Unexpected static over digital signal

Delaying changeover date to give viewers more time to prepare could hurt broadcasters

Any delay in the Feb. 17 transition to all-digital television will cost broadcasters tens of thousands of dollars each and could result in job cuts at cash-strapped stations, local television executives said.

Some consumer advocates and officials, including President-elect Barack Obama, have called for such a delay to allow more time for viewers to prepare for the change.

Jeanne Hopkins, vice president of communications and government relations at WGBH, Boston's channel 2, said if the deadline were moved to as late as June, it would cost the PBS affiliate $100,000, mainly for the electricity needed to keep the old analog transmitter going. Hopkins said Congress should consider compensating both nonprofit and commercial TV stations for expenses caused by the delay. "I think it would be open to all, because all broadcasters are going to feel this," Hopkins said.

Most TV stations expected to save money this year by shutting down analog equipment, said Deanna Raymond, vice president of the Massachusetts Broadcasters Association in Medford. Continuing the analog broadcasts will mean higher electric bills and additional maintenance costs. "If they had to allocate a lot of money in the next few months that they hadn't anticipated, it could lead to layoffs," Raymond said.

Stations would also have to launch a wave of public service announcements to inform viewers of the new changeover date. For-profit TV stations lose money by broadcasting such announcements, which use up airtime that could otherwise be sold to advertisers.

Alex Jasiukowicz, creative services director for WMUR in Manchester, N.H., said his station has been running at least 16 unpaid ads each day for the Feb. 17 changeover, including four during prime time, when stations can charge higher prices for running commer cials. "If you've got four spots required during prime time, that could end up being tens of thousands of dollars," Jasiukowicz said.

Raymond warned that these new ads would likely confuse consumers already bombarded with TV and print ads warning of a Feb. 17 changeover. "Our concern is that it's going to create more confusion among the public," said Raymond. "To change it now could just muddy the water even more."

Calls for a delay began when the US Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration said last week it had run out of money to help consumers defray the cost of boxes that let old analog TV sets receive digital signals. More than a million people have been placed on a waiting list to receive $40 coupons for the boxes, which generally cost around $60. It took about six weeks to receive coupons even before the waiting list, so it is likely many people will not receive coupons before the digital deadline. Any analog set receiving channels over the air, without a cable or satellite connection, will lose all signal after the deadline unless it is connected to a converter box.

Plenty of Americans remain unprepared for the transition. As of Dec. 19, Nielsen Co. estimated 6.8 percent of US households, or 7.6 million homes, were still not ready.

President-elect Obama last week said he favors delaying the digital changeover, an idea that has also won support from the consumer advocacy group Consumers Union and two former chairmen of the Federal Communications Commission.

Joel Kelsey, a policy analyst at Consumers Union, agreed that changing the deadline now will put a serious burden on many TV stations. "There's a lot of broadcasters out there that weren't planning to spend that kind of money," he said. But, Kelsey added, "none of that trumps millions of households and consumers without the ability to get the equipment they need."

The expense of delaying the switch would come while TV stations are already shrinking their staffs. WGBH recently cut about a dozen jobs, Spanish-language station WUNI last month dismissed the coanchor of its 6 p.m. news broadcast, and ABC network affiliate WCVB has been reducing its staff through buyouts and early retirements.

Boston's Fox network affiliate WFXT faces an additional problem - whether to undertake costly repairs to its damaged analog antenna. A malfunction has forced WFXT to broadcast its analog signal at low power since November, leading to dozens of complaints from viewers who can no longer receive the station. Fixing the problem would likely require complete replacement of the antenna, which is mounted on a 1,200-foot-high tower. Station officials had hoped to make do with the defective antenna until the analog shutdown on Feb. 17, but a delay in going all-digital may force a change in plans. "WFXT is evaluating its analog signal options if the transition date is changed," said general manager Gregg Kelley in a statement e-mailed to the Globe.

At least one local broadcaster is shrugging off a possible delay. Chris Wayland, general manager of NBC network affiliate WHDH 7 and CW network affiliate WLVI, agreed that it will cost his stations thousands of dollars if the switchover is pushed back. But Wayland said the most important consideration is to make sure viewers are ready for digital TV. "If the delay allows the message to be made to the public more clearly," he said, "then that's only going to be a good thing."

Hiawatha Bray can be reached at bray@globe.com.