DTV Transition: 30 Days to Go!!!!!!!!!!!

DTV Transition: 30 Days to Go!!!!!!!!!!!

I wanted to pass a press release that the FCC sent to me about local walk-in clinics they will be Sears stores. Here it is:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: FCC NEWS MEDIA CONTACT:
Monday, May 11, 2009 Dan Rumelt, 202-528-1296
Email: Dan.Rumelt@fcc.gov
SEARS PUBLIC RELATIONS AND COMMUNICATIONS:
Larry Costello, 847-286-9036
Email: lcoste5@searshc.com

FCC LAUNCHES FINAL PUSH TO PREPARE CONSUMERS FOR JUNE 12 DTV TRANSITION
Plans to Help Consumers Locally at Walk-in Clinics in Cooperation with Sears Stores
Chicago – With 30 days to go before the final June 12 digital television transition, representatives from the Federal Communications Commission, in cooperation with Sears, will be holding “30 Days Away Walk-in Clinics at Sears” at four Chicago-area Sears stores from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, May 13.

At these walk-in Clinics, FCC staff will brief consumers on the status of the transition to digital television, apply online for converter box coupons on behalf of those who need them, and demonstrate how to hook up and operate converter boxes. Consumers having trouble setting up their converter boxes are welcome to bring their boxes to these events.

Sears stores have supplies of the digital-to-analog converter boxes and associates who are trained to answer questions for customers who need these products.

The four “30 Days Away Walk-in Clinics at Sears” locations are:

Sears at 2 Oak Brook Center, Oak Brook, IL 60523 (DuPage County); (630) 575-1800

Sears at North Riverside Mall, 7503 W. Cermak, North Riverside, IL 60546 (Cook County); (708) 588-6600

Sears at Golf Mill Mall, 400 Golf Mill Center, Niles, IL 60714 (Cook County); (847) 803-7500

Sears at 2 Louis Joliet Mall; 3340 Mall Loop Dr, Joliet, IL 60431 (Will County); (815) 439-2200


On June 12, all full-power television stations will cease analog broadcasts and provide service only in digital. Consumers who do not subscribe to pay television services and have an analog television will need a digital-to-analog converter box in order to continue receiving free, over-the-air television. They may also need to adjust or replace their antennas. More information about the DTV transition and about events in your community can be found at www.dtv.gov, or by calling the FCC toll-free at 1-888-CALL-FCC (1-888-225-5322).




-FCC-

News about the Federal Communications Commission can also be found on the Commission’s website http://www.fcc.gov/

About Sears, Roebuck and Co.
Sears, Roebuck and Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of Sears Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ: SHLD), is a leading broadline retailer providing merchandise and related services. Sears, Roebuck offers its wide range of home merchandise, apparel and automotive products and services through more than 2,300 Sears-branded and affiliated stores in the United States and Canada, which includes approximately 929 full-line and approximately 1,200 specialty stores in the U.S. Sears, Roebuck also offers a variety of merchandise and services through sears.com, landsend.com, and specialty catalogs. Sears, Roebuck offers consumers leading proprietary brands including Kenmore, Craftsman, DieHard and Lands' End -- among the most trusted and preferred brands in the U.S. The company is the nation's largest provider of home services, with more than 12 million service calls made annually. For more information, visit the Sears, Roebuck website at www.sears.com or the Sears Holdings Corporation website at http://www.searsholdings.com/.

DTV Coupons being sent out

June 12th is the new date!!!!!!!

Well, as most of you already know June 12th is the new date for the DTV transition. Of course many people may not know that February 17th could be the transition date for some. For example Oklahoma is transitioning on the 17th, and not June 12th. The DTV Delay allows for that move. But here in Chicago we won't transition until June 12th, which gives viewers more time to get ready.

I was hoping the transition would take place on the 17th to get it over with, but I understand the problems with coupon program.

One of my gripes about this transition has to do with VCRs. VCRs will work with the transition but it is going to be more difficult to record. I wish those folks could have been taken into consideration. The Zinwell box sold at Jewel/Osco could be the answer, but that seems to be the only option.

Good Luck everyone.

DTV Transition could still be delayed

Check out the Press Release Below. In a nutshell, it says that the House would have passed the DTV Delay Bill but the Bill didn't have the necessary two-thirds votes. So the delay could be coming because the Bill has been re-introduced in the Senate (where it passed before, and has passed again), and could be voted on this week in the House. Stay tuned.

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

_________________________________________________________________

For Immediate Release January 30, 2009

PRESS BRIEFING

BY

PRESS SECRETARY ROBERT GIBBS

James S. Brady Press Briefing Room

1:55 P.M. EST

MR. GIBBS:…

And then lastly, let me go through just quickly the DTV question from yesterday, which as I said, I should have been better prepared for.

I think you all have copies of letters that were sent from the transition to both Houses of Congress in January. The transition, obviously, in an agency -- in the agency review process determined what it believed to be shortfalls in planning for the DTV transition. For instance, it found that the coupon program for converters had 3.3 million requests sitting on a waiting list, and that the FCC told Congress that the call center that it had established could not handle the rate of incoming calls.

The transition asked that Congress delay the February 17th transition. The House -- I'm sorry, the Senate voted on that last week and passed that delay. The Senate took -- I mean, sorry, I'm confused today -- the Senate voted on that, the House took the bill up under a suspension of the rules requiring two-thirds of those present supporting the bill. The bill passed with an overwhelming majority, but not with the necessary two-thirds. The Senate last night took the bill up again and passed it. I'm told that the House will vote next week. We anticipate that the House will pass a delay on DTV to June 12th. If that gets to the President's desk, and when that happens, the President will sign that delay into law so that we might undergo a little bit better planning process to ensure no interruption for people with televisions.

DTV Transition may never end???

Well, last night I did yet another DTV story for Chicago Tonight. While it is rewarding to help viewers, I was hoping this would come to an end on February 17th and not June 12th.

I understand that some people are not ready. I also understand that this is a financial hardship for others. I also understand that this transition has been very confusing from the beginning.

But here is the problem with extending the deadline: it costs TV stations lots and lots and lots of money. Most stations (and I am not specifically talking about my station WTTW) will lose money if this transition doesn't take place on Feb. 17th. One reason for the loss is the fact that it costs a lot of money to send out an analog signal and digital signal at the same time. Most stations were hoping that would come to an end, and then could start saving money.

Of course the blame doesn't go to viewers at all. They shouldn't be punished for any part of this transition. This transition is not as easy as getting a $40 coupon and buying a box. That's just when the fun begins. The problems with the DTV transition (in my opinion) started when there wasn't enough clear information given to the viewing public.

If this transition gets pushed to June 12th, we as a station will continue the outreach, and I will continue to try and help our viewers.

DTV Chicago Tonight 12/29/08 Segment

DTV Chicago Tonight 12/22/08 Segment

the DTV Countdown Continues

I would like everyone to know that tomorrow night at 7pm on Chicago Tonight we are going to have another segment on DTV. We are going to try and focus on antennas, which seems to be a big issue for our viewers. So please tune in.

We are also going to talk with someone from the FCC, who is visiting Chicago to help people with the transition. We will have more on where he will be this week tomorrow on the show.

Here is something else that is quite interesting: the Federal Government has run out of money for the coupon program. Follow this link for more info: http://www.ntia.doc.gov/

I am also going to start posting answers to questions from viewers on this blog.

Have a good night everyone.

I almost forgot to mention this: I will be at a DTV Seminar at WTTW on January 17th. This is another opportunity to get some of your questions answered. We will also discuss hooking up a VCR to your converter box. Please join us.

Here is more info...and a link so you can RSVP: http://www.wttw.com/main.taf?erube_fh=wttw&wttw.submit.EventList=1#event216

WHATGet Your TV Ready: A WTTW Digital Transition Open House
WHEREWTTW Studios5400 N. Saint Louis AvenueChicago
WHENSaturday, January 17, 10:00 am
Do any of your household TV sets rely on set-top rabbit ears or a rooftop antenna to get a clear picture? If so, you are receiving the analog broadcast transmission that will no longer be available after February 17. WTTW wants to help you stay connected as the nation completes its transition to an all-digital system. And so with a month to go before the transition, on Saturday, January 17 from 10 am – 4 pm, we invite you to an all-day, drop-in OPEN HOUSE to help educate and provide information about this historic change in the way television signals will be transmitted. WTTW personalities, broadcast engineers, and staff will answer your questions, provide a hands-on demonstration on how to hook up a converter box to a TV set, and help troubleshoot technical difficulties. You will also be taken on a tour of the station and learn more about WTTW’s multi-channel offerings. Reservations for this FREE event are required. Space is limited, so reserve your slot now. If you have questions, please call WTTW Member Services at (773) 509-1111, ext. 6

DTV: The Countdown Continues

As many of you may know we are less than two months away from the transition to Digital Television. Last night on Chicago Tonight I took part in segment with Phil Ponce where I answered viewer's questions. Here are some of the things we discussed:

- A viewer with a digital TV says their TV failed the DTV test because they saw the "your TV is not ready for DTV" warning. This could have happened because the viewer was switched to an analog channel, which means they would have seen that message.

- Expired Coupons: Since the DTV $40 coupons have an expiration date of 90 days, you need to make steps to purchase your converter box quickly. There is no way to apply for another coupon if yours expires. FCC is suggesting you ask a friend or neighbor (who is not applying for their coupons) to help and apply for their coupons. It is not crime to give your coupons away.

- Using VCRs with the Transition. You can still use VCRs with the transition. The difficult part comes in programming those VCRs. Since your recorded signal will come from the digital converter box it will become a bit hard to program your VCR. Check out a segment we did earlier in this blog about hooking up your VCR.

In less than 45 minutes I am going to hit the air for Chicago Tonight talking about yet another Digital Television story. I am going to briefly mention portable TVs, which will be greatly affected by the transition (check out my story on portable TVs, which is already on this blog).

While doing an internet search I found a converter box that is portable, and is sanctioned by the Federal Government's $40 Coupon Program. It is made by a company called Winegard. The model number is RDCT09A. You can order a $15 battery pack that you can use only with this converter box. Check it out at http://www.winegarddirect.com/viewitem.asp?p=WDRC-DT09A. If I can get permission to order one these boxes, I will try to test it out. This could save you from having to throw out your portable TVs.

I wanted to update folks about the Town Hall Meetings that the FCC is going to hold on Friday November 21st. Check the info out below:

DTV Workshops

Town Hall with FCC Commissioner Deborah Tate

Friday, November 21st 2008

9:30am to 10:30am
Northwest (Copernicus) Senior Center
3160 N. Milwuakee Avenue, Chicago, IL 60618
Call 312-744-6681 for more information

2pm to 3pm
Kennedy-King College
The Black Box Theater
740 West 63rd Street, Chicago, IL 60621
The U Building (between Halsted and Green Streets)
Call 773-602-5544 for more information

DTV Blog/Soft Test is coming Nov. 12th

Welcome to my Digital TV/Tech/Whatever I am doing this week Blog. This is just another way to let our viewers know what is going on.

For the next few months I will mainly focus on the DTV transition. If you have questions, comments (and even answers to questions I can't answer) please let me know.

Okay lets move on: tomorrow on Chicago Tonight at 7pm on Channel 11 we will be talking about the "soft" test that is going to take place the next day, November 12th at 6:58am and 5:23pm. During those time (for 5 minutes each time) most stations in the Chicago Area (including Channel 11) will shut off their analog signal. In place of the picture you will see a graphic that will tell you that your "Over the Air Analog" TV is not compliant.  So please tune in to check out the story, and fine out what you need to do.

Next week we will tackle the DTV transition again when we sit down and speak FCC Commissioner Deborah Tate, who will visit Chicago next week to hold a series of town hall meeting on the issue.

Digital Television

The transition to digital television is right around the corner.  Christian Farr joins us again to tell us a little more about digital converter boxes and will answer some viewer questions.



 Digital TV Converter Box Coupon Program

 National Telecommunications and Information Administration

Portable Televisions

Hand-held TVs could become a thing of the past. In our ongoing effort to keep you informed about the upcoming digital TV transition, Christian Farr explores the future of portable televisions. He explains why they've disappeared from the electronics market.

Radio Shack

Best Buy

Digital Hook Up

Wondering if your VCR will continue to work after the transition to digital next February? Christian Farr gives us a demonstration of how to hook up your VCR to your new digital converter.


Read More...

WTTW's Digital Countdown Info

FCC Digital TV Info

TV Converter Box Coupon

DTV Answers (National Association of Broadcasters)

Chicago Tribune Tech Blog

HDTV

Has the upcoming conversion to digital TV put you in the market for new set? We'll take you back to school for digital and high definition TV 101. Christian Farr will break down all of your TV watching options.

Digital TV Q&A

Christian Farr answers your questions about next year's federally mandated transition to digital TV.

DTV Answers

TV Converter Box Coupon or call 888-dtv-2009 or 888-388-2009

Better Business Bureau (content to be updated) 

Digital TV Transition

We have a follow up tonight to a story last week we aired on the next year's mandatory digital TV transition. Christian Farr will answer some of the questions we asked viewers to e-mail us.

Federal Government's Digital Converter Box Coupon Program

Chicago Tribune Eric 2.0 Blog

National Association Of Broadcasters - Information On The Digital Conversion

Federal Government Information on the Digital TV Conversion

Digital TV 101

"Do I have to buy a new TV?" "Will my television signal turn into snow?" These are just some of the questions people are trying to answer as we get ready to go 100% digital next year. Christian Farr joins us with digital television 101. If you have a question about digital conversion, email us at chicagotonight@wttw.com.

WTTW's Digital Countdown Info

FCC Digital TV Info

TV Converter Box Coupon

DTV Answers (National Association of Broadcasters)

Chicago Tribune Tech Blog