TV Switch Will Catch Some Off-Guard, No Matter What

Roughly half of Americans who still own analog TVs aren’t ready for February's switch to digital broadcasting, a government report concludes. Consumers are confused about what to do, and will go dark if they fail to buy a converter box, buy a digital TV or sign up for satellite or cable for the 70 million sets still using analog signals, the Washington Post reports.

Most consumers (84%) did know the switch was coming; half knew about the government coupon program that will help pay for converters, but most didn’t now how to get a coupon. Making matters worse, the $40 coupons expire after 90 days; less than half of a recent batch of 800,000 were redeemed before expiration. (More digital television stories.)