Some analog TV stations have already thrown the switch
It was supposed to be a day of reduced confusion, but in many places around the US today, some major affiliate stations have gone dark on their old analog frequencies...while others go on.
Back in 1953, a family whose name would come to be synonymous in Oklahoma with two things -- broadcasting and waffle syrup -- launched a cottage television institution in what was surprisingly one of the most competitive markets in the country. For most of the time from then until now, it has been the standard-bearer for weather alerts, even to the point where its over-the-top advertising was parodied by The Daily Show's Jon Stewart. Still owned by the Griffin family today, KWTV in my old hometown of Oklahoma City has already said goodbye to Channel 9 -- what we Okies might call, "the lady that brung you."
In so doing, KWTV puts to the test the theory posited in Congress two weeks ago that viewers relying on analog television for emergency news and weather information will become confused. During last week's debate on the House floor -- after which the DTV Delay Act passed -- Rep. Virginia Foxx (R - N.C.) warned fellow lawmakers, "We have a potential for harming the very people that we're purporting to help," by effectively scattering the sources for news and critical information around multiple sources.
Down the street from Channel 9 (CBS), Channel 4 (NBC) probably doesn't mind it at all. It won't be making the switch today, although its parent company did have plans to turn off analog for KAUT Channel 43. Fox affiliate KOKH Channel 25 also had plans to turn off its analog signal today.
Oklahoma City is just big enough, the Federal Communications Commission apparently concluded, for its residents to have been adequately informed about the ongoing DTV transition. Nearly 400 stations nationwide will be discontinuing their analog transmissions today, with an estimated 200 already having done so at the time of this writing. Last week, the FCC denied 191 requests from stations that were generally in lesser markets, although last-minute maneuvering apparently enabled all four major affiliate stations in Madison, Wisconsin to make the switch today despite the initial denial. NBC affiliate WMTV 15 reports already having switched over at midnight.
PBS member stations rank highly among those making the switch today. But throughout the country, there are markets that are about OKC-sized -- bigger than Waco, smaller than Buffalo -- where a few of the major affiliates will have switched and others will remain on until as late as June 12, including: Monterey, Calif.; Denver, Colo.; Ft. Myers, Fla.; Tampa, Fla.; Savannah, Geo.; Ft. Wayne, Ind.; Lexington, Ky.; Monroe, La.; Portland, Maine; Rochester, Minn.; Great Falls, Mt.; Reno, Nev.; Binghamton, N.Y.; Bismarck, N.D.; Tulsa, Okla.; Eugene, Ore.; Johnstown, Penn.; Sioux Falls, S.D.; Nashville, Tenn.; San Angelo, Tex.; and Spokane, Wash.
So when the decades-long voice of Channel 9, Gary England, repeats the station's trademark, "Stay with TV 9, we'll keep you advised," the challenge now will be to see whether viewers find the new Channel 9 or stay stuck with analog for the next four months -- all through Oklahoma's notorious tornado season.