It's official.  Congress just changed the national digital TV transition date from February 17, 2009 to June 12, 2009.  If you are wondering what will happen to KESQ-TV's service, here's the answer.

KESQ will continue to provide its analog TV service to the Palm Springs market and the High Desert until June 12th.  Our current DTV channel isn't available after the transition date because the government has either auctioned it off or will give the spectrum to law enforcement and first responders.  So we are switching our DTV channel to the same over-the-air spectrum currently occupied by our analog service:  Channel 42.

There is an out-and-out scramble going on now because some stations will switch on February 17th anyway, some will switch between then and June, and others will switch on June 12th.  Early transition stations have a tremendous number of legal and regulatory steps to take, but for the most part it won't affect you.  Only KESQ and KMIR have full-power digital network signals in the Palm Springs market, so all your other analog network services will continue to be available in analog from low-power affiliates of Fox, Telemundo, CBS, Univision, and others. 

The AC Nielsen Company says the Palm Springs market is one of the "most prepared" for DTV transition markets in the United States.  That's because 86% of our homes get their TV from cable, and another 11% get their TV from satellite.  that makes us 97% prepared.  Those subscribers don't have to do a thing because their providers will continue to provide analog service for at least another two years.  Only about 5,500 of the 159,500 TV homes in Palm Springs exclusively depend on over-the-air sets for their TV service. 

One of the reasons Congress delayed the transition is because about 2 million people are on the waiting list for government-issued coupons which can provide $40 against the cost of a DTV to analog TV converter box.  In the Coachella Valley about 3,300 people are on that waiting list.  Congress hasn't funded more coupons yet, but right now the draft economic stimulus bill does have an appropriation to pay for more coupons. 

Please send us an e-mail if you have questions about DTV and we will do our best to answer them. 

Bob Allen
Executive Vice President and General Manager
Gulf-California Broadcast Co. 
KESQ-TV, KDFX-CA, KUNA-LP, KUNA-LP, KUNA-FM and KESQ-AM, and the First Alert Weather Channel