FCC Not Finding Takers for Early DTV Test

For the past several weeks, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin has been trying to find a market or two where all the television stations would volunteer to make the switch to digital TV late this summer or early fall -- months ahead of the mandatory Feb. 17, 2009, deadline. Broadcasters across the nation have been begging off, telling the chairman that they would rather not -- or simply cannot -- cut off their analog service any sooner than they absolutely have to. Working mostly through state broadcaster associations, the FCC has approached stations in at least 10 markets: Youngstown and Columbus, Ohio; Gainesville and Fort Myers, Fla.; Madison Wis.; Yakima, Wash.; Lexington, Ky.; Santa Barbara, Calif.; Wilmington, N.C., and Shreveport, La. Of those, only stations in three markets -- Santa Barbara, Wilmington and Shreveport -- are still considering the matter.
http://www.tvnewsday.com/articles/2008/04/30/daily.8/