Director's Cut Blog with Frank Macek

SAN DIEGO - Despite a government extension for the shutdown of analog TV signals hundreds of stations say they will still make the transition come this Tuesday. Because it is costly to keep broadcasting analog signals, nearly 500 stations say they will make the switch this month and not June 12 -- the Federal Communications Commission's new deadline. The FCC has gotten about 43 stations to halt the switch on Tuesday but the others plan to move forward. It means TV viewers like Isidro Diaz of San Diego who surfs channels on his old television about three hours a night will have an even more limited number of programs to watch. Diaz, who recently lost his job says eventually he'll come up with $200 for a digital television. The Obama administration sought the delay in the analog TV shutdown after the government ran out of money for the $40 coupons that subsidize digital converter boxes. The program has a waiting list of 4 million coupons; each household can get up to two. Source:...

From: Ken Kovats in San Antonio (former Cleveland resident) Q: Here's another question I am wondering about...When everybody switches to digital in February, does this mean that WKYC will only be available on the Digital 2 or 25, or whatever channel the FCC gives you? Does this mean the end of branding y'all as "Channel 3 News" and becoming just "WKYC news" or Channel 2-1 News or whatever...? It would be interesting to see how local stations will be positioning themselves to stand out among the competition as we get closer to DTV. Any insights? A: Unless something changes between now and February, stations will likely continue to position themselves in the same way you are used to. For example.. Channel 3 News will continue to be "Channel 3 News" even on digital channel 17. (This will be our new channel as we move from digital channel 2 in February). In the analog world, there is a direct relationship between the channel number and the RF frequenc...

Special to the "Directors Cut" Blog by WKYC Reporter Jeff Maynor Older sets will no longer receive television without digital converters. The digital revolution in television transmission is still a year away, but the government is moving now to make sure viewers have no interruption in service. Effective February 17, 2009, older analog television sets will no longer receive over-the-air signals. These sets, that now receive television by rooftop antennas or rabbit ears, will need converters to receive digital transmissions. The converters are already available at retailers, including Wal-Mart, which has them on sale for $49.87. The federal government is providing $40 vouchers, a maximum of two per household, to defray the cost of the converters. Applications for the vouchers are available at retailers and on line. (See a link in our right hand menu). Eighty-six percent of U.S. households have cable TV or dish service and will not need a converter unless they have additional ...