Central Texas Stations Celebrate Smooth DTV Transition

By Andrew Gauthier 

Tribune-Herald

Seven months have passed since Central Texas television stations became some of the first in the nation to drop their analog signals and go all digital, and the phone lines have been quiet for some time.

“It’s still smooth sailing,” said Duane Sartor, operations manager for KWKT, Channel 44.

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His remarks were echoed in large part by station officials at Central Texas’ four other television stations: If there are problems now, theyre small ones.

“Some (over-the-air) viewers still do have an issue with getting a digital signal, but there doesnt seem to be a lot of them at the moment,” said Ken Musgrave, operations manager for KWTX, Channel 10.

The national change from analog to digital television signals, mandated by Congress, was meant to free up broadcast frequencies for emergency-response networks and commercial wireless services. Digital signals also offer better image and audio quality and the ability for stations to broadcast multiple channels of programming. More…

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