July 14, 2008
Twelve television stations located in Central Florida's Orlando market were among the first to test digital signals in preparation for next year's digital conversion. The participating television stations were WKMG-TV, WESH-TV, WFTV-TV, WCEU-TV, WKCF-TV, WMFE-TV, WVEN-TV, WRDQ-TV, WOTF-TV, WTGL-TV channel 45, WBCC-TV, and WOPX-TV.
60-Second Message Tests Viewers' Digital Reception
At 7:59 p.m. on Wednesday, July 2, each station briefly disconnected its analog television signal and aired a 60-second message in digital format which reached more than 365,000 households.
If viewers were able to see the message, the test confirmed that their television sets are ready for digital broadcasts. Viewers who did not see the message but only saw black screens on their television sets have analog sets and will need to take steps to prepare their televisions to receive digital signals. Orlando Television Stations Advertised Test in Advance
In preparation for the test, the Orlando stations ran on-air television commercials asking viewers to participate in the test. The commercials appeared to be effective in that viewership increased by eight percent compared to the prior Wednesday on all of the 12 stations.
Number of Viewers Not DTV-Compatible Low
In the commercials and on their websites, the stations provided a special telephone number for viewers to call who were unable to see the digital message. Only 501 calls came in to the stations. About half of the phone calls came from viewers who have television sets which are more than a year old and have been receiving analog signals via antennas. The other half came from current cable television subscribers.
