Report: One-fifth of stations expected to make DTV switch early

Confused by the ever-changing "hard" date for the DTV transition? Well, get this: Despite four-month DTV delay that Congress approved Wednesday, about 300 local TV stations may go all-digital as early as this month.

That's the word from blogger Dave LaGesse over at U.S. News and World Report, who notes that the DTV delay bill passed by the House yesterday (over strenuous objections from Republican lawmakers) includes a compromise provision allowing TV stations to turn off their analog signals before the new June 12 deadline, with approval from the FCC.

And in some cases, we're not just talking a station here and a station there. According to MyNorthwest.com, all of Seattle's local TV stations will switch to digital-only on Feb. 17 (the original DTV transition date). That means Seattle-area viewers with analog TVs, over-the-air antennas, and no DTV converter boxes will lose most of their signals in less than two weeks, DTV delay or no.

Other local TV stations making the switch early include KBAK in Bakersfield, Calif., and WKOK and WISC in Madison, Wisconsin—and that's just a few of the early birds I found after a quick Web search. Another 50 stations have already gone all-digital, according to U.S. News, while all of Hawaii's TV stations made the switch last month.

Republicans had argued that forcing local stations to maintain both digital and analog TV transmissions for an additional four months would be prohibitively expensive—and indeed, that's how most station directors are explaining their decision.

While many local TV stations seem ready to make the DTV switch early, the big TV networks were more than happy to support the DTV delay bill. Why? Because the new June 12 deadline won't arrive until well after the regular TV season is over.

So yes … the DTV picture remains as murky as ever, especially as President Obama's economic stimulus plan—which includes $650 million to fund the cash-strapped DTV converter-box coupon program—facing a uphill battle in Congress.

Related:
Nearly a Fifth of Stations Will Make Digital TV Switch Anyway [U.S. News]