The Wall Street Journal-20080130-Getting Ready For the Death Of Analog TV

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Getting Ready For the Death Of Analog TV

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TV watchers likely will soon see a flurry of ads telling them the days of traditional analog television are numbered.

The Federal Communications Commission and Congress hope that raising the alarm now will prevent a bigger uproar in February 2009, when analog television broadcasts end and TV sets that don't receive digital signals go dark. Despite the approaching transition to digital-only television, about 15.5 million U.S. households still relied on traditional over-the-air analog broadcasts as of January 2007, according to the FCC, although that number is expected to decrease somewhat this year as flat-screen TV sets lure consumers to upgrade.

The FCC, led by Chairman Kevin Martin, may soon approve a plan that would require broadcast-station owners to run at least four 30-second public-service ads a day about the digital transition. That number would increase to as many as 12 ads a day on each station as the Feb. 17, 2009, deadline approaches, according to FCC officials familiar with the matter.

Broadcasters, who object to the idea of donating so much valuable airtime to the ad effort, recently proposed an alternative plan that would have local stations voluntarily air at least a dozen public- service announcements a week, as well as two separate ads a week on each of the Big Four and Spanish-language networks. The proposal appears to be gaining support among the FCC's Republican members, although Mr. Martin and the FCC's two Democratic commissioners have so far supported the plan requiring more-frequent ads.

The dispute highlights just how uneasy regulators and lawmakers are growing over the country's switch next year to digital broadcasts. In little more than a year, millions of older television sets will simply stop working. The potential consumer backlash could be huge.

All TVs manufactured after March 1, 2007, have been required to come with a digital tuner. Consumers can buy set-top converter boxes to make old televisions play digital signals, and Congress has set aside $1.5 billion to help consumers pay for the converters. Consumers who subscribe to cable or satellite services don't have to do anything. Earlier this month, U.S. residents could begin applying for two $40 coupons to help pay for converter boxes, which are expected to sell for about $50 to $70 each. The coupons can be ordered at www.dtv2009.gov or (888) DTV-2009.

So far, the number of requests for the coupons -- more than two million -- represents less than 15% of the estimated number of households that rely on traditional broadcasts. Federal officials got less than $10 million to publicize the program. Lawmakers said they expected the private sector to take the lead in publicizing the change.

Last year, broadcasters announced they would commit almost $700 million of airtime to public-service announcements devoted to explaining the digital transition. Cable operators said they were good for about $200 million of donated airtime for similar ads. Those ads have already begun running.

But the FCC has been pressing broadcasters to do more to educate Americans. Unlike countries that gradually phased in their transition to digital TV, "we're just going to pull the switch and pray to the Lord that everything works out fine," says Michael Copps, a Democratic FCC commissioner. Mr. Copps has suggested the U.K.'s multiyear, phased-in model would be a better approach than switching all at once.

Still, awareness of the move is growing, even if many Americans remain confused about what they need to do. A new survey that will be released today by the National Association of Broadcasters finds that almost 80% of households with a TV have at least some knowledge of the digital transition, up from 38% a year ago.

Networks and station owners have been complaining about the FCC's efforts to impose new mandates since November, when the agency first suggested it wanted to require TV stations to air PSAs several times a day. Fox Television Stations, for instance, argued in a letter to FCC commissioners that the agency has no authority to impose mandates and "any attempt . . . would be unconstitutional." Fox Television is owned by News Corp., publisher of The Wall Street Journal.

Broadcasters' offer to increase their commitments provides them significantly more flexibility on when the 30-second ads could run. Station owners could run the ads anytime between 5 a.m. and 1 a.m. to fulfill their voluntary commitment. The FCC has proposed requiring stations to run at least one ad every six hours.

Regulators worry that the current public-service announcements aren't being shown when most people are watching TV. Generally, public-service announcements run most frequently between midnight and 6 a.m., a recent study by the Kaiser Family Foundation found. On broadcast stations, just 13% of donated PSAs ran during prime-time viewing hours of 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.

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Countdown To Digital

Consumers can get ready for the 2009 move to digital-only TV.

All TVs made after March 1, 2007, have been required to come with a digital

tuner.

Consumers can buy set-top converter boxes for old TVs.

$40 government coupons are available to help pay for converter boxes.

Coupons can be ordered online at www.dtv2009.gov.