According to a list released by the FCC this week, 158 stations plan to shut down analog signals before the DTV analog extension deadline of June 12.
The commission issued another list, detailing the additional 927 stations that told the commission they plan on shutting down on June 12. A total of 421 broadcast stations made their final analog signoff on Tuesday, Feb. 17, the originally scheduled DTV transition deadline. They joined an additional 220 that had already terminated analog signals. Currently less than two-thirds of U.S. broadcast stations are still broadcasting analog signals.
The FCC will need to approve the 158 stations that want to shut down prior to June 12. Those stations can start shutting down April 16, so the commission must approve their requests by today, in order for those stations to comply with a 30-day viewership notification rule issued by the commission last week. Noncommercial stations that plead financial hardship are not bound by such rules and may start shutting down March 27. In major markets, the FCC is requiring at least one major network affiliate to continue providing, at a minimum, an analog nightlight signal through June 12.
