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Published: June 21, 2009
Q.I have listened to WXII/NBC on my shower radio for years, mainly the news and The Today Show. Since the cable digital conversion last weekend I am unable to access the TV band. All I am getting on 12 is the instructions for the conversion. Is there a way to access TV broadcasts on the radio and in particular WXII/NBC? -- L.M.
A.Bad news.
"What those radio bands did was pick up audio portions of the analog signal," said Hank Price, the president and general manager of WXII. "None of that works now."
What you are getting now is the audio of a notice that WXII is airing on its analog signal for the next few weeks for people who somehow didn't get the word that the digital transition was coming. Once that is shut off, you won't be able to get any audio.
We haven't seen any signs of radios made with digital-TV broadcast audio tuners, but they may be in the works.
"I think the rush among manufacturers is to make battery-powered TV sets available," Price said. A few battery-powered emergency TVs that tune in digital TV signals are on the market now.
The old sets that many people have in the back of their closets or down in the basement no longer work, either. And there's a Catch-22 for people who need to use digital converter boxes -- since those require electricity to operate, they won't function when the power is out, so the old analog emergency TV will not pick up any signals. The Federal Communications Commission has some tips on this subject in its Top FAQs section at dtv.gov/top
faqs.html.
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