Will KC stations delay DTV transition?

So you think Uncle Sam just gave you four more months to get a digital TV converter box?

Think again.

Although Congress on Wednesday voted to extend the national deadline for television stations to turn off their analog signals and begin broadcasting exclusively in digital, also known as DTV. However, But Kansas City's four leading broadcasters on Thursday said Thursday that they were preparing to go full steam ahead into the digital age. And they hope to do so on the original deadline date of Feb. 17 -- 11 days from now.

"My analog transmitter is on its last legs," said KCTV general manager Kirk Black. "We've been doing as little maintenance as we can. These things are ready to die. We have to do this."

When Congress created the new deadline of June 12, it gave stations the option of sticking with the old February deadline. From AP: That means the shutdown of analog signals, which broadcasters had hoped would happen at nearly the same time nationwide, could unfold in a confusing patchwork. +

It wasn't clear by the end of Thursday how many stations nationally would wait until the new deadline before switching to digital, also known as DTV.+

For Kansas City affiliates to move ahead, they'll need to gain approval from the FCC and their parent companies.

All network affiliates in Kansas City are owned by large corporations, and one of them -- Hearst-Argyle Television, which owns the top-rated ABC affiliate KMBC-TV -- said that the "vast majority" of its stations nationwide would keep broadcasting in analog until June 12.

While cable and satellite subscribers won't be affected by the end of analog TV -- their service providers will switch them automatically -- as many as 50,000 households in the Kansas City area could see channels go dark as the old signals are turned off.

Less than 4 percent of Kansas City area viewers, however, are "completely unready" for the switch, according to Nielsen Media Research. And station managers interviewed Thursday agreed that extending the DTV deadline would cost them significantly more money in equipment upkeep and contract extensions.

"We are ready, and we spent millions of dollars to be ready," said Craig Allison, general manager of two TV stations, NBC affiliate KSHB-TV and KMCI-TV, known as "38 The Spot."

Some also questioned how many viewers would actually take advantage of the longer deadline to take the necessary steps to get DTV-ready.

In fact, One station already has converted: KCWE-TV, which carries CW programs such as "Gossip Girl," dropped its analog signal and went all-digital in December. The move was made for technical reasons relating to KCWE's sister station, ABC affiliate KMBC-TV.

C. Wayne Godsey, who is the general manager of both stations, did not know whether his bosses at Hearst-Argyle would continue broadcasting KMBC's signal in analog until June 12.

Nielsen Media Research issued a report on Jan. 18 that found that in many cities, one out of 10 households was "completely unready" for the DTV switch -- meaning that the household did not have cable or satellite TV, did not own a DTV-ready television set and had not purchased a converter box that could display the new, over-the-air DTV signals on the old set.

However, Kansas City, however, had a higher rate of preparedness than most of the country. And In an updated report released earlier this week, Nielsen reported that only 3.77 percent of Kansas City area households were "completely unready" for the switch. Among older viewers, -- who were cited as of particular concern to politicians -- just 1.38 percent were unprepared for DTV.

Citing similar data, the general managers of all the stations in the Cedar Rapids, Iowa, area announced said Thursday that they intended to stick with the Feb. 17 date. Kent Cornish, executive director of the Kansas Association of Broadcasters, said that every TV station in Kansas was planning to honor the original deadline as well.

Another reason cited in the drive to delay the DTV deadline: The federal subsidy program, which provided $40 discount coupons on converter boxes to any American household that requested one, ran out of money in January. The $650 million request for additional converter-box subsidies wasn't written into the DTV Delay Act passed by Congress this week but is part of the omnibus economic stimulus package instead.

If any Kansas City station wants to switch to digital early, it will have to file a petition Stations planning to make the switch to digital early will have to file petitions+ with the government by Feb. 9 Monday. Regulators could reject the requests if they still believe think too many viewers in that area would be at risk. Each station must also agree to air 120 promotional pieces between now and Feb. 17 warning viewers that the old analog signals are about to be shut off.

Local broadcasters said that wouldn't be a problem; they were planning to sound the alarm anyway, just as they've been doing for months.

KCTV's Black recalled what happened when his station recently conducted a test to smoke out any viewers who still might be laboring under the illusion that analog TV would go on and on. The station temporarily shut down its analog signal on a Monday night during CBS prime time -- one of the most-watched times of the week for KCTV.

"I asked my chief engineer the next day, 'How many calls did we get?'." Black recalled. "He said, 'None.' "

While fewer than 4 percent of area homes are "completely unready" for DTV, many homes have a basement or bedroom TV that isn't hooked up to cable and depends on over-the-air signals.

Unless that set is DTV-ready or has a DTV converter box attached, it won't get anything after June 12, when every station in the U.S. must shut off its analog signals. stations begin shutting off their analog signals.

If you received a coupon for $40 off a converter box but let it expire before purchasing one, you may now reapply for an additional coupon. Visit www.DTV2009.gov or call 888-DTV388-2009 for details. vf both-ssn

Every over-the-air TV station in Kansas City is currently broadcasting in digital. DTV signals are transmitted differently from analog, and the methods you use to receive analog TV signals may not work for DTV. (If you have cable or satellite, don't worry.) If your converter box is properly connected but not getting all the signals, here are some tips from engineers at those stations:

Kansas City's DTV stations all broadcast on UHF except for KMBC, but it's switching to UHF soon. Rabbit ears, which improve reception for VHF signals only, are useless.

Consider buying a UHF indoor antenna to boost reception of signals. Connect the antenna either to your converter box or directly to your TV if it's DTV-ready.

In some cases, an outdoor antenna may be the only way to ensure proper reception of hard-to-get signals.