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Stations Offer Test Ahead Of Digital TV Conversion

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Oct 21, 2008 2:19 pm US/Pacific

Stations Offer Test Ahead Of Digital TV Conversion

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5 / BCN) ― Bay Area residents watching broadcast television on CBS 5 and other stations Tuesday evening may be surprised by a minute-long interruption of their nightly programming to warn them about the upcoming switch from analog television to digital television.

On Feb. 17 all broadcast stations will make the switch, and on Tuesday evening local stations will attempt to warn viewers they may need to adjust.

At 6:15 p.m. all of the major Bay Area stations, including CBS 5, will interrupt programming for one minute and air a full-screen graphic with audio informing viewers about the imminent change.

Most stations, inckluding CBS 5, will be airing the information during their newscasts, so anchors will make an announcement and then air the graphic. 

The effort is aimed at basically telling viewers to check their TV set to make sure they are ready.

Federal law mandates that all broadcast stations switch to digital programming, and the Federal Communications Commission has posted tips and information for consumers wondering about how it will affect them.  Get DTV Answers

Those who need to purchase a digital converter box to watch the new programming on an analog television set can get a one-time $40 coupon to put toward a converter, according to the FCC.

Two coupons are allowed per household.

About 6.4 percent of Bay Area households are unprepared for the transition, according to e Neilson Media Research.

Another 6.6 percent are partially unprepared, meaning that they have at least one television in the home that is digital, but other sets that are not.

(© CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Bay City News contributed to this report.)

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