So San Francisco/San Jose/Oakland and Seattle/Tacoma is on the at risk list because:
"relatively high numbers of residents who watch analog over-the-air television broadcasts and relatively low participation in the NTIA's TV Converter Box Coupon Program."
but how many of them don't need the converter box coupon? The Bay Area is home to Silicon Valley, would it be safe to say that a large number of them have purchased HDTVs and don't require a converter box?
I have a Sony Bravia HDTV plugged into my house antennae. No cable. The reception is better than cable, and I get an array of HD-only channels I never even knew existed.
For example, in the Bay Area, I can get a weather-only channel from ABC (7.3), a weird traffic channel that shows 4 camera views poised at different highways, and a multitude of PBS channels (9.1, 9.2, 9.3, etc.) all with a picture better than you would believe possible.
I don't need all the infomercial channels cable provides, nor the sensationalist "news" channels. Sure, I miss ESPN from time to time, but thanks to my father-in-law's Slingbox, I can get my fix when I need it.
You'd be surprised how easily it is to ween yourself off of cable TV. As long as I have my cable Internet connection, and my FREE HD channels - sorry, and Netflix - I'm good to go.
I actually have a new HDTV with rabbit ears. My parents also have a new HDTV, but with their old cable box. We get HD with a cheap antenna, but they don't because they have not upgraded their cable box. I believe it's a pretty common scenario.
Another benefit to the rabbit ears: There are more channels offered via DTV than with the old analog system. We get 16 now, compared to 9 before (see http://www.thestandard.com/news/2008/12/15/over-air-digital-...). Cable owners might get a chuckle out of this, but free TV plus netflix is really all we need.
The source of the information -- the press release mentioned in the story -- did not address this question. I called them back to ask for specifics on the seven markets, but haven't received a reply. I'll update the story if and when more data is provided.
