Despite Congressional-mandated delay, stations are still going digital

Two weeks ago Congress pushed the deadline for digital television conversion to June twelfth. But many Mississippi stations, including MPB, are still switching off their analog signals on the original deadline – Tuesday. MPB’s Cari Gervin has more.

It’s a Friday night in Oxford, and Devin Hammons just wants to watch Charlie Rose. He has a new digital converter box, and a new digital antenna to replace his rabbit ears.

But when the Ole Miss student connects the cables to his space-age antenna and turns on the television, there is only static.

“And I just hooked up the converter box for my mom, who lives in Brandon, and she gets, maybe seven, eight, nine channels in Brandon? Oxford’s just kind of in the middle of this 'no range.'”

Hammons is one of thousands of people in the state who do not subscribe to a cable or satellite provider to watch television. Without a digital converter box, these Mississippians will lose reception on Tuesday, as over half the stations in the broadcast area drop their analog signal. And, like in the case of Hammons, a converter box is no guarantee that you will still see your favorite programs.

Residents of Jackson and the Memphis suburbs will be the least affected population, as they will only lose The CW channel and Mississippi Public Broadcasting on Tuesday. Residents of Meridian and Greenville will lose all their stations tomorrow.

More information on the digital conversion process is available at mpbonline.org.

For MPB News, I’m Cari Gervin in Oxford.