Viewers who get their TV over the air via an antenna will still see Channel 2 after February 17, station management announced Monday.
Last week, Congress voted to delay the mandatory transition from analog to digital TV signals from February 17 to June 12 of this year.
However, lawmakers left the option to the stations to make the transition at any point during that time frame, leaving viewers scrambling for answers.
KJRH Vice President and General Manager Mike Vrabac told station employees early Monday afternoon that Channel 2 would delay the transition.
In the
latest figures available from Nielsen Media Research, the Tulsa market ranks 4th in the nation (behind Albuquerque, Dallas/Ft. Worth, and Houston) as the most unprepared for the digital transition.
Nationwide, an estimated 6.5 million households are "completely unready" receive digital television; that translates to about 5.3 percent of households.
In the Tulsa market, the percentage of "completely unready" households is estimated by Nielsen at about 9.53% -- nearly one in ten.
Nielsen identifies another 13.97 percent as "partially ready."
KJRH will announce in the near future when it anticipates making the transition official.
Creative Services Director Samantha Knowlton said Monday that ensuring that Green Country residents continue to receive programming -- and more importantly, emergency information -- is "in keeping with our station's commitment to 'work for you.'"
The FCC has posted a statement on the delay (requires the Adobe Acrobat Reader).
