Approximately 7 percent of broadcast stations making the switch from analog to digital signals next year will experience a loss of service coverage, known as the “digital cliff,” according to a Tuesday report from the Federal Communications Commission.
The 7 percent of the affected stations are expected to lose about 2 percent of their audience because of the phenomenon, which includes both changes in the coverage area as well as technical issues with the digital signal, the FCC said.
That covers 123 of the 1,749 stations that will be making the switch. Congress has ordered TV broadcasters to switch from analog to digital signals by February 17, 2009 in order to free up spectrum for public safety use. After that deadline, consumers will have to swap their analog TVs for digital sets, subscribe to cable, or attach a digital converter box to their analog televisions in order to receive a signal.
“Although the Commission tried to maximize the ability of TV stations to replicate their analog coverage area as closely as possible, TV station were not required to do so,” according to the report.
As a result, some TV viewers might experience a change in their coverage areas. Approximately 89 percent – or 1,553 stations – will gain channels, but that 7 percent, mostly in rural areas, could see certain channels drop off that digital cliff, the FCC found.
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