M onth see page five M onth see page five - WXXI

february 2008STATION SIGNALS3Dear Friend,We are now offi cially one year away from the transition to digital television (February 17,2009). You’ll be seeing and hearing a lot over the next 12 months about what this meansand how it affects you. This is a government mandate for all television stations, not justpublic television. But as a member of WXXI, I want you to know that we’ll do everythingwe can to assure that you still receive the programs you enjoy – and support!First, a reminder – if you subscribe to cable or satellite television, you probablywon’t notice any change at all. The end of analog broadcasting will have the mostimpact on those who receive television over-the-air, that is, with an antenna. A year from now, you will have adecision to make. You can purchase a new digital television, which will bring in even more channels than youreceive today (WXXI already broadcasts four digital channels, including one in High Defi nition). You can subscribeto cable or satellite. Or you can continue to use your current set with a converter box. This small box, which willsoon be available for sale, will allow your current television set to receive the digital channels.For those who want to continue to receive free, over-the-air television (without buying a new receiver), thegovernment is making coupons available to help purchase converter boxes. Every household is eligible for twocoupons, each worth $40, to help pay for these boxes (you can’t put the coupons together, but you can purchaseup to two boxes at a discount). Some companies have already announced that they will sell the converter boxesfor around $40, so the coupon program may cover the entire cost of two converter boxes. You can read moreabout the coupon program, and how to apply on page 26 of this magazine.As many of our viewers already know, you don’t have to wait until next year to enjoy additional televisionchannels from WXXI. We recently expanded Station Signals to include more information about WXXI-HD (cable1011 or DT 21.1), WXXI-World (cable 524 or DT 21.2) and WXXI Create/ThinkBright (cable 433 or DT 21.3).Recently, we were pleased to add the new High Defi nition version of the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer to WXXI-HD.And these channels are in addition to the programs you already enjoy on our main channel (cable 11 or overthe-airchannel 21).All these choices may sound confusing, but we’ll do our best to provide you the information and assistanceyou need to make the right choice.In the meantime, we have a great line-up of television and radio programs to celebrate “Black HistoryMonth.” African American Lives 2, a sequel to the acclaimed African American Lives (2006), will air on twoconsecutive Wednesdays, February 6 and 13 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV 21 (cable 11) and WXXI-HD (cable 1011/DT21.1). We are also hosting our fi rst “African American Educational Awareness Film Series,” every Saturdayduring February. (You can fi nd details on all the programs and fi lms in the cover story on pages 5-6 of thismagazine.)Whether you wake up to Simon’s Sunshine Show in the morning, get your news from AM 1370 or theNewsHour, enjoy Open Tunings on WRUR-FM, or just like to relax with Antiques Roadshow or a British comedy,WXXI has something for everyone. Cleary, you’ve discovered it. And your membership in WXXI shows that youcertainly value it.February 7 th marks the beginning of our important winter radio membership campaign. I hope that you willshare with a friend the importance of supporting public radio and invite them to join our family. Also, if it’s timeto renew your membership I encourage you to do so.Thank you for your support. It’s your belief in all that we do here that has made WXXI an essentialcommunity resource!Best regards,Norm Silverstein, WXXI President & CEOe-mail: norms@wxxi.org