Brad on Broadcast

Before Thanksgiving, our elected idiots (in this case the Senate) passed by unanimous consent a bill allowing TV stations to “voluntarily” broadcast emergency information and informational messages about the DTV transition in analog for 30 days following the Feb. 17, 2009, DTV transition.

Called the “Short-term Analog Flash and Emergency Readiness Act” (S. 3663), it was introduced by no friend of broadcasters, Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-WV. The law will allow analog transmission, subject to FCC limitations, of specific types of information, including:

• emergency information as carried by digital TV stations; and

• English- and Spanish-language, as well as that accessible by people with disabilities, messages concerning the DTV transition, including the fact that the transition has taken place and additional action is required to continue receiving TV and the steps viewers must take to receive DTV emergency information.

A similar measure was introduced by Rep. Lois Capps, D-CA, and awaits action in the U.S. House of Representatives. This is so much crap it stinks all the way to my office in Kansas City.

Does anyone with one-half a brain think broadcasters want to keep an analog transmission system up and running on the off chance there might be some kind of “emergency message.” And after analog has been dark for 30 days, why would anyone tune to snow expecting to suddenly see video?

If I were a TV station CE, on Feb. 18, I’d rip out that analog transmitter. That way, next time some worthless official says, “Hey, we’ve got something you have to broadcast in Spanish or with closed captions, blah, blah. Turn your analog transmitter back on,” it would give me great pleasure to respond, “What analog transmitter?” more