Oregon Public Broadcasting

The U.S. officially converts to digital television on Friday. The Federal Communications Commission and community groups are working to make sure all Northwest viewers will be able to pick up the new signals. Correspondent Doug Nadvornick reports.

The FCC has labeled 49 U.S. cities as digital TV “hotspots,” places where the agency thinks the conversion is lagging. They include Boise, Portland and Seattle.

Those are some of the places where the FCC has ratcheted up its media campaign.

Voice on FCC PSA: “Do nothing before June 12, 2009 and you could lose your TV signal.”

In communities where English isn’t the main language, the message comes in Vietnamese, Chinese, Korean or Spanish.

In cities, the government has hired private companies and community groups to staff so-called “assistance centers” where people can call or walk-in with questions. Members of community groups are even going door-to-door to find poor and elderly people.

The FCC made a special point to reach out to Native American communities. As a result, the Spokane and Coeur d’Alene Tribes report few, if any problems, with converting members.

Online:

The federal government’s official DTV conversion website