>From today's New York Post. Many people who are putting their faith in
those converter boxes will be disappointed. I think the information
that's
been given to the public has been quite misleading.
The statement by the Nielsen company rep at the end of the article is
complete nonsense. Whether or not you keep your analog TV, over-the-air
reception is not guaranteed even with a converter box. Lots of people
will
be rolling the dice, and many of them will lose.
Carlos
PREDICTING DIGITAL DISASTER
THREE MILLION TV VIEWERS WILL QUIETLY DISAPPEAR IN FEBRUARY. HERE'S WHY
By KELLY MAGEE
Last updated: 1:50 am
December 26, 2008
Posted: 1:09 am
December 26, 2008
AS many as three million people may decide next February that the switch
from analog TV to digital isn't worth the trouble and will simply stop
watching television, according to industry experts.
TV ratings - that lifeblood of the business and barometer by which all
decisions about what we watch are made - are about to take a hit. The
only
question, say the pros, is how bad.
Nationally, more than 9 million people who currently receive over-the-air
TV
will lose at least one of the major broadcasting networks, according to
David Klein, executive vice president of Centris.
"The reception problem is the crux of the issue ? that's the impact to
ratings," Klein said.
Digital signals are harder to capture and more susceptible to
interference
than analog signals. Rural and urban areas are equally affected as
signals
are interrupted by buildings and airports and as much as mountains and
trees.
"It's amazing what can cause interference," said Phillip Swann, president
of
TVPredictions.com, who posted a column this week predicting that TV
audiences will plunge next year when millions simply give up on broadcast
TV.
Local New York stations could lose at much as 7 percent of viewers in the
switch to digital, according to Swann.
In New York City, over 300,000 households are in areas - near high-rise
buildings - where reception will require a rooftop antenna to receive all
the channels, according to Centris.
TVs hooked up to cable or satellites -which is about half the country
now -
will not be effected by the change in broadcast signals.
The change comes at a time the TV business can least afford it.
Audiences for the big networks - ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox - have been
dropping
for years, losing viewers to cable, the Internet and video games.
A drop in overall circulation will mean less money from advertisers - and
less money to make shows.
TV stations and the government have been promoting the switch for months
now, urging viewers to get the new converter box and even offering
financial
help.
Reports that retailers are using the switch to get people to buy
expensive
digital TVs, or sporadic events like converters being sold out, are part
of
the problem.
"If the message gets out that you don't have to buy the thousand dollar
flat
screen to replace the analog TV, over air stations may be able to retain
their audience," Anne Elliot of The Nielsen Company said.
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