CALIFORNIA BUSINESS MINUTE
DTV Transition
06-09-08
Hi, I am Tim Johnson and welcome to the California Business Minute.
Ten million U.S. households are completely unready for next year's transition to
digital television, and nearly 25 million will have at least one TV that will stop
functioning cites a new report from Nielsen Media Research. Analog TVs not
attached to a cable or satellite service will lose their signals next February, unless
they are hooked to special digital converters
According to the study, 9.4% of TV households are completely unprepared for the
transition. Another 12.6% are partially unprepared and have at least one set that
would not work after the transition date. That's only slightly better than February,
when 10% were not ready and another 13.1% had at least one digitally unworkable
TV set.
Some markets are more ready than others. Those with the highest percentage of
unprepared TV households, many of the nation's largest markets, include Milwaukee
(18.3%), Salt Lake City (18%), Portland, Ore. (17.3%), Houston (17%), Minneapolis-
St. Paul (16.9%), Dallas-Fort Worth (15.7%), Cincinnati (15%) and St. Louis (14.7%).
Markets that are more ready than the general population include Hartford and New Haven,
Conn., New York, Atlanta, Fort Myers and Naples, Fla., Boston, Charlotte, N.C.,
Philadelphia and Washington.
The report also found that Hispanics, African-Americans and younger households are
expected to be disproportionately affected by the transition, while secondary sets, in the
bedroom or kitchen, are more likely to be unready.
I am Tim Johnson and this has been the California Business Minute.
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