Free DTV: Duke Schempp, Fargo, ND.

Free DTV!!!

A recent vote in Congress delayed the February digital TV (DTV) transition date until June 12. The decision was provoked by the fact that an estimated 20 million Americans remain unprepared to lose access to over-the-air TV broadcasts. In the Red River Valley, all but one TV station made the switch to digital, leaving many people with questions, pressure from cable and satellite providers to buy their services, and a renewed interest in TV antennas. 

Many people in our community are struggling with figuring out how to get access to free over-the-air digital television, without going into debt buying that expensive LCD flat screen television with its ingenious features. Most of us live frugally and simply want to be able to see the storm warnings, the latest news, the new president addressing the nation and of course, our favorite television shows.

For a year, we have been bombarded with commercials, warning us that February would bring darkness to the world, that we would need a converter box, that we could get $40 coupons, and all would be well.  The reality was most of us put off getting coupons and by the time we quit procrastinating and filled out the forms and visited the website, they were out of money.  It is going to take another act of congress to get people off the waiting list for coupons, meanwhile, three of the four networks in the Red River Valley switched to digital and my old Zenith TV is a one channel wonder.

A local nonprofit organization has been holding meetings to pass on the most current DTV information and assist people in getting access to the new digital airwaves.  People Escaping Poverty Project has been partnering with Minneapolis-based groups that have extended outreach to rural MN and ND in a nationwide effort to address the issue that an estimated 20 million Americans remain unprepared to lose access to over-the-air TV broadcasts.

PEPP’s next meeting is Thursday, March 12th, 6 pm to 8 pm at the PEPP Building, 116 12th St. S. Moorhead.  The first hour will be focused on information, handouts, questions and answers from PEPP staff and Charley Johnson, the general Manager of KVLY. PEPP will have food available, converter boxes to give away and demonstrations of how to hook everything up. 

The second part of the meeting will focus on building a High Definition Antenna made from a common household material and a shoe box. The shoebox antenna can be made for about a Dollar and kicks sand in the face of most low-end indoor antennas that cost up to $100.  The Meeting is Free and open to anyone. PEPP will have all the supplies to make antennas, the only catch is they ask you to report back to them how well it works and help the PEPP DTV crew make modifications to the design to make it work and look better.

A few weeks ago, the Fargo Forum gave national advocates a “Leafy Spurge” for moving Congress towards delaying the DTV transition date.  The editors claimed that advocacy groups must think the people for whom they advocate for are stupid.  For some reason, the Fargo Forum editors think all that information sinks into people, they act on it and everything is fine. 

I’ll wager that most of those editors have newer televisions and also have cable or satellite television and the DTV is not an issue for them, unless they get laid off and have to make cuts to the household budget, then we would see them at the PEPP building making $1 antennas.

This is a call to action for all those people who seek knowledge on the biggest change in television since the 1960’s.  Attend the PEPP DVT Info. Meeting Thursday, March 12th, 6 pm to 8 p.m. at the PEPP Building, 116 12th St. S. Moorhead.  Bring a friend, bring a child, bring a grandparent.  If you can’t make this meeting, PEPP will be holding several more meetings, including antenna-making workshops.  Check out the PEPP website for new meeting announcements at www.pepp.org . If you are interested in a step by step video of how to make the Shoe Box Antenna, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbYKaz19Xgw .

Duke Schempp
PEPP Executive Director, Fargo