TEXAS, CALIFORNIA MOST AFFECTED BY DIGITAL TV TRANSITION, ACCORDING TO CONSUMERS UNION REPORT
GETTING THE WORD OUT TO LATINOS, ELDERLY AND LOW INCOME IS KEY, SAYS LCCR
Washington, D.C. – Five of the largest cities in Texas will be among the most affected cities in the transition to digital broadcast in February, 2009, according to a new Consumers Union report based on Nielsen data. The Texas cities of Houston, Dallas, Ft. Worth, Austin, and San Antonio are among the most highly affected markets by the digital transition, with a combined 1.2 million households relying solely on over-the-air broadcasts for television. The Los Angeles, CA area has the single most households relying on the free analog TV signals, with nearly a million homes.
“Over 20 percent of homes with televisions in both Dallas and Houston rely solely on free over-the-air broadcasts. The programming that people rely on everyday to stay informed or for entertainment may not be there for nearly 1.5 million Texas households after February 2009,” said Joel Kelsey of Consumers Union.
Further analysis shows the markets with the highest percentage of over-the-air consumers are mostly in the west and in the heartland. The Salt Lake City area has the single highest percentage among major cities, with nearly 23 percent of all TV households (203,290 homes) relying on the free analog TV signals. Over twenty percent of television homes in Salt Lake City, Fresno, and Minneapolis also rely solely on free over-the-air television.
On February 17, 2009, television broadcasters will end “analog” broadcasts and begin sending television signals in a “digital” format. The DTV transition will affect millions of consumers who use analog television sets to view free over-the-air programming. Analog televisions will either need to be connected to a digital converter box, attached to cable or satellite service or replaced with a digital TV by the February 2009 deadline.
A survey recently released from Consumer Reports National Research Center found seventy-four percent of respondents were aware of the upcoming transition, but had serious misconceptions of its impact. The survey also found over one-third (36%) of Americans living in households with TVs are entirely unaware of the government-mandated transition to digital broadcasting.
According to Mark Lloyd of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, “while we think it is important to make this transition to more modern communications technology, minorities, the poor, people with disabilities and people in rural areas will be disproportionately affected. We must make sure that all Americans who rely on TV for important news and emergency information continue to have access.”
It’s true nationally and locally that communities of color are more likely to be affected by the switch to digital television. In three of the top five markets the minority populations are higher than the national average. In Houston, TX, African-Americans are 24.7 % and Latinos 41.9 % of the population, which is double and triple their respective national averages. In Minneapolis, MN, African Americans are 18.7% of the population. In Fresno, CA, Latinos make up 43.4 % of the population.
译文:
美国消费者联盟报告：数字电视转换对德克萨斯、加利福尼亚影响最大
LCCR指出：让拉丁美洲人知道，老年问题和低收入问题才是关键。
据新近消费者联盟基于尼尔森数据的报告显示，截至2009年2月，德克萨斯五大城市之一的华盛顿将列入受数字电视影响最盛的城市行列。德克萨斯的休斯敦、达拉斯、富特沃士、奥斯丁和圣安东尼是其中受数字转换影响最大的地区，因为有120万的家庭只能依赖于这种无线广播的电视。洛杉矶地区有大概100万的家庭可以单纯依靠免费的模拟电视信号。
消费者联盟的乔凯尔瑟说：“达拉斯和休斯敦地区中有电视的家庭超过20%都只能依赖免费无线广播的电视。2009年2月以后将会有大概150万的德克萨斯的住户再也无法每天收看他们获取信息的电视节目或娱乐节目。”
进一步的分析显示，通过无线广播接收电视的消费者中很大一部分主要集中在西部地区和中心地带。盐湖地区是这些主要集中城市中具有最高人群比例的，在所有收看电视的家庭中（203290家），将近23%的家庭都依赖于免费的模拟电视信号。在盐湖、弗雷斯诺和明尼阿波利斯有超过20%收看电视的家庭也依赖于免费的无线广播电视。
2009年2月17日，电视广播将结束模拟时代而开始以数字格式传送电视信号。数字电视的转换将影响成千上万使用模拟电视装置收看免费的无线广播电视节目的消费者。截至2009年2月，模拟电视不是与数字转换的装置相连接并依附在数字电路的光缆上或卫星装置上，就是直接被数字电视所替代。
最近一个来自国家消费者报告研究中心的调查显示74%
的响应者意识到即将到来的数字电视转换，但是对此带来的影响却产生了严重的误解。调查也显示超过三分之一（36%
）的拥有电视的美国家庭完全没有意识到这一政府委托的数字电视的转换行为。
人权会议上，高层马克罗德说：“当我们认为很有必要把这种电视信号的转换变成更现代化的通信技术时，少数人、穷人、有残疾的人和居住在偏远的人们都将一定程度上地受到影响。我们必须保证所有通过电视来获取重要、紧急的新闻或信息的美国人都能继续享有这种便利。”
在全国和地区性范围内把电视转换成数字格式对色彩组织更有可能产生影响是事实。五大市场中的三个地区即使少数的人口都高于国家的平均人口。在德克萨斯休斯敦地区，非洲籍美国人占24.7%，拉丁美洲人占41.9%，分别是国家平均数量的两倍和三倍多。在明尼阿波利斯，非洲籍美国人占18.7%。在加利福尼亚弗雷斯诺地区拉丁系就占了人口的43.4%。