Columnist - Howell Dennis

Howell Dennis

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Lately people have been talking alot about the different media outlets in our country and how things have radically changed over the past fifteen or so years since the advent of the internet. Many prophets of doom have already predicted the eventual end of newspapers altogether with the internet becoming the all powerful source of all our news (that does not mean they collect the news).
However, as of Friday, what I believe is still the most powerful source of information, the television set, underwent major changes as the new system that we’ve been hearing about for over a year finally went into effect.
While this new system does have its benefits, the article I just read said that over 2 million Americans are in danger of seeing their major TV broadcast channels (ABC, NBC, and CBS) suddenly “disappear into a wave of static.” In short, the days of plugging in that old black and white set and playing around with the antennas in an attempt to get a good picture are over. It is now required that all television sets be connected to digital television or have a converter box.
While the issue does not effect me - I am one of the sheep that pays a ridiculously high bill to Cox every month for the luxury of being able to watch TV - this meant that as of Friday, 2.8 million homes or 2.5 percent of the total television market will no longer have television until they buy or receive a government voucher for a converter box.
Let’s not kid ourselves. The only people that will be left without their main source of news and information for a time will be those who could not afford to buy a converter box in the first place. In short, this will mainly be affecting poor people and the elderly.
My grandmother, who is 97 years old, has owned the same television for the past 25 years and doesn’t own a converter box. I don’t think she would know or would even want to learn how to use it. In fact, I will be expecting a phone call from her sometime today wanting to know why her TV set is broken and if I can go by and fix it.
Of course, she will end up getting a box, but I’m sure that after using the same remote control for the past quarter century it is going to take her quite sometime before she is able to figure it out.
Now the last thing I want to do first thing on a Friday morning is get a reminder of how old I am, however, I can remember some of the many changes that television has undergone in my lifetime. I can remember when my parent’s first got cable (what we call basic cable these days) back around the mid-70’s. I can remember when we first got this nifty device called a remote control which enabled us to change channels without getting off the sofa. It’s funny to me now how people will spend thirty minutes looking for a misplaced remote control rather than simply going to the TV and changing the channel manually. And now with all the high definition, flat screen sets on the market people can actually place televisions in places they’ve never been before - my friend Joel and his wife actually have one in their bathroom.
The benefits of doing away with the analog system are that it is supposed to free up air space for cell phones and the newer cable systems and things actually aren’t as bad as they could be with the government still sending vouchers for the $40 dollar converter box to those who can’t afford them.
However, it seems as though we live in a time where things are changing and being forced upon the American public more frequently than they have in the past.
Not much we can do is there?

Howell Dennis is a native of Lafayette, La. He attended the University of Texas at Arlington where he graduated in journalism and public relations.