Is anyone else starting to lose some LPTV stations?

[Jeffhs]

The last time I checked around here, about a year ago, I could only get on my living-room TV, with rabbit ears, one translator station on channel 51 (W51BI in Kirtland, Ohio, near Cleveland; may be a translator or booster for an OTA affiliate of the Trinity Broadcasting Network), and the reception wasn't that good. I don't know if that station is still around or not.

The FCC will be requiring even LPTV and translator stations in the US to convert to DTV by, IIRC, next year or 2012; not sure just when. Canada's DTV transition is set for 2012, and I read here recently that Mexico's TV stations will be all digital by 2015 at the latest.

[mwplefty]

Originally Posted by Jeffhs

The last time I checked around here, about a year ago, I could only get on my living-room TV, with rabbit ears, one translator station on channel 51 (W51BI in Kirtland, Ohio, near Cleveland; may be a translator or booster for an OTA affiliate of the Trinity Broadcasting Network), and the reception wasn't that good. I don't know if that station is still around or not.

The FCC will be requiring even LPTV and translator stations in the US to convert to DTV by, IIRC, next year or 2012; not sure just when. Canada's DTV transition is set for 2012, and I read here recently that Mexico's TV stations will be all digital by 2015 at the latest.

I didn't know that LPTV stations were REQUIRED to convert to digital by 2012. I thought that there wasn't a specific year. All I know is that cable companies are required to still broadcast local cable channels in analog until 2012 by the FCC.

[electroking]

AFAIK, Canada is still set for August 31, 2011.

[jr_tech]

There is a FCC proposed rulemaking that would set a mid-2012 date, but AFAIK, the FCC is still taking comments on this, so it has not been approved yet:

http://broadcastengineering.com/news...ion/index.html

http://www.televisionbroadcast.com/article/108238

jr

[mwplefty]

Seriously, what reasons are there to shut off low-power analog stations? They already had their way with full-power ones, and now this. Absolutely ridiculous. I can't believe it's coming in less than two years.

[electroking]

When you make the radio spectrum a saleable commodity, pressures do occur...

[wkand]

No LP or other analog in the Seattle area as far as I know.

[peverett]

As the spectrum is supposed to be public property, I think selling it was a big mistake(possibly even illegal). They should have rented it for periods of time to the cellphone companies(like the cellphone companies do to their customers). This way, if a company was not using the spectrum in the way most benefitting the public, their lease could be terminated and another company then could rent the spectrum.

[OvenMaster]

I've got Univision, Telemundo, and AMG-TV http://www.amgtv.tv/ left on LPTV. The CBS LPTV outlet moved to digital a few weeks ago.

[mwplefty]

Originally Posted by OvenMaster

I've got Univision, Telemundo, and AMG-TV http://www.amgtv.tv/ left on LPTV. The CBS LPTV outlet moved to digital a few weeks ago.

I sometimes use Univision to "brush up" on my Spanish, but that's interesting how your CBS affiliate was low-powered in Boston until recently. My CBS affiliate, as far as I can remember, was always full-powered.

While I'm pretty sure I lost two LPTV channels a couple weeks ago, I'm going to check anyway.

[mwplefty]

I believe that a bill called "TV Consumer Freedom Act" of 2007 proposed by none other than Republican Congressman Ron Paul of Texas would've, had it passed, essentially required the FCC to ask permission from television viewers before making the switch from analog to digital. I could tell you right now. Very few people, if any, would've voted for the DTV transition, and we would still have full-powered analog stations today. If only......