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DISH offers to discuss rollout of PBS HD locals
That didn't take long. Luckily, the old adage about "pens" and "swords" held true, and Big Bird's mighty talons did not come into play -- DISH network has agreed to discuss carriage of PBS HD programming. Both sides sound like they're open to negotiation, and congresswoman Diana DeGette has even offered use of her Washington office as a meeting location. We suspect DISH will try to accommodate PBS with its proposed 15/30/60/100-percent rollout of HD locals over a four year period. Okay, so PBS is a little thin on HD material; we always like to see HD producers and broadcasters working together to bring out more programming.
Will the digital changeover make people put away the rabbit ears? Probably not
Anyone still watching TV solely via OTA broadcasts is probably not going to stop just because of the oncoming digital transition, at least according to new survey results. The Association of Public Television Stations surveyed 1,153 households and figures only 12% would switch to cable or satellite service, with about half purchasing a converter box or new digital TV to keep getting free TV. That makes sense, since anyone who hasn't gotten cable or satellite yet is probably not moved by the channels available, and with upgraded digital sound and picture quality, there's even less reason to switch. Still, we're not sold on the APTS president's statement that rabbit ears are poised for a big comeback as "wireless TV", new name or not, most viewers will go where the content is.
