Fairbanks leads the nation in homes with analog-only TVs
Published Saturday, August 30, 2008
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FAIRBANKS — TV stations across the United States will go all-digital in mid-February.
Some places — communities where lots of people still rely on analog televisions with rabbit ears and antennas — are having to do more to adapt than others. None are being impacted as much as Fairbanks.
Interior Alaska has one of the highest proportions of residents still relying on antennas, which gather outgoing, analog TV airwaves, according to figures from the Federal Communications Commission. The government is issuing coupons to let U.S. residents get converter boxes cheap or for free, but because Fairbanks is so far away from the rest of the country, the coupons could take a while to get here by mail.
“(People) really should act now. Don’t wait” to get a converter box, FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell said Thursday during a trip to Fairbanks. “Feb. 17 is a lot closer than you think.”
When stations switch to all-digital formats, they’ll stop broadcasting on analog airwaves, so people with antennas — be they the bigger outdoor antennas or indoor rabbit ears — will need either a digital television or a special converter box for their older analog TVs.
Those without one or the other will be unable to get an analog signal.
FCC officials indicated that all but one of the stations based in Fairbanks are mandated to switch to digital in February. McDowell said Congress chose the date to avoid complicating reception for the Super Bowl but to make the switch before college basketball’s March Madness.
McDowell visited Alaska this week as part of the commission’s effort to boost awareness of the upcoming analog-to-digital switch, which occurs Feb. 17. He and the commission’s other four members are visiting communities across the country where either 100,000 households or at least 15 percent of homes rely solely on over-the-air signals.
A look at November 2007 numbers from the Nielsen Company show Fairbanks tops the list, with a higher percentage of homes with televisions that use antennae instead of cable, satellite or another paid service. So more homes here, on a per household basis, are going to wake up Feb. 17 to static on their screens — unless they get a digital television or a special converter box.
GCI spokesman David Morris said a lower percent of households in the Fairbanks area subscribe to cable than in Anchorage, where the rate is between 60 and 65 percent. He said aside from a few differences between the communities — homes in Fairbanks are a bit “more spread out” than in Anchorage, for example — there is little data indicating why Fairbanks-area residents are more inclined to stick with over-the-air reception and skip cable.
“It’s just one of those differences between Fairbanks and Anchorage, I guess,” Morris said.
The raw numbers: Nielsen reports that 32,550 homes in the Fairbanks area had televisions as of the November count, according to Bill Freedman, an associate public information chief with the Communications Commission. Of those homes, an estimated 11,180 relied on over-the-air-only reception, he said.
Fairbanks resident Rick Briggs said he’s lucky enough to receive relatively strong analog signals at his Haystack Subdivision cabin. He told McDowell he worried the upcoming digital switch could leave him with poorer reception even with a converter box — he said he already has zero cell phone reception and poor Internet service.
“Now, they want to take my TV” reception, he said.
McDowell said the commission expects reception will largely improve across the country through the switch, although he acknowledged different neighborhoods could be impacted in different ways.
Nick Sandstrom, who owns the satellite television company Aurora Satellite and Security, said a few factors could contribute to Fairbanks’ general reluctance to move away from analog. Prices for satellite service have, until recently, been higher here than in Anchorage, he said. The higher cost of newer digital televisions — which some people could mistakenly believe are the only option for receiving digital reception — could be tough for Fairbanks residents to stomach, he said.
“Also, I don’t think a lot of people realize they can get the (converter) boxes for free,” Sandstrom said, referring to the government’s coupons.
Another problem is that people who subscribe to dish service supplement it with an analog antenna to get local channels, said Darren Bearup, the general manager for Radio Shack stores in Fairbanks and parts of Southcentral Alaska.
“We have noticed it, and we have talked to (dish providers) in regards to it, because it’s going to be a change for a lot of people,” Bearup said.
Some stores around Fairbanks have stocked up on conversion boxes — basically a little black box that sits between the wall and a TV.
While local electronic outlets in late July reported that supplies of the boxes were low, one of Radio Shack’s two College Road stores had stocked more than 400 boxes early this week. And even if stores run out of the boxes, many of them accept coupons through programs that let residents order converter boxes online or call to have one delivered to their home or a nearby store.
“If they come into a Radio Shack, they’re going to be able to redeem” a coupon and get a converter box, company spokeswoman Wendy Dominguez said.
Every household in the United States is eligible for up to two $40 coupons they can use to buy converter boxes.
The FCC says new digital televisions — the only kind being made now by manufacturers and shippers — are far better than older analog-based TVs. They carry the advantage of better picture and sound and can offer technological advances over older sets. The FCC says the upcoming nationwide conversion also will free up parts of the broadcast spectrum to dedicate more resources for services including public safety functions and wireless communication .
Community Discussion
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Maybe if you had better chanels and were cheaper Mr. Morris and you didnt cater so much to anchorage more people in fairbanks would subscribe to gci. But when you have to pay a certain amount for the cable to begin with and then another cable box is six more bucks fifteen a month if you want the hd box that records and then on top of that an extra ten a month to view the few hd chanels you have why doesnt fairbanks get locals in hd and anchorage does. To top it off your over all picture quaility is not even that great. If you want dish first you got to pay the huge install fee 400. from one company i called and an extra 200. for the second dish to get locals so know you got dishes hanging off the house and when it rains you better go the video store cause dish will go out trust me been there done that although they are some what cheaper than cable you still have to pay extra for the hd and here in ak you wont get that many. So you are screwed either way.
To GCI's Dave Morris:
Here is the data your missing. The reason Fairbanks-area residents are more inclined to stick with over-the-air reception and skip cable, is because cable is not available to many of us. You should be in a position to know that and perhaps even do something about it.
* * * *
Robert McDowell made a nice presentation at the library Thursday. He kept the technical discussion to a sixth grade level. He listened to our questions and seemed to care. However, he had little knowledge of the specific Fairbanks situation. Other than to recommend that we order our discount coupons and buy a converter box as soon as possible he offered little technical advise.
I am far from an expert on this subject. I do live within a few miles of the city but I have trouble getting the existing analog signals. I don't have a southern view to use the satellite option. I've gone to the trouble of erecting a 90 foot tower and installing several single channel antennas on it.
Digital TV seems to be a moving target. All the local channels are transmitting DTV on UHF channels now except channel 13.
Channel 13 and other low power stations outside of Fairbanks will continue to be analog which means you should by a converter box with pass-thru option or you will have to get up and unplug and plug in the box every time you want to change stations.
The DTV station now transmitting on UHF may change back to their current VHF channels after February 17. I have not found much helpful information about this on the stations' web sites. The local stations' websites are generally generic on the subject and have little local information.
Perhaps I didn't look hard enough, but I couldn't even find out what channel KUAC broadcasts on from their web site.
But here's the problem: If I go to the effort to prepare for DTV now, before the snow falls, and the broadcasters switch DTV from UHF back to VHF (and it's not clear they all will) then I'll have to do it all over again in February.
I invited Mr. McDowell to come back in February, to stand at the base of my tower, and watch me make the switch. There was laughter in the audience, but he did not accept the invitation.
I think it would help, if the DNM would publish the details of of each of the local stations plans with regard to the DTV changeover. What channels will they be on and when ? Mr. McDowell spoke of "side mounted antennas". How will each local stations' antenna pattern change ? Although, I think I know most of them, it would be useful to publish where the broadcasters antennae are so we can point ours correctly.
Finally, does GCI or another cable company, have plans to expand so that Fairbanks is no longer the number one cable-less city in the United States. Not only do I want to watch DTV but I want high speed internet too.
(I know about Denali TV. They don't re-broadcast most local channels.)
' “Also, I don’t think a lot of people realize they can get the (converter) boxes for free,” Sandstrom said, referring to the government’s coupons.'
This is not true. We checked all over town and we still paid $16 EACH converter box with the coupons.
Does anyone know if the converter boxes will work now? There are a lot of channels that have already changed to HD and the pictures seem to be better even with analog. Guess I can hook mine up and see but thought I'd ask.
truthinews--- I agree its to late for me I already paid an extra 20 dollars for my converter box's. I wish Mr Sanstrom would tell the rest of the people "where" they can get their box's for free
I would also like to know why one tv station in fairbanks is exempt from federal law, and I would like to know which station that is so I could boycott them if I so chose.
To anyone who has questions on this topic, please feel free to call me anytime this week at the office and I'll try to help you with your questions.
Kip Harmon
Station Manager
KATN Channel 2
452-2125
Yeah ours weren't free either. We paid $20 bucks each with our coupons.
We've got ours hooked up and it's working now. But we only get ABC(ch2), PBS(9) <weirdly, PBS has 3! different channels but they all show the same thing, only in different formats.. very odd>, and NBC(11). PLUS we get the new channel, an affiliate of ABC called CW. Nice to have another option but we still have to turn off the box and use analog reception to watch FOX 7 and CBS 13.. I'm wondering when they are going to go digital. I like the fact that I can watch ABC now whereas before my reception was too cruddy.
I don't like it when reception cuts out for a moment or two.. unlike with analog where you'd get a moment of static but could still hear the program, now you get moments of silence where you miss the occasional line or two of a show. Kind of annoying.
Kip,
Thanks for the help. It's often said that giving out contact info over the internet is a bad idea. I'll could just google your name if I needed to get a hold of you. I suggest everyone else do the same. I really can't blame the proponents of internet anonymity...but then that's something you seem intimately familiar with.
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