Audio Video News

Having managed the transition of some of the nation's television broadcasters from analog to digital broadcasting in February, the Federal Communications Commission is using what it learned to set down rules for the remainder of the stations, which will complete the transition in June.

Among the new rules: Stations must provide on-air and other notifications of signal loss if two percent or more of viewers are predicted to lose service. Education campaigns must include information about antennas, helping viewers avoid loss of service due to station frequency hopping and other factors. And stations must stress that DTVs and set-top converters will need to rescan channels during the transition period.

In a surprise announcement, the FCC also made provision for stations that had not completed their transitions by February but wish to do so before June. They were required to file notice by March 17, may not terminate analog before April 16, and must provide viewer notifications for 30 days before terminating analog. Affiliates of major networks must ensure that at least 90 perent of analog viewers will continue getting signals from another affiliate.

Stage one of the DTV transition, on February 17, included 36 percent of U.S. full-power TV stations, or 15.5 percent of the antenna-dependent audience. In stage two, on June 12, the remainder are scheduled to complete the transition. The final act of the DTV transition drama was delayed from February to June by President Obama and Congress, who felt that viewers who depend on over-the-air service for analog TVs hadn't had enough time to prepare.

As this story went to press, more DTV transition news came in: The FCC has a further list of stations making the transition, and a Commerce Dept. official says the transition will not be further extended beyond June. Details tomorrow.