RIP, television. As the country switches from an analog
signal to digital Friday, June 12, old analog TVs
like this one will end up in the trash unless they're
connected to a converter box. (AP Photo/Mary Ann Chastain)
As of this Friday, your TV will die… No, this doesn’t mean that one of those TV villains you’re so fond of watching will somehow leap out of it and shoot. What it means is, if you still have an analog TV with no cable or satellite, you will not get any more programming. That’s because our TV signal will switch to digital.
So, if yours is one of the 17.3 million Hispanic households who, according to a recent Nielsen study, are still unready for this switch and you live in the Baltimore area, head out to 21 South Carrollton St, Baltimore MD 21224. There, a Spanish-speaking representative for DDS Technical Capabilities LLC, a subcontractor working in conjunction with the FCC (Federal Communications Commission), will give answers to your most pressing questions about this transition. The Spanish-speaking Representative will be availableTuesdays to Saturdays from 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm. You may also call their Spanish DTV Help center at 410. 814.7537.
According to Toby Cooper, DTV Project Manager for DDS, “it is of utmost importance that we address the entire population of Baltimore, including the Spanish-speaking population. It is very important that we have individuals who are bilingual, brochures and handouts that are in Spanish and locations around the city where this population can learn more about this transition. Like the rest of the population, they need to have access to TV. We urge Spanish speaking to come to our centers and get the information they need for this transition before this Friday, June 12th. We don’t want any part of the population to be left out."
The DTV center will demonstrate to customers how to hook up their converter boxes, how to get discount coupons for a converter box, provide information about antennas, demonstrate how to scan in channels with the converter box, how to use the VCR with the converter box, and lots of other useful information. And best of all, it is all provided FREE OF CHARGE.
There are 5 other DDS Centers throughout the Baltimore region but this is the only one who provides assistance in Spanish. To help make the transition easier, the centers will remain open until the 2nd week in July.
So if you can’t live without your “Desayuno Alegre” [Your happy breakfast], remember that “Las tontas no van al cielo” [“Fools don’t go to heaven”]. Hurry to the DTV center and find the information you need en español before Friday, because, to paraphrase yet another popular Hispanic TV channel hit “Sin DTV, no hay paraíso” [Without DTV, there’s no paradise.”]
For more info on the DT, go to: http://www.dtv.gov/spanish/
© 2009 Elianne Ramos. All Rights Reserved.
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