By David Zurawik and Sam Sessa and and , david.zurawik@baltsun.com and sam.sessa@baltsun.com|February 17, 2009
Every Monday night, Janice Stephenson, a 68-year-old retired Baltimore social worker, climbs into bed to watch the Fox drama House on her small black TV set. The medical mystery series is her favorite show, but last night's episode might be her last for a while.
Starting at midnight tonight, hundreds of stations across the country - including Baltimore's Fox and CW affiliates - will broadcast only digital signals, dropping their analog transmissions despite efforts by Congress to delay the switch until June. While most have extended the deadline at the government's request, 368 stations have decided to stick to the original plan.
The move is expected to save each of the stations hundreds of thousands of dollars in electricity costs, but millions of people who still have not purchased the equipment or services needed to receive digital TV signals - mostly elderly and lower-income viewers - will be unable to watch news broadcasts and popular shows like American Idol.
The Nielsen Co. estimated last month that more than 6 million homes were still analog only - an estimate most experts consider low. The percentage of analog homes in large urban areas like Baltimore could run as high as 20 percent.
"What did they expect people to do if they weren't ready?" Stephenson said. "This kind of seems unfair."
She had prepared to make the switch by signing up for cable service, but she put that on hold after she heard about the delay.
Most newer televisions equipped with digital tuners, as well as those connected to cable or satellite systems, should be unaffected by the changes. But people who depend on indoor or outdoor antennas for reception need to attach a converter box to their televisions. The boxes are available at most electronics and big-box stores for $40 to $80.
If Stephenson seems frustrated by the switch to a digital signal, she has good reason to be, analysts say. Instead of the clean, straightforward conversion that government officials envisioned for the country starting tomorrow, things started to unravel late last year when a government program to provide vouchers to defray the cost of converter boxes ran out of money.
"The transition to digital is a classic case of government screwup," says Douglas Gomery, media historian at the University of Maryland, College Park.
