Jun 10, 2009 1:51 pm US/Eastern
CBS 3, Last To Sign Off In Analog
PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ―
CBS 3, the first station to sign on the air in Philadelphia in 1932, will keep a light on for area viewers after the switch to digital TV this Friday.
While CBS 3 and sister station The CW Philly will switch to their digital channels at 12:30 p.m. this Friday, CBS 3, as the official "Nightlight" station in the market, CBS will continue to broadcast its analog signal for 30 days airing instructional programming in English and Spanish for viewers who may not have made the transition to digital successfully.
"According to Nielsen, approximately 60,000 homes in our viewing area are still completely unready for digital television," says Jon Hitchcock, President and General Manager of the two CBS-owned stations in Philadelphia. "To help with the transition over this first weekend, our stations will conduct a seven-hour information phone bank this Friday, June 12 from 12 noon to 7 p.m." Viewers can call 1-877-KYW-3ASK
(1-877-599-3275) for assistance that day. The local Federal Communications Commission (FCC) office as well as members from the local chapter of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) will join CBS 3 and CW Philly staff on the phones to assist viewers.
CBS 3 and The CW Philly will also be partnering with WHYY and other local stations this weekend to provide phone assistance to viewers from WHYY's DTV Walk-in Center at 150 N. 6th Street in Philadelphia. The phone bank will be open Saturday, June 13, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, June 14, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The number for the WHYY Center is 1-888-640-9499.
"We want to do everything we can to make it easy for viewers to successfully navigate this transition," says WHYY President and CEO William J. Marrazzo." We're pleased to join with other stations in the market to provide this important public service. "
CBS 3 (KYW-TV) and The CW Philly 57 (WPSG-TV) are part of CBS Television Stations, a division of CBS Corporation. WHYY is the Philadelphia region's leading public broadcasting station.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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