Local Television Stations Continue to Report Low to Moderate Call Volume

June 12, 2009

WASHINGTON, DC — Of the 525 full-power television stations nationwide that switched to all-digital broadcasting by 6 p.m. (EDT) today, nearly half have reported receiving low to moderate call volume in the several hours following their transition.

In response to a survey conducted by the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), about 250 stations have received an average of 121 calls and a median of 40 calls as of 8 p.m. (EDT) today. The call volume is considerably low given that the transition impacts an estimated 14 million over-the-air households in markets with at least one station going all-digital by 6 p.m. today.

Rescanning for digital channels, converter box installation and antennas are consistently the most common issues viewers are having across markets. The results of NAB's formal survey thus far are supported by informal reports from major TV station groups including Gannett Broadcasting, Hearst Television, E.W. Scripps Company, Raycom Media and ION Media Networks.

"These new findings from local stations support data that we've had – that the vast majority of Americans affected by the transition are prepared," said Jonathan Collegio, vice president for digital television at NAB. "A relatively small percentage of viewers so far have needed assistance given the large number of broadcast-only households affected during the today's transition. Importantly, much of the assistance sought by viewers has been on the relatively minor issue of scanning and re-scanning converter boxes and digital TV sets."

Here are findings from some of the top 10 television markets that have partially transitioned as of 8 p.m. (EDT) today:

• Boston: Stations received an average of 6 calls.
• Chicago: Stations received an average of 595 calls.
• Dallas: Stations received an average of 382 calls.