KWCH - Kansas News and Weather - Obama Pushing to Delay DTV Switch

Obama Pushing to Delay DTV Switch

(WICHITA, Kan.)

The switch to digital television is a little more than a month away. But after years of planning and billions of dollars spent, the transition may be put on hold.

February 17th is a looming date that keeps Kansans roving the aisles at electronic stores.

"It is on our mind because we have three teenage kids and they each have a TV in their room. So, we're wondering if those TVs are going to work without getting the converter box," Rebecca Oberly said.

Oberly is buying an HDTV. She's among the 20 million Americans who aren't sure if their TVs will work after February 17th. That's when stations will turn off their analog signal to switch to digital.

Oberly says, "It's easy to just procrastinate, wait till the last minute and then we have to do it."

The government is out of money for the converter box coupons.

DTV Coupon Converter Program

President-elect Barack Obama wants the switch pushed back saying too many people aren't ready. It's a proposal that's getting mixed reactions in Washington and across the country.

Chad Skinner knows he will buy an HDTV, but say, "I would imagine there's quite a few people that still need one. Not everyone has the option to go out and buy a new TV."

Kansans are in good shape. The latest figures show only a fraction have yet to buy a converter box or a new TV. Seventy-three percent of Kansas households have taken part in the coupon program.

That doesn't mean the other 27 percent aren't ready. Skinner says, "I'm sure they'll always be those of us who wait till the last minute."

Those wanting coupons are now put on a waiting list. People who don't have cable or satellite tv, or a new tv with a digital tuner, will need the converter boxes to keep their analog TVs working.

Find out if your ready for the switch Monday. KWCH will run a DTV test for viewers in the Wichita, Hutchinson and Salina areas. For technical reasons, this test won't include western Kansas or the Kansas CW.

Watch at the end of our noon show, and again just before 7 p.m.

We'll turn off our analog signal for thirty seconds so you can see if your TV will work after we're required to turn it off permanently in February.

Learn more at kwch.com/dtv or call our free DTV Hotline Monday night at (888) 576-8328.