Will you be drawing a blank?
07/16/08 10:28 AM
By ED BARK
TXA21's prime-time newscast literally will be a turnoff for roughly 15 seconds next Wednesday (July 23).
Sometime between 7 and 9 p.m., engineers will disable the station's analog transmitter in a test to see if you're ready for the transition to digital TV on Feb. 17 of next year.
"If your set goes dark during that time, you will know that you still need to take action" before that date, senior vice president and station manager Gary Schneider says.
You'll draw a blank if your TV isn't hooked to a cable or satellite service or if you don't have one of those supposedly discounted digital converter boxes that TV stations across the country have been flogging.
They're understandably concerned. A sizable number of viewers still don't subscribe to cable or satellite services. And many who do have just one or two main hookups, with TVs in bedrooms and kitchens the most likely to be going without.
That could make the early morning local news programs particularly vulnerable. Raise your hand if you tend to watch -- or only hear -- them while getting ready for work or eating breakfast.
The switchover to digital, which had been delayed several times, is mandated by the Federal Communications Commission. This time they mean it.