TV stations struggling with viewer loss on DTV [Communications, Engineering & Design Magazine]
Even though the digital television transition came and went last month with few issues, a few broadcast stations and the federal government are still dealing with some of the ramifications of the transition. Around two dozen TV stations around the country are reporting a loss of viewership since the transition due to the fact that their new digital signal cannot be received by some over-the-air viewers' antennas in some locations.
As it turns out, the stations switched their digital broadcasts from the Ultra High Frequency (UHF) band to the Very High Frequency (VHF) band on the DTV deadline of June 12th. Many smaller indoor antennas, even those sold as "digital" antennas in the period leading up to the digital transition, cannot receive the stations' digital broadcasts on the VHF band.
In an effort to remedy the situation, the FCC has sent engineers to do signal testing in some of the affected markets, and the Commission is allowing some stations to boost their signal power to allow more over-the-air viewers to watch the new digital signals. According to the FCC, as of this week, around 20 percent of callers into their DTV hotline are calling in regard to this issue.
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