When is DTV?
When is the switchover
happening?
February 17, 2009. This
date has been backed up a few times. Check back
periodically for updates.
Digital transition history
In
1996, the United States Congress authorized the
distribution of an additional broadcast channel to
each broadcast TV station so that they could start a
digital broadcast channel while simultaneously
continuing their analog broadcast channel.
WTHR-DT was Indiana's
first digital television station, having signed
on the air on September 26, 1998. On that day
our inaugural program was a live
High Definition telecast
of the Purdue/Notre Dame football game from
South Bend. That HDcast was produced entirely by
WTHR staff and was recognized with a regional
‘Emmy’ award for technical achievement. Some of
WTHR's other HDTV 'firsts' include being one of
a handful of stations to broadcast network
television’s first regular daily High Definition
program, the “Tonight” show, and the first
broadcaster to produce and broadcast a major
tennis tournament in High Definition. More
recently, on
September 11th, 2006 WTHR-DT
again made history by broadcasting the first
daily syndicated HD television shows, Wheel of
Fortune and Jeopardy! and, on November 15th,
2006 WTHR and WTHR-DT
premiered the first HD news broadcast in
Indiana, Eyewitness News HD.
Since late 1998, other television stations have also
been preparing for the transition by building new
facilities and airing digital channels alongside
their regular analog broadcasts. Today, 1,624 full
power television stations out of 1,762 stations
nationwide, including WTHR-TV,
offer digital programming in all markets across
America.
Congress mandated that
February 17, 2009 would be the last day for
full-power television stations to broadcast in
analog. Broadcast stations in all U.S. markets are
currently broadcasting in both analog and digital.
After February 17, 2009, full-power television
stations will broadcast in digital only.
