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Re: [IRCA] TV deadline
- Subject: Re: [IRCA] TV deadline
- From: Scott Fybush <scott@xxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 17 Sep 2007 19:59:33 -0400
kevin redding wrote:
>> I think 18% of viewers get TV over the air. The vast majority have
>> cable
>> or satellite. However that date may get bumped again too.
>
> The current date is Feb 17, 2009.
And it's highly unlikely to get bumped. Keep in mind that the real
motivation for the transition to DTV is coming not from the TV industry
but from the wireless industry (cellular carriers, Qualcomm, etc.),
which desperately covets the 700 MHz spectrum that's being vacated by
analog channels 52-69, to provide space for services that can't fit in
the existing 800/900 MHz spectrum.
Those companies have, for the most part, already paid for the 700 MHz
channels that they expect to occupy in 17 months or so. They're not
going to tolerate any delays in taking full occupancy of that spectrum,
and they have tremendous political pull in Washington. (Qualcomm, for
example, has already taken over most of channel 55 around the country,
paying analog stations on that channel to go digital-only earlier than
planned. I count only 12 full-power analog stations left on 55, with at
least 3 of them about to go digital-only well ahead of the deadline.)
Whatever complaints are lodged in DC by "average viewers" come 2009 (and
I think there will be fewer than any of us expect, given how many people
now get their TV by cable or satellite) will be far outweighed by the
political pull of the wireless companies.
(Keep in mind, also, that the TV stations aren't necessarily eager to
see the deadline get extended. Many of them are limping along to the
finish line with analog transmitters that are near-death or with
transmitter sites they're eager to vacate, and they're not going to want
to spend the money it would take to keep the already-expensive period of
dual analog/digital operation going even longer. One example: WPTA-TV
and WISE-TV in Fort Wayne, which came under common operation a couple of
years ago. They've consolidated studio operations at the WPTA
studio/transmitter facility, but the WISE analog and digital
transmitters remain in the old WISE building a mile away, which has been
sold. They're paying the new owners to lease back transmitter space and
antenna space on the tower. Once the transition is over, WISE-DT will
take over the transmitter and tower space at the WPTA building now used
by WPTA's analog signal. That day can't come soon enough for those
stations!)
s
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