas arrived. They were installed in early March, and provide the area with 27,500 watts of coverage. These antennas are custom built E.R.I. antennas.
;)
And finally, the new transmitter arrives. The channel 8 transmitter is a 5,000 watt Axcera "Innovator" digital transmitter. This transmitter will normally operate at 3,990 watts to provide 27,500 watts ERP (Effective Radiated Power).
The transmitter has eight power modules, and two exciters.
Want to see more pictures? Let us know!
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( 2.9 / 379 )I still am getting questions from the public on the COUPONS for the DTV converters. From the NTIA site, here is what we know. Click on the "Related Link" line below to go to their web site.
Digital-to-Analog Converter Box Coupon Program
The Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has launched the Digital-to-Analog Converter Box Coupon Program (Coupon Program), as authorized in the Digital Television Transition and Public Safety Act of 2005.
Starting January 1, 2008, all U.S. households will be eligible to request up to two coupons, worth $40 each, to be used toward the purchase of up to two, digital-to-analog converter boxes. For more details on the federal regulations, including the budget information, please see the DTV Converter Box Coupon Program Rules.
For a quick overview, see the Associated Press (AP) video about the digital TV converter boxes with Technical Writer Peter Svensson at AP Online Video Network www.ap.org/ovn/)
See also an interview with John Kneuer, Assistant Commerce Secretary for Communications & Information, on the C-SPAN television program "The Communicators" on February 3, 2007. Mr. Kneuer discussed the conclusion of the transition to digital TV by February of 2009.
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( 3 / 336 )The following story was passed to me by our newsroom. It appeared on the AP wire in the newsroom today ...
Retailers Anxious Over Analog TV Cut-Off
January 9, 2008 - Associated Press
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Best Buy Inc.'s chief executive said Tuesday that he is "very nervous" about being able to supply customers with the millions of digital TV converter boxes needed ahead of the shutdown of most analog TV transmissions in 13 months.
"I think it's one of the biggest risks our industry has," vice chairman and CEO Brad Anderson told an industry audience at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
Full-power television stations will turn off their analog signal on Feb. 17, 2009, after which they will broadcast in digital only. Viewers who receive their signals through an antenna instead of cable or satellite and don't have a digital-ready TV will have to buy a converter.
The Nielsen Co. estimates that 14.3 million households rely on over-the-air television broadcasts for programming. Still others have sets that receive analog broadcasts as a complement to cable, satellite or digital sets in the same household.
"The number of converter boxes that is going to be required could put tremendous pressure on us to solve all those problems" in a short time, said Anderson.
"We're very nervous about the potential risk. Once it gets turned off, it could be very interesting," he added.
Apart from the supply issue, customer education looms as a problem for the retailers. Speaking on the same panel, Phil Schoonover, the CEO of Circuit City Stores Inc. said Anderson's caution was appropriate. He contrasted the digital TV transition to the introduction of high-definition television sets, which mainly attracted the well-heeled and technically savvy.
"I think it will feel very different in this next round of TVs, because we're through the early adopters," Schoonover said.
At the same time, Schoonover defended the transition as "well thought out," and said it has been handled in a very responsible way.
The airwaves to be vacated by the analog transmissions will be auctioned by the federal government to providers who will use them for wireless broadband services.
Customers are likely to look to specialty electronics stores like Circuit City and Best Buy for guidance ahead of the transition. Steve Eastman, the Target Corp.'s vice president and general merchandising manager for consumer electronics, was less apprehensive about the digital transition.
"From a category standpoint, I think it's great — it's getting people to talk a lot about HD and what technology they have in their home," he said.
But he acknowledged that a lot has to be done to prepare. "The clock's ticking and this is coming very quickly," he said. The company plans to have converter boxes in stores by April.
The converter boxes are expected to cost between $40 and $70. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration has begun accepting requests for two $40 coupons per household to be used toward the purchase of the boxes.
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( 3 / 320 )The following article was on our AP Wire this morning in the newsroom...
Low-power TV stations worried about transition to digital broadcasting
By John Dunbar, Associated Press
WASHINGTON – Owners of thousands of small television stations that reach rural populations or specialize in community affairs and minority programming are worried the digital transition is going to leave their audiences watching a blank screen.
It's all because of a little-noticed exemption in the congressionally ordered, nationwide migration of the television industry to digital broadcasting.
On Feb. 17, 2009, owners of full-power television stations will turn off their old-technology analog signals and broadcast in digital only. Viewers who receive their signals through an antenna who don't have a digital-ready TV will have to buy a converter box.
But here's the wrinkle: the mandate to go digital applies only to the roughly 1,760 “full-power” stations in the U.S. There are more than 2,900 low-power television stations and about 4,400 signal-relay stations known as “translators” that will not be required to go digital by the deadline.
Those low-power stations provide service to rural areas and to specific communities in urban areas that are not targeted by big broadcasters. Such stations are much cheaper to build, and unlike full-power stations, broadcast almost exclusively to viewers who use antennas to pick up programming.
Translator stations rebroadcast the programming of full-power stations. They serve areas that are too far away from a full-power transmitter, or are cut off from a signal due to mountainous terrain.
So what's the problem?
The government is encouraging over-the-air television viewers to buy a converter box before the digital transition date, and is subsidizing the cost with two $40 coupons per household. The boxes “down-convert” a digital signal to analog, thus allowing older televisions to pick up programming.
If a viewer who watches programming broadcast on a low-power or translator station buys the wrong box, he may be in for a frustrating experience.
Signals from full-power stations will come in fine. But most of the boxes that have been certified for sale will block the low-power signal if it is being broadcast in an analog format.
The situation would become even more frustrating if a set receives signals from both low-power and full-power stations. Digital channels would work with the box, but not without it. Analog channels would work without the box, but not with it.
It is tough to say exactly how many viewers will be affected. Most of the low-power stations are too small or too remote to subscribe to audience rating services like Nielsen. In addition, some low-power stations have already converted to digital broadcasting on their own.
But Amy Brown, executive director of the Community Broadcasters Association, says there are “tens of thousands” of viewers in “every major TV market” who will be affected.
For viewers who want to receive both digital and analog channels, the solution is a converter box that includes a “pass-through” feature. Such a box would convert the digital signal and allow the analog signal to “pass through” to the set unmodified.
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration, which is administering the coupon program, has approved three boxes that will pass through analog signals: the Philco TB150HH9, the Philco TB100HH9 and the ECHOSTAR TR-40.
Brown's organization, which represents low-power television stations, asked the Federal Communications Commission to outlaw boxes that don't have the pass-through feature. Barring that, they are asking for labels to be placed on the converter boxes.
The group has also criticized the NTIA for not requiring electronics makers to include the pass-through feature on their boxes. They are also upset that the NTIA and the FCC have been incorrectly telling the public that all broadcasters will turn off their analog signals in February of 2009.
The NTIA, for example, on its digital transition brochure notes that “after Feb. 17, 2009 all television broadcasts will be digital.”
The NTIA says requiring the pass-through feature in all boxes would have pushed up the cost for those who wouldn't need it. They also were concerned about reports of the feature causing interference on digital channels.
For the owners of low-power stations, the problem raises concerns over public safety, potentially depriving viewers in remote areas of an important information lifeline.
And they say it will affect their bottom line. “If we are cut off from any more of the audience, we're going to go out of business,” said Greg Herman, vice president of technology for the CBA.
---
On the Web:
FCC fact sheet on low-power stations: www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/DTVandLPTV.html
Community Broadcasters Association: www.dtvnow.org
National Translators Association: www.tvfmtranslators.com/
To apply for a coupon for a converter: /www.dtv2009.gov/
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( 3 / 329 )A while back I was praising the folks at RCA for their low cost converter boxes. In specific the RCA model DTA800 desktop converter. Now it's on sale on several web sites, $40 less than originally advertised.
I think we will see this is the coming months. As new models are coming out, the older models will drop in price.
For example, the Sam Sung SIR-T451, which was out two years ago at %275 each, is now under $100! (Hint: check Ebay for some under $50.00.) But back on the RCA converter.
I'm happy to say that the DTA800 converter, pushed in a DTV Facts article "RCA slashes price on DTV converter box" June 25th, 2007 (see Related Link below) seem to be in the winner's circle of converters.
I had the opportunity to test one, on a 30 foot tower on the north end of Lima, and basic VHF/UHF antenna system. I was pulling in all the Toledo and Fort Wayne stations. The antenna system did not have a booster.
It goes without saying that the Lima stations were impressive no matter where the antenna was pointed. So in theory if the homeowner wanted to leave the antenna pointed at Toledo they could get ABC, CBS, Fox, (2) PBS, (2) NBC, The CW, NBC Weather Plus, and (2) independent religious stations. This doesn't include the sub channels of WTVG, WTOL, WNWO, WGTE, and WUPW, nor does it count the Fort Wayne stations we could get. Quite a bouquet of stations, and no monthly cable fee!
Obviously it's important to get a decent converter, or make sure that the digital TV you purchase has a good tuner. But I really think that the antenna has a lot to do with superior reception. The one thing to consider is that unlike analog, if you capture the digital signal you have clean and perfect picture.
Bad converters? Stay away from the "Viewers Choice" converter. It had problems picking up the Fort Wayne DTV stations, while all other converters worked perfectly. Luckily, I've not seen any of these at local stores, but they are being sold on the web.
Frederick R. Vobbe
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( 3 / 314 )The following was noted on the Broadcasting and Cable web site ...
NTIA Still Bombarded by Converter-Box Coupon Requests
National Telecommunications & Information Administration: 850,000 Requests for More than 1.6M Coupons as of 2 p.m. Thursday
By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 1/3/2008 5:24:00 PM
Requests for digital-TV-to-analog converter-box coupons continued to pour in at the National Telecommunications & Information Administration.
At last count (2 p.m. Thursday), the total was 850,000 requests for more than 1.6 million coupons. Almost three-quarters of those requests were via the Internet (633,000), with almost all of the rest via phone.
The NTIA plans to unveil the coupons and provide an updated total Monday at the 2008 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. It will not begin mailing them out until Feb. 17, however -- exactly one year before the switch to digital TV and enough time for retailers to make sure that they have the boxes on the shelves.
The NTIA will send two coupons per household to any eligible household -- P.O. boxes do not qualify, for example -- until it has handed out 22.25 million. After that, households will have to prove that their TV service is over-the-air-only to qualify for the last 11.25 million.
Part of the problem has been the abrupt departure of John Kneuer from the NTIA. Although Meredith Atwell-Baker has been trying to salvage the program, it's still going to be e problem for many consumer.
Quoting Broadcasting & Cable Magazine from December 31, 2007, "The coupon program begins officially on January 1, but NTIA won't even start mailing out the coupons until February 17th. That's exactly one year before the last day of analog transmission. U.S. television goes all-digital on February 18, 2009."
So what do viewers need to know?
They need to know that between January 1st and March 31st, households can apply for (2) $40.00 coupons online at www.dtv2009.gov, that they can apply by telephone at 1-888-DTV-2009 (1-800-388-2009), and that they can apply by mail.
Frederick R. Vobbe,
VP/CO WLIO Television
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( 2.9 / 321 )Mixed signals are being received by the WLIO Engineering department on the converter coupons.
What we have heard that the NTIA and other government agencies are not yet ready for the public to start the coupon process. Everything that I have heard is that they are shooting for February 2008 to start the process.
In fact, yesterday I spoke with a TV antenna installer who said that he had a conversation with a staffer at the NTIA who said that they "are not ready". Further, in the discussions, they identified three of the converters in the consumer list which are now no longer manufactured.
However, in the January 4th CGC Communicator, (issue #823), was the following ...
DTV-TO-NTSC CONVERTER BOX COUPONS AVAILABLE NOW
A fast and easy way to apply for one or two government- issued coupons worth $40 each to purchase DTV=to-NTSC converter boxes (assuming you qualify) is to call this automated government hotline number: (888) 388-2009 (388 stands for DTV). The voice recognition software worked flawlessly when we requested two coupons earlier this week.
A CGC Communicator reader indicates that he had equally good success in using the Web-based sign-up method described in the first URL below.
By the way, people have been flooding the government with requests for DTV converter-box coupons. More than 500,000 people requested more than 1 million $40 coupons in the first 40 or so hours of the program, according to NTIA spokesman Todd Sedmak (second URL). If the pace continues, all currently funded coupons will be gone by late February.
http://tinyurl.com/yosqc2
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6516388.html
For now, my advice is for the public to tread carefully. While the converter is "free", it comes with the paper burden and the waiting and time consuming follow up. You may find that your time is worth something, and just buy a converter. You can always use the free converters in the kids room later in the year.
A copy of an article in the January 1, 2008 Toledo Blade appears in the related link.
Frederick Vobbe
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( 3 / 301 )Congress has mandated that after February 17, 2009, full-power television broadcast stations must transmit only digital signals and may no longer transmit analog signals.
With the FCC's Report and Order and third periodic review, they resolved issues necessary to complete the conversion of the nation’s broadcast television system from analog to digital television (“DTV”).
With the DTV transition deadline less than 14 months away, the FCC's focus is now on overseeing broadcasters’ construction of facilities that will reach viewers in their authorized service areas by the time they must cease broadcasting in analog.
As a side note, WLIO-DT now reaches to all areas covered by our analog station, WLIO channel 35, and then some. Reception reports from as far away as Bryan OH, East Liberty OH, and Berne IN are coming in.
The FCC's document can be found here ...
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/a ... -228A1.doc
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/a ... -228A2.xls
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/a ... -228A3.xls
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