Five local TV stations convert to digital tonight

Tags: Digital TV, Bob Hardie, WTTA

At midnight, five Tampa Bay area TV stations will end their analog broadcasts and switch to digital signals -- despite federal legislation authorizing stations to delay the transition to digital by four months.

The station’s planning the switch tonight include WEDU, PBS channel three, Sarasota’s ABC affiliate- WWSB, WCLF- the Christian television station, Univision’s WVEA and WTTA-Channel 38.

WTTA’s chief engineer, Bob Hardie joins us now. He’s been active in the local broadcast engineer’s group , trying to get the word out about what digital conversion means for people who do not have satellite or cable, who don’t have a digital television set or who don’t have a digital conversion box already hooked up to their vintage television set.

For more information, visit wedu.org or call our DTV hotline at (813) 254-9338, ext. 3301.