Hawai’i stations will cease analog broadcasting on January 15, 2009, one month before the rest of the country, according to the Hawai`i Association of Broadcasters (HAB).
The Hawai`i Association of Broadcasters announced that all full power (broadcast) television stations in Hawai’i will make the transition to digital television (DTV) one month before the nationwide transition to DTV on February 17, 2009.
The full-power broadcasters serving the Hawai’i television market have voluntarily agreed to cease regular analog broadcasts at noon on January 15, 2009. Beginning at 12:00 Noon on January 15, 2009, Hawai`i’s full power stations will broadcast only digital signals to their viewers in Hawai’i County, Maui County and the City and County of Honolulu.
Kaua’i County is served by low-power translators and will not make the transition to DTV on that date. Televisions connected to cable, satellite, or other pay services are not affected by the transition and will continue to receive programs after January 15, 2009.
“Hawai’i’s early transition was prompted by consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service where they recommended that Hawai’i broadcasters deconstruct their present Maui analog facilities prior to mid-February to avoid the Hawaiian petrel breeding season in that area,” said Mike Rosenberg, President & GM of KITV.
“The early transition to DTV has the support and attention of Senator Daniel Inouye, Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, the Federal Communications Commission, the National Association of Broadcasters, the Hawai`i Association of Broadcasters and its member stations in a focused effort to educate the public about the transition,” said Chris Leonard, President of the Hawai`i Association of Broadcasters.
Hawai`i will also serve as a model for the rest of nation as the rest of the nation makes the transition to digital TV in February, Leonard added.