New York Times:
Millions of households will lose television reception next week when about 1,000 broadcasters around the nation shut off their analog signals and complete their conversion to digital programming, federal officials say.
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For the younger folks out there, in the not so distant past TV was free (as long as you could afford a set). We got bamboozled again!
The late 60's image of being forced to put a coin box on our TVs scared the bejeezus out of everybody.
The future certainly does blow in some ways.
After all this time, after all the years of commercials on TV, the converter boxes hyped at every store, and even the US Govt. mailing out flyers to every person in the country, and anyone who STILL acts so shocked that they can't watch their Matlock reruns on their circa 1972 Sears console, needs to be immediately sent off to the nearest care home before they plow their Buick LeSabre into a Farmer's Market.
LOL
They also need to have there voter registration canceled cause they are just to dumb to make decisions anymore. Besides, there near buy "care home" has cable TV paid for by us taxpayers.
Its THEIR and NEARBY...spell check??
I recall back when I heard about the changeover deadline a couple years ago I *joked* that with our luck the economy probably will collapse, the big box stores selling the units will go out of business, and nobody would be able to afford the changeover. Yeh, spooky.
oh well
Sure are a lot of twits in these here United States.
I'm sure there are at least a million people out there who have decided that this is a convenient time to do away with their network TV viewing habits. Their analog TV will still play DVD's and videotapes for entertainment and their radios will still give them the news on the hour - not to mention their internet services. Plenty of people have decided to forgo the expense or hassle of a converter box because it simply isn't worth it.
The few - count-them-on-one-hand few - who will sit there and wonder why their TV doesn't work next week are too oblivious to benefit from anything the TV tells them anyway.
Television, like newspapers predominately consist of advertising, public service announcements, station breaks and news. Almost every article is geared in some form or fashion, to sway people into buying something, ANYTHING, just buy. More and more consumers are saying forget it, because "ADEQUATE INCOMES" are difficult to come by. By the day, television resembles the "junk mail that clutters consumers mail boxes," all ads and fluff, stuff that no one wants and can not longer afford to buy, due to "the absolute instability in the job market." In addition, television companies have edited out short segments within sitcoms, to shorten half-hour episodes, allowing for an extra commercial or two to be run, as if people are perched on their couches, ready to dash off to the store the second the extra commercial or two finishes. A couple in Atlanta, Georgia bought a home in early 2009, and in less than five months time, both were furloughed from their jobs. Unfortunately, the bank will still expect to receive a monthly payment, on-time, for the next 355 consecutive months, whether they are working or not. There is a song that goes something like this: "I NEED A SIGN, TO LET ME KNOW YOUR HERE, FOR MY TV SET KEEPS IT FROM ALL FROM BEING CLEAR, I NEED A REASON FOR THE THINGS HAVE TO BE....." The group is called Train.
Bravo!
Also interesting who owns the cable companies. In one case, it is Carlyle Group--GHWB's and his Saudi friends' big investment.
I think Carlyle only owns one or two cable companies, but I could be mistaken.
Not that doesn't indicate where the power/influence is. Carlyle is simply part of the Bilderbergers.
It good to see that there are many more conservatives on this web site....
I started reading it just to piss me off....
but I have found that we all think pretty much alike on most things. Just not government....I don't know about you; but what the pres or the government is doing everyday is not in my thoughts all the time....Much more important things are happening right here in my little nest of town than what is going on on a TV set....
I like to just get outside more and play a little back-yard soft ball.
Oh big deal...
We all should just turn those things off anyway.
Be a good neighbor and check with an elderly neighbor who just might have the money to purchase a converter box, but does not have the know how to install it.
My aunt asked me what this was all about. She's 82. Sometimes people have the money but just don't know how to accomplish the task.
Just a thought...
There is a program funded by the FCC that will have a Contracted DTV Tech come to a persons home to help install the DTV Box at no cost to the consumer.
Info can be found at www.FCC.gov or www.ExpertDTV.com
Hard as I try, I just cannot understand how people in the US have allowed themselves to become so addicted to television?
For the 2.15 Billion the federal government has spent on "converter box coupons" we could have bought and distributed over 5 million brand new $400 digital TV's.
Do you really want these people to run your health care?
Yes, because they probably understand, unlike you, that helping a lot more people get converter boxes is a smarter plan than just giving 5 million people $400 digital TV's.
The problem is, the 5 million people who aren't smart enough to get the digital converter boxes, are going to scream like little children when their signals shut off. And whose fault will it be? They'll say the govt, but it'll be theirs.
The problem is there are only an estimated 3 million people who don't have at least one digital ready TV already. Yet they gave away 5 million converters.
Actually no. It's not smart at all.
There are about 110 million households in the U.S.[1] of the poorest 1/5 (22 million or so)[2]:
- Ninety-seven percent of poor households have a color television; over half own two or more color televisions.
- Seventy-eight percent have a VCR or DVD player; 62 percent have cable or satellite TV reception.
So, of the 13 million no digital users, I figure at the most there are at most 8 million households that have no digital compatible TV (many TV's using antenna are compatible), and most of these will be inoperable within five years. So American taxpayers are paying about $275/household to convert old televisions when we could have spent $275/household to get a new TV.[3]
1. http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_households_are_in_the_US
2. http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080309114619AAOARsZ
3. http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=T240HD-R&cat=CON
The government works as well as the people running it. You put wealthy horse traders in charge of FEMA, you get incompetence and apathy when trouble strikes. You put honest brokers in office, you get results.
Unfortunately, those honest brokers are few and far between, most all of them having sold out to the highest bidder lobbying them.
Campaign finance reform is the only answer--take the money out of politics!
I don't want the FCC or departments in charge of communications running my helath care, no, but considering the lousy job the people who run my private plan do, I can't imagine that the government could do any worse. And according to dozens and dozens of people I have spoken to who come from countries with single-payer systems, it works pretty well. Which is to say I have NEVER met anyone from a country with single-payer who would trade their healtcare system for our "pay-or-de" system.
"I have NEVER met anyone from a country with single-payer who would trade their healtcare system"
Well now you have.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jc2n8JxYXgs
I'm fifty-nine years old; and there has not been one government involved agency in my life-time that I have found competent...I don't care who is in office...
well said
Medicare as well as veteran's health care has a reputation for extremely efficiently. 3-4 percent overhead, as opposed to the 30 - 50% overhead of for-profit insurers.
The answers lie in insisting on competence and integrity in government programs and not getting rid of them! A good place to start would be campaign finance reform.
no i never did want them
This is one time when I have to agree with the Republicans.
The government has bent over backwards to coddle the stubborn and lazy. Enough.
The legitimately super poor and helpless elderly will be taken care of locally.
We've wrung out every teardrop this story can shed.
Move on.
there is hope for some of you yet
Teardrops for television. Oh, poor people have lost access to the Wasteland. No more brainwashing for them.
We are denying that many people live at or below the poverty level.
We are also denying that some people do not have the mental capacity or the physical capacity to get and install the boxes...then there are those who are always behind the eight ball, but will catch up.
Even with the coupons, helping an elderly person without cable or car, it took two different manufacturers (first ones did not work at all), and an additional $20 per box, several trips to buy; even now, the reception is very limited--perhaps the signals will be stronger after the switch is done.
In the event of an emergency many people will have lost their access to information.
Why would they loose access to information? We still have Radios in this country.
Most radio is "canned". Having been through five and a half days with no power in the worst of this past winter with no heat and only a battery operated radio, I can very honestly tell you that radio is not the answer!!! (Unless you like listening to Rush Limbaugh, all the right wingers rave on local stations, while you anxiously await information on weather, shelters, coping, actions being taken, etc). There were several local deaths due to lack of information and communication during this power-outage).
Radio..? There is no local radio...it's all repeaters thanks to the likes of Clear Channel!
They've had a lot of time to take care of this issue and buy or purchase a converter. Although a "life-line", they've had plenty of time to purchase one of these. Times up. If they want one, they've had plenty of time to get one. Time to play by big boy rules instead of ti-tty baby rules.
Just like the uncommitted voter. Too lazy to even serve their own best interest.
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First Posted: 06- 5-09 10:55 PM | Updated: 06- 5-09 11:02 PM