Channel 50 going digital today

The Santa Rosa TV station KFTY, Channel 50, is pulling the plug on its analog signal tonight, meaning that anyone who still receives channels using an antenna and an older television will need to purchase a digital converter box to get reception.

People who subscribe to Comcast, Direct TV, DISH Network or other providers will be unaffected by the change.

Back in 2005, Congress ordered all TV stations to stop broadcasting analog signals by the end of today and move entirely to a digital transmission.

The move is intended to free up the airwaves, which allowed the government to sell some of the soon-to-be available space for newer wireless technology such as connectivity to the Internet.

However, Congress pushed back the date that broadcasters have to end their analog signal to June 12, after President Obama said people needed more time to adjust.

KFTY decided to stop broadcasting its analog signal anyway on the original date because it already had its plan in place, said John Burgess, the station’s general manager.

“We have put in so much time, and some of the equipment has already been installed,” Burgess said. “It’s not prudent to delay — at least for us it’s not.”

KFTY isn’t alone. Other Bay Area stations are switching to digital tonight also. Nationally, 641 stations are expected to make the transition on today or soon thereafter, rather than June 12, because it is costly to keep broadcasting analog signals.

The most populous markets cutting analog today include San Diego and Santa Barbara in California, as well as providence, R.I.; La Crosse and Madison, Wis.; Rockford, Ill.: Sioux City, Iowa and Waco, Texas.

The Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, which is a coalition of 200 advocacy groups, established a digital TV assistance center in San Francisco to answer questions, demonstrate converter boxes and sometimes make house calls. For more information go to its Web site at www.civilrights.org/dtv/ or call (415) 677-7600.

The conversion has cost KTFY about $300,000, Burgess said.

The station has been running banner announcements across its analog broadcast informing people about tonight’s change. But some people are still expected to get caught unaware.

“There will be people who have still not made the switch,” Burgess said.

In particular, some people including President Obama have voiced concern that the change will most impact the poor and the elderly who live on fixed budgets.

“Those are the folks we’re obviously all concerned about,” Burgess said.

People can apply for a $40 coupon to purchase a digital converter box at the government Web site www.DTV2009.gov.

People are still going to Best Buy to buy digital converter boxes – even people who don’t need to, said Josh Carucci, a manager at the Santa Rosa store.

Some people don’t believe the store’s sales staff that they don’t need a converter box, Carucci said. But most of the about two dozen converter boxes that the store sells a week are going to people who need them, he said.

“We’re moving a lot of them” Carucci said. “It’s been pretty steady for the last six months.”

The converter boxes cost about $50.

KFTY installed a new digital antenna and transmitter on top of Mount St. Helena. The new equipment resembles a large, modern computer, Burgess said. The old analog equipment looks like a relic from the past with its three-foot-long vacuum tubes.

People who are having problems or want to leave feedback for KFTY can call 526-5050 or e-mail comments@kfty.com.