WWSB ABC 7 turned off their analog signal days earlier than claiming.
This is the message that all local Sarasota residents have been seeing on channel 40, WWSB ABC 7 since 5pm today.
WWSB ABC 7 claims that they will be shutting off their analog signal on Sunday February 1st, because they need time to finish construction at the transmitter sites, yet they actually shut it off today, January 30th 2009 at 5pm.
They claim that their digital signal IS broadcasting, but it's a very weak signal due to the same transmitter site construction, but it's not.
They also are claiming that Brighthouse cable is not picking up their signal relay, and blaming Brighthouse for that error.
But when I called WWSB ABC 7 at 11:05pm tonight and spoke with some guy who answered the phone, he fully admitted that they are not broadcasting a full signal at all, but will be on February 17th.
Between February 1st and February 17th, the digital signal for them will not be very strong at all, but they keep saying that it is working on both 40.1 and 52.1, and Titantv.com does indeed say that they are supposed to be transmitting on 52.1, but no, they are not.
11:00 PM, 35 min
Fri 01/30/2009
WWSBDT 52.1 (40)
They are not transmitting a signal strong enough for the digital signal or a signal strong enough for even cable customers to receive.
It pisses me off that WWSB ABC 7 has decided to shut off their analog signal completely before February 17th.
There are so many people in Sarasota who do not have cable, cannot afford it, may not even have a digital converter box yet, and rely on the local channel for news and more importantly, weather for our immediate area, and now we cannot see it at all.
They claim they shut off the analog signal after the 6:30pm broadcast, but I have been seeing that above message since 5pm.
They were also talking all week long, about a report that was supposed to air on tonight's 11pm news broadcast, all about the digital switch, and how they were going to have some tech person on to explain it all.
Well a lot of good that did telling us about the special report, NO ONE COULD WATCH IT!!!!!!
There are several local stations who I am having trouble picking up with the digital converter box and the digital antenna that I bought, and I am desperately trying to get someone to come install the antenna on the outside of the house for me, I cannot do it, the teens cannot do it, because time is running out for me, the switch is happening whether I'm ready for it or not, and other stations may decide to shut off before the 17th as well, which really is NOT fair at all.
Hell, the government was discussing delaying the switch until June, because there are still about 6.5 million American households that rely on analog televisions, and are not ready for the switch, but the delay didn't pass the house.
Not everyone can afford to get cable, not everyone can afford the digital converter boxes, and those coupons expire, a lot of stores that were supposed to stock them didn't even have them in stock at all, and so those coupons expired and people cannot get any more at all.
As of Wednesday, more than 47 million coupons had been sent out, but only 21.8 million had been redeemed. While 14.3 million had expired, 11 million were still active.
This whole switch to digital has been a huge pain in my ass.
Stations stopped broadcasting in analog, like channel 28, ABC Action News, a few weeks ago, and now WWSB ABC 7.
I can't afford cable, even if I could I wouldn't get it because it's far too much excess crappy channels.
I can't afford Fios either, because even though Verizon says it's only $99.99 a month, my old neighbors bought into that supposed deal, but never had a bill less than $200 the whole time they had it living next door.
I should be able to plug in the converter box, plug it into the digital antenna, and it should all work beautifully, but it doesn't because I live in a concrete block house, so it needs to be installed on the outside of the house, on the roof, and I can't do it.
You have no idea how frustrating this all is to me.
I am so used to being able to do all this technical stuff, I fix everything in this house myself, well, I used to.
All I wanna do is unhook the digital antenna from the wall where we attached it thinking it would work, take it outside, attach it to the roof, run the cable line through the air conditioner area, and plug it in.
But I can't.
I can't raise my head up to undo the screws holding it to the wall, I am not allowed to get on a ladder and climb it to attach it to the roof, I'm not alowed to do freaking anything and it sucks so freaking much.
I hate relying on other people, I hate it!
And I hate that tv stations lied to people tonight, they are running a message that says the switch is taking place Sunday, and yet, they shut down their signal today, and are not broadcasting a signal strong enough to even be picked up by a local cable company.
Screw you WWSB ABC 7!
Fuck you!
Comments
What I don't get is WHY they are allowed to shut off the analog signals before the 17th? I thought the 17th was some kind of law. But anyway, I think Fox-25 here is doing the same thing. Fort, AND they are sending out a weak digital signal. We can pick it up on two of our TVs with the Terk indoor antennas, but not my new little digital portable one. Fox is also saying that they are *working on it* and will not have full digital output until JULY.
I think it was on one of Selif's blogs where he said that this is what happens when you let government bureacrats handle something that should have been handled experienced tech-savvy people.
I personally love DTV, because now we no longer have to suffer with interference from our asshole neighbor with the improperly hooked up satellite dish. We can now watch channels that used to come in as nothing but snow and interference before. But the more I read about the problems that you and others are having, I now see how very ill-thought-out the whole thing was.
I hope you can get it all working soon.
Posted by: Christine | January 31, 2009 3:30 PM
Wow, take a chill pill. The reason they are at low power is because they are working at taking down the old analog antenna and making changes to the digital antenna at their broadcast site in Parrish. You don't want to be up on that tower when the transmitter is at full power, it could kill you.
They are doing this now so they don't interrupt the digital feed after the 17th, better to do it now than later.
Yes people may not be ready, but they have had over a year to get ready. Plenty of time in my book.
And Verizon doesn't have those problems. We have it and pay a great price, never had billing problems with prices that were not what was quoted to us. Everyone I've talked to with FiOS agrees.
Television isn't what it used to be, it's time it moves into the twenty first century. Next Tuesday, relax and rescan your digital box after all the stations return to high power broadcasts!
Posted by: Alex | January 31, 2009 9:20 PM
Alex, Kat has been prepared for some time now, she got the converter box and a new antenna and all. But she is disabled and needs assistance in hooking it up. Read her post again.
As for Verizon FiOS, even if it were at the cheap price as advertised, she STILL cannot afford it. As can't millions of other Americans. Why don't YOU take a chill pill, Alex, and imagine what it would be like to be disabled, on a limited income, and told that even though you did what you were told to prepare for DTV, it STILL does not work? Imagine being house-bound most of the time, with free broadcast TV as your only option. Although I have not had any major problems with the transition, I can still see why Kat is pissed.
Posted by: Christine | February 1, 2009 4:08 PM