Wilmington Readies for Early DTV Switch

A look at the voluntary efforts of commercial TV broadcasters in Wilmington (NC) to become the first television market in the US to transition to digital-only broadcasting. With their switch date just 53 days away, the broadcasters are meeting weekly along with representatives of the National Association of broadcasters and officials at the Federal Communications Commission. Their conference calls are aimed primarily at making sure that viewers who rely on the over-the-air analog reception are aware of what's going on and are prepared to receive digital signals on Sept. 8. The market's two public TV stations, WUNJ and WUNU, licensed to the University of North Carolina, have opted out of the trial because the state uses all the stations in the UNC system for emergency communications.