Viewers’ digital TV calls flood WWBT in Richmond
Years in the making and days into the doing, television's conversion to a digital transmission system is baffling many local viewers.
One of the toughest transitions is occurring at NBC affiliate WWBT, where Vice President and General Manager Don Richards and staff members worked until midnight Saturday fielding calls from viewers.
"It's been a team effort," he said.
"The calls certainly have totaled more than 1,000" since 4 a.m. Friday, when the station dropped its analog broadcast and went exclusively digital, Richards said.
And the calls keep coming. The station is continuing to use staff members and management to handle questions on its call-in line and is addressing the conversion in nightly newscasts, Richards said last night.
The problem is primarily affecting viewers without cable, satellite dishes, fiber optics or new televisions with digital tuners; in other words, those people who rely on older TVs needing a converter system and antenna.
WWBT was the only local station to be assigned a new VHF frequency. Other stations serving the Richmond market were assigned UHF frequencies by the Federal Communications Commission. Richards said VHF frequencies have always been preferable for television transmissions because UHF has limited range and reception.
But Richards said the reception problem seems to be focused on antenna positioning and geography.
"It's very specific to geography, and that's why it's sort of labor-intensive. We are taking each call and trying to resolve the problem on the phone with them," he said.
Richards said he hasn't personally had to coach a viewer trying to adjust a roof-top antenna, but over the phone he has heard people shouting instructions to one another from room to room.
"In 99 percent of the calls, folks are just looking for help, but it's also a matter where people have spent some money on a new product and it's not working," he said. Many of the problems seem to affect older sets, he said.
CBS affiliate WTVR and ABC affiliate WRIC have reported few or no problems.
Richards, meanwhile, said he's not expecting the calls for help to stop anytime soon.
"We are not surprised by the volume, but I have a feeling it's not going to be a day or two or even a week. It's going to be awhile," he said.
Contact Bill McKelway at (804) 649-6601 or
.
Advertisement
Reader Reactions
Having gotten use to no local TV on DirecTV since all three local outlets denied me the privileged of viewing their networks out of NY stations several years ago, I normally could care less.
But I did prepare anyway. Set up a digital antenna, watched a few NHL playoff games on channel 12. Picture looked great.
Until Friday night. An epic Game 7 match up of the Stanley Cup Finals.
No signal on my 2 HD TVs and no signal at a neighbor’s house.
It was the “Heidi” game all over for channel 12. Embarrassing.
Looks like another 10 years with no NBC pumped into my house.
Life goes on.
I live in Powhatan and I can’t pick up 12 anymore even with a new digital tuner.I’ve discovered that even though I will miss the WWBT 12 weather team, I like 6 and particularly 8 better.
Wasn’t the point of the ‘box’ to be able to view local TV without cable or satellite? I don’t recall any campaigns saying get your cable box and antenna too while you’re at it…
Sound more like going backwards than going forwards.
I’m old enough to remember when channel 12 signed on Sunday, April 29, 1956 . It was WRVA-12 then owned by Larus Brothers Tobacco Company. There were holes all over Richmond that could not get their signal.
Excerp from “station history of WRVA-12:
The station was burdened with the impractical objective of covering all of central Virginia with a strong signal. The antenna was designed to keep a certain percentage of radiated energy above ground for the first twenty or thirty miles from the tower, wasting signal over sparsely populated areas at the cost of reduced strength in the city and adjoining counties. A side effect of design was uneven local coverage. At some locations in the city pictures were weak and snowy.
Mail that reported occasional freak reception of the station in distant places, especially eastern Pennsylvania, New York City and on both sides of Long Island Sound, may have been an indication that part of the signal was overshooting the desired target area. Mechanical and electrical changes in the antenna, made in 1960, somewhat improved reception in the city.
Looks like with the change to Digital the gremlins are back.
Probably some had marginal signal with the analog but with digital you have to have enough signal or you don’t get it at all.
I can’t figure it out—on my 6 yr old Sony with converter box and digital antenna, I could get every station (with some manipulation) with perfect picture. Maybe “tripower” has endless money to pay for cable nonsense.
I have a 2 yr old DTV-ready set and I can’t get 12 (even with multiple manipulations). Go figure!
Like someone said earlier, everything was OK until digital was mandated. Don’t tell me I should get cable or Fios, that’s BS. Why should I pay $80-100 just to get a decent picture? Maybe the TV set companies are in cahoots with cable/Fios people. Besides, why should I have to pay through the nose for 90% garbage on cable?
It’s outrageous anyone should have to pay for TV in this area. Now in Montana or SW Virginia, that’s a different story.
Even when set up, the picture becomes pixalated and screwed up, loses sound, or screen freezes.
Who spends $50 a month on cable/FiOs?
Are you kidding me? Get cable, FIOS, or a dish. It’s the 21st century people, who uses antennas anymore?
I’m shocked that you could get any Richmond OTA signals in western Goochland. That’s closer to Monticello Mountain than it is to Richmond.
In western Goochland, Channel 12 and 23 were always the weakest signals. Now, even with a high quality outdoor antenna, they are both non-existent. The rainy weather conditions we’ve had lately, are also hampering signal reception. Overall, I’d say the public has been ripped off by the switch to digital. What was congress thinking, when they took the superior analog spectrum away from the public and awarded it to the communications companies. This move should make it clear to everyone now, that corporations own our government.
Sounds like the old days when WRVA-12 signed on the air. Many parts of Richmond could not get their signal and it took some time for viewers to get up to speed on antennas.
WVEC-13 in Hampton Roads had a problem with the switch also. The PSIP was faulty and when viewers tried to rescan it did not see their signal,thus no channel 13.
Give it some time. Things will work out once people get their antennas and converter boxes straightened out.
Post a Comment(Requires free registration)
- Please avoid offensive, vulgar, or hateful language.
- Respect others.
- Use the "Flag Comment" link when necessary.
- See the Terms and Conditions for details.
Advertisement