The Big Switch

Coupons days are here for owners of outdated analog televisions. The federal government said Friday it will begin mailing out $40 coupons next week to consumers to help pay for converter boxes that will save their analog sets from becoming obsolete. TV viewers who get their programming over an antenna and are not connected to … Read more

In one year a change will occur that will forever alter the way Americans watch TV. As of Feb. 17th, 2009, analog television will no longer be available. People who already have a digital television, or an HDTV, will not be affected by the conversion. The millions of Americans who still… Read full story

More than 13 million households are unprepared for the TV industry’s historical transition to digital broadcasting a year from now on Feb. 17, 2009. According to Nielsen data released Friday, the 13 million households have TV sets that can only receive analog broadcasts. Another 6 million households have at least one TV set that will … Read more

Hispanics are nearly twice as likely as whites to be left without television service following the nationwide transition to digital broadcasting next year, according to a new survey. Beginning in February 2009, full-power broadcast stations will transmit digital-only signals, meaning people who get their television programming over an antenna and do not have a digital … Read more

Sales clerks at national retail chains that carry electronics have been misleading broadcast television viewers about the 2009 transition to digital television, directing them toward unnecessary purchases, a report by the Maryland Public Interest Research Group says. The consumer advocacy group, along with counterparts across the country, conducted 132 ‘secret shopper’ surveys in 10 states … Read more