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Despite warnings, many still caught off guard by TV transition
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Published: June 14, 2009
Dee Varvorines wasn't going to attempt to try and wire her digital converter box herself.
She purchased the box for her second television three months ago. Her grandson originally was supposed to install it for her, but got preoccupied.
At the time, it was two weeks before the deadline for all full-powered television stations to switch to digital programming, and she did not want to wait until the last minute. So she called the South Iredell Senior Center for help.
The elderly were better prepared than their younger counterparts for the transition from analog to digital, according to a report released by television market analyst Nielsen Co. on Wednesday.
The Iredell County Council on Aging did its part in helping senior residents prepare for the transition by applying for an assistance grant through the federal government.
Varvorines said a volunteer from the South Iredell Senior Center was nice enough to come out and hook up the converter box.
"I'm not good with that electrical stuff," Varvorines said. "If there was someone around who knew how to do it I depended on them."
Iredell and South Iredell senior centers used the grant money to provide assistance to seniors as they applied for the $40 converter box coupons the federal government offered, and sent out volunteers to help hook up their televisions sets.
"We have seen heavier traffic during the past two weeks," said South Iredell Senior Center Manager Tina Czarnecki. "There are still people out there who don't realize they will be affected."
Some viewers, elderly and young alike, still weren't prepared when television stations across the area stopped transmitting their analog signals on Friday.
Congress might have given everyone a three-month reprieve when it postponed the deadline for all full-powered television stations to switch to digital programming, but that didn't mean everyone took advantage of it.
"This time it's real," Signal Hill Mall Radio Shack manager Danny Fox said.
While most in Charlotte's 22-county coverage area took steps to get ready for the June 12 change, 20,324 people were unprepared, according to Nielsen Co.
Nielsen estimated 2.8 million American households were in the same situation, and most of these tend to fall into the younger-than-35, African American or Hispanic categories. Around 1.3 percent of those households are 55 or older.
Fox said a number of people are still coming in looking for converter boxes.
Fox said his staff is also helping customers apply the two coupons the government offered each household.
In order the prepare for the transition, the Federal Communications Commission placed 4,000 staffers on the phone on Friday. According to the Associated Press, the average wait time for the 317,450 calls that came in on Friday was 4.6 minutes.
The FCC received nearly 700,000 calls on its help line, 1-888-CALL-FCC, this week from confused people wanting to resolve reception problems or apply for federal coupons.
A third of the calls were about federal coupons to pay for digital converter boxes, an indication that at least 100,000 people still didn't have the right equipment to receive digital signals.
The Commerce Department reported a last-minute rush for the converter box coupons. It received 319,990 requests Thursday, nearly four times the daily average for the past month. In all, the government has mailed coupons for almost 60 million converter boxes.
Television plays a big role in the day-to-day life of most people, Sara Erichson, Nielsen Co. President of Media Client Services, said in a news release. Most of the remaining homes are expected to take the necessary steps after the stations make the final switch.
Iredell Senior Center Manager Debbie Preston said one caller said the cable company couldn't make it to her house for another three weeks. Sets hooked up to cable or satellite feeds are unaffected by the transition.
"It's important for news and emergency information," Preston said.
A number of seniors have family members who helped them hook up the converter boxes, but for those who were less technologically savvy it was confusing.
Statesville Fire Marshal Mike Billings said members of his staff helped the senior center install some of the converters. He said it gave them a chance to check and replace some of the smoke detectors.
Czarnecki said her staff lost count of the number of people who needed assistance.
Residents with a digital converter box who are still having trouble getting a clear picture should try re-scanning, Czarnecki said.
She suspects the volunteers will still be needed during the next couple of weeks.
Varvorines said before Carl left he programmed in all the channels. She said she needed to call back and see if there was anything else the senior center could do about all the weather stations.
"I don't know if I need all this weather," she said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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