DTV call center successfully handles influx of confused callers
By Darren Murph 
posted Feb 19th 2009 2:25PM
posted Feb 19th 2009 2:25PM
Given that the expectation was for hordes of confused TV viewers to phone in over the past two days in order to ask why their local OTA station was suddenly unavailable, it's no shock to see a big deal made of successfully managing through it. For those unaware, 421 stations decided to go ahead with their originally planned DTV transition date of February 17th, and we're told that over 28,000 perplexed Americans dialed 1-888-CALL-FCC on Tuesday for assistance in getting their sets working. The call center was setup to handle around 100,000 calls on the day that US broadcasters were previously scheduled to go from analog to digital, but obviously, far fewer people either a) cared or b) needed help. See, that wasn't so bad, was it?
So if they took 28,000 calls and only 421 stations flipped I would hate to see how many they would have had if all stations went DTV on 2/17.
About 113,000
Based on there beinf about 1700 stations with an average call rate of 66.5 calls per station switching based on who switched already and the number of calls received.
there is no scientific basis for this number :)
It would have been exponentially more. Very, very, few (if any) areas of the country went "dark" on the 17th. So most people's TVs continued to work, they just lost one or two channels. Further, the turned-off channels were disproportionately amongst the least viewed. The major networks said that the stations they own were going to continue broadcasting in analog for the time being, leaving only some affiliates, the minor networks, and the religious stations in the pool for turning off.
So the bottom line is that the above figures really have little or no meaning.
So we moved the date why exactly? Thats what I thought.
Well, if the date hadn't been moved then every single channel in every single area would have gone digital, rather than some but not all channels in some areas of the country.
So you can imagine the call center might have had rather more calls in that case.
Reading the reports so far today, it appears the NAB and certain channels are implying that all is smooth sailing with the DTV transition. Just for the record, let me share with you my experience:
Let's do the math: Previous on-air channels- I had 7.
Pre switch-over DTV channels before the 17th- dropped me down to 3 channels.
Post transition last night and throughout the 18th and today- I am down to 1 channel. (and I've tried different antennas, non-amplified and amplified VHF/UHF, I've done my research online and at antennaweb.org, I've tried different locations...and rescanned as directed, AND it's not like I live in 'the sticks', I live within San Diego...a major metropolitan area.)
So that math tells me that we have a mass-imposed "solution" that does not have the station antenna deployment good enough, or strong enough, to even adequately support the communities they serve.
Certainly economics come into the picture for the public too in this difficult time. There are those who can't afford cable, those who don't want to buy into cable's pricing plans, those who live in apartments and can't put up expensive outdoor antennas, and those who, no matter what steps they take, are still unable to pick up a suitable signal for the continuation of what has always been "free TV".
Imagine if 15 to 20 years ago we were all forced to switch to the cell phone networks of the day. Unacceptable...especially when the technology is not proven enough to support a mass, mandated deployment. The results are proof of that. Seven on-air channels down to ONE. And it's not just about my experience, a "solution" that yields an 86% elimination of service for regular viewers is not a solution at all.
I'm curious to know what the individual stations, networks and advertisers will think (and do) when large numbers of viewers are no longer able to 'tune-in' once this conversion takes place. Are there plans to build new towers to support the viewership of their community? Are they willing to say farewell to all those viewers, or resign themselves that if those viewers are not going to get cable or satellite, good riddance?
Mark my words, imposing mass adoption of a technology that, regardless of the 'magic box', leaves vast numbers of people without programming will unleash a firestorm of anger and questions. Did the NAB not see this coming? Did a consortium of tech-geeks sell this lofty idea without having enough data to show how well...or how poorly...it would work?
I know from reading other reports, mine is far from an isolated incident. This is happening to untold thousands (perhaps millions) around the country who DID prepare for the transition. But will we ever hear that from NAB or the networks and stations themselves? (or is there too much invested to admit this plan's shortcomings) Again, 7 channels...down to 1. Will the whole story ever be told?
Your post was already debunked in a previous article.
I don't know what you hope to gain be reposting it again here.
I think the FCC should have done more to ensure that tax payers can receive the over the air broadcasts. This should include increased and enforceable renters' rights to use antennas, and perhaps an order to have the local stations use antennas that are very near each other to make directional receiving antennas more efficient.
I could never get PBS DTV in San Antonio over the air. On days with the right atmospheric conditions, it would display, but stutter and skip. The PBS broadcast antenna was in a different direction than most of the other stations. It didn't help that I lived in an apartment building. We had a community antenna, but Time Warner Cable disconnected it to run cable into the buildings. That's the first goof the FCC made: they should have forced cable companies to leave community antennas and wiring alone. I put my antenna on the balcony, and hid it with bamboo. I shouldn't have had to hide it (the FCC says you can put an antenna on unshared rental areas), but most landlords -- especially those who work for the Lynd Co and other large companies -- don't know or don't care about their tenants rights (which is why my ceiling leaked for 6 months). They eventually told me to put the bamboo and antenna indoors or pay a $300 deposit (bullshit). I put it in the closet, and I lost ABC.
Hi, just wondering, do you have that DTV convertor box? I might have missed it in your post... are you only getting 1 channel with or without the box?