According to published reports, Wilmington, N.C., is getting an early jump on the rest of the country regarding the digital TV transition by switching to all-digital signals on Sept. 8.
While the rest of the nation waits for the Feb. 17, 2009, deadline to switch from analog to digital signals, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is expected to announce today that Wilmington will be the first test market, according to The Wall Street Journal.
According to the WSJ, the FCC contacted seven media markets where broadcasters could potentially make the DTV transition early, but Wilmington was the only one of the seven to volunteer.
\According to Nielsen Media Research, Wilmington is the nation’s 135th-largest TV market, with about 180,000 households. The WSJ reported that about 93 percent of the homes in the area subscribe to cable or satellite services, which is slightly above the national average.
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