Audio Video News

The FCC's demands are aimed at 123 of the 491 stations that have been sticking to February 17 as the cutoff date. These stations serve markets where a large fraction of stations are planning on an "early" cutoff. According to the FCC, this would pose "a significant risk of substantial public harm." The Commission explains in its latest Public Notice (PDF):

We developed this list of stations by first identifying the markets in which all of the stations would be terminating analog service on February 17, 2009. We also identified markets in which affiliates of all four of the major networks, ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC, would be terminating analog service, or, in markets that do not have affiliates of all four networks, we determined if all of the major networks broadcasting in those markets would be terminating their analog service on February 17th. We also considered loss of major network service in cities within the larger DMAs. We considered the presence of major networks and their affiliates critical to ensuring that viewers have access to local news and public affairs available over the air because the major network affiliates are the primary source of local broadcast news and public affairs programming. Therefore, even if independent or non-commercial stations remain on the air in these markets, we still considered these areas at risk. The stations and markets that we identified in this analysis are attached in the Appendix [Excel].

Accordingly, the FCC demands that these stations prove that they will deliver DTV transition and emergency information for 60 days; do so in English, Spanish, and means intelligible to the disabled; provide on-air demos of converter installation and antenna installation; notify viewers of which areas in a locale are likely to lose signals permanently due to the different transmission patterns and characteristics of digital vs. analog signals; offer local or toll-free telephone assistance; provide walk-in centers for those needing transition help; broadcast a crawl regarding analog termination for a week preceding the transition; and use community resources to provide consumer outreach and support, including in-home assistance.

Affected stations serve areas in California, New York, Vermont, Wisconsin, Oregon, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Texas, Alabama, Florida, and Rhode Island.

The stations have only until today to certify that they will meet the FCC's requirements, so we should know more next week about how many of them will actually be able to enter the age of all-digital broadcasting.