Area holdouts rush for converter boxes as local stations switch to DTV
Chicago area television stations switched to digital Friday, after using analog systems for about 60 years. But that left about 96,000 statewide - including 70,000 in the Chicago and suburban area - without a signal.
The holdouts either didn't buy and install a converter box with an antennae so their old analog TV would work, or they didn't subscribe to cable or satellite TV services. Many of those caught unprepared were rushing to the stores in recent few weeks to buy the units.
"We have seen over the past week or so a spike in the sales of, or the interest in, the digital converter boxes," said Larry Costello, spokesman for Hoffman Estates-based Sears Holding Corp.
The shutdown of analog channels was done to open part of the airwaves for modern applications like wireless broadband and TV services for cell phones. The government reaped $19.6 billion last year by selling some of the freed-up frequencies, with AT&T Inc. and Verizon Wireless as the biggest buyers.
The shutdown was originally scheduled for Feb. 17, but the government's fund for $40 converter box coupons ran out of money in early January, prompting the incoming Obama administration to push for a delay. The converter box program got additional funding in the national stimulus package.
And many suburban stores got a boost.
Besides a lift in sales, Sears stores will collaborate with the Federal Communications Commission to offer a digital TV Day on Saturday when the public can ask store associates for information.
Also, Best buy is offering free installation of two boxes through June 30. The stores previously charged about $100 for installing four boxes, said Mike Ying, Home Essentials supervisor at the Best Buy store in Skokie.
"We've been getting a lot of customers asking about the change, but quite a few of them are still confused about it," Ying said.
Target stores are offering converter boxes for $5, due to discounts and the government coupons. In addition, Target has signs in its stores, information online and ads on its in-store TV station to help make people aware of the switch and ease the transition, said spokeswoman Jana O'Leary.
"Sales on converter boxes have continued to be strong, especially as we've neared the transition date," O'Leary said.
The 11 Meijer stores in the Chicago area also sell converter boxes. They could have as many as 80 boxes per store. The peak sales came last December and January, said Meijer spokesman Frank Guglielmi.
"We had to expand the number of suppliers who made them," Guglielmi said.
While last-minute shoppers rushed the stores, local TV stations were making their own historic transitions.
WTTW, ABC 7 and CBS2 were among the first stations to switch early in the day on Friday. WGN, WGBO, WILD and others planned to do it before midnight.
"As expected, many viewers just procrastinated today. But there is no tomorrow," said Dennis Lyle, president of the Illinois Broadcasters Association.
By midafternoon Friday, about 3,000 calls were received at call centers set up by the broadcasting group to field questions or problems, Lyle said.
In downtown Chicago, the Federal Communications Commission staged an event with DISH so consumers could exchange converter box coupons for DTVPal converter boxes. They gave away about 300 boxes for free.
"They were gone in a matter of hours," said FCC spokesman Dan Rumelt.
The FCC will have a booth at this weekend's Blues Festival in Chicago, and will hold various educational programs in the suburbs in coming weeks, Rumelt said.
Also, AARP held some educational programs for elderly people and said Friday many of its members transitioned well for seniors.
"When you're alone like me, that's my partner," Patricia Bruchalski, 82, said about her TV. Bruchalski, a pianist and former opera singer in Brooklyn Park, Md., got assistance Thursday from Anne Arundel County's Department of Aging and Disabilities and a community organization called Partners in Care. After her converter box was installed, Bruchalski marveled that digital broadcasts seemed clearer and gave her more channels - about 15 instead of the three she was used to.
"You're going to be up all night watching TV now," volunteer installer Rick Ebling told her.
Around 15 percent of U.S. households don't have satellite or cable, and they tend to be poorer. Nielsen Co. said minority households were less likely to be prepared for Friday's analog shutdown, as were households consisting of people younger than 35.
A survey sponsored by broadcasters showed that about 98 percent of Americans are well aware of the switch, thanks to two years of advertising about it. But many people simply procrastinated. A June survey showed that 88 percent were prepared.
Another cause of confusion was that many stations were moving to new frequencies Friday. That means even digital TV sets and older sets hooked up to converter boxes need to be set to "re-scan" the airwaves. New TVs and the converter boxes have menu options, accessible through their remote controls, to enable a re-scan.
Some people might also need new antennas, because digital signals travel differently than analog ones.
•Associated Press contributed to this report.
More help on DTV transition
• Apollo Industries: 800-504-5677 or 888-388-2009
• AVO General Services: 888-652-9128
• Best Buy: 877-BBY-DTV9 and AskABlueShirt.com
• FCC: 1-888-CALL-FCC, and www.c-s-d.org
• For hearing impaired, Communication Services for the Deaf: 877-388-4968, 877-889-4279 (TTY), 866-351-1950 (video phone)