[SBE] Ready to turn analog back on?

[A9xw at cs.com]

In a message dated 3/5/2008 2:02:31 PM Central Standard Time, 
lhwill at verizon.net writes: 

> The 

> Telcom chairman wrote the FCC chairman to do just that - limited test 

> markets early - not turn everyone off on Feb 17th and then back on later.


OK, test market #1.  People scream I want my MTV!.  Do they go back to 
analog? 
Test market #2, three cows phone in a complaint that they can no longer watch 
the bull riding championships. Stay digital? 
Test market #3, 15% of viewers do not have DTV, single station market, Does 
the station live with an immediate 15% loss of viewers, turn analog back on? If 
their is a train wreck in one of the neighboring communitas that is OTA 
reliant, how do they get the TV news they need to scram to avoid the toxic 
chemicals, close the school, etc since they do not have any more OTA TV to get the EAS 
or live news?  (and I am no fan of EAS because local news is always faster 
and more informative. 
Test market #4. Because of loss of viewers revenues fall its marginal 
operation is now a losing operation. Does it do dark? Cut local programming (when the 
FCC is now demanding more localism) lay off more staff (more because that has 
been the trend for over 20 years), become a satellite pass through facility 
run from a remote location with no local staff? 

Does the test market station owner have a choice to refuse to participate in 
the test to protect their investment because adjacent DMA stations will simply 
"steal" their analog audience (think 
Toledo/Detroit/Windsor/Lansing/Jackson/AnnArbor)? 

If the test is a month, or some period that will simply drive viewers to 
other media because they don't want to wait for analog to come back or get a new 
DTV set? 

What if the test results say turning off analog is a bad idea?

Henry