Analog shutdown - Georgia Public Broadcasting and Vermont Public Television - February 17, 2009 · 6:50pm Oct 30th, 2018
10th anniversary of the shutdown of analog television in the United States, part 1
During this week, we will look at the analog TV shutdowns of various television stations, be they commercial or public, across the United States. February 17, 2019 will be the 10th anniversary of the original analog shutdown date.
Georgia Public Broadcasting's stations, including WNGH-TV in Chatsworth, where this was recorded, shut off their analog signals on February 17, 2009, some time after the DTV transition was moved to June 12. First, there was a video explaination of why they shut off their signals on the 17th, given by assistant general manager Bob Olive. Then, a montage of various parts of Georgia is displayed, set to Ray Charles' classic 1960 recording of the state song "Georgia On My Mind". On YouTube, that part of the video had been muted by WMG for seven years, before being restored in 2016.
It all began on May 23, 1960, when the University of Georgia signed WGTV to the airwaves. In a separate initiative, the Georgia Board of Education launched four educational stations in the state, which were designed to provide in-school instruction. The efforts were merged to form Georgia Educational Television in 1965. In 1969, the state legislature transferred authority for the stations to the Georgia Public Telecommunications Commission, and the following year, the station group was renamed to Georgia Public Television. In 1984, GPT expanded to radio in the form of Peach State Public Radio, which in 2001 became Georgia Public Radio. Both the GPT and GPR units merged to form Georgia Public Broadcasting in 2004.
This is the analog farewell of statewide Vermont Public Television, or, as it's known nowadays, Vermont PBS. At 11:30, VPT ran Charlie Rose. That evening, he was to discuss the 30th anniversary of the overthrow of Iran. At midnight, one of the guests, Vali Nasr, was talking about why he thinks it makes sense for Iran, a country with serious economic problems then, to embrace a nuclear program when, suddenly, VPT's analog audience got treated to the DTV Nightlight service. In between showings of the DTVAnswers.com looped message (which was a rarity for PBS member stations), there is a message with information about the digital switchover, as well as a DTV Help Line for assistance in receiving them.
This was recorded off of WVER in Rutland, Vermont, which signed on, alongside WVTA in Windsor, March 18, 1968, three weeks and one day after WVTB in St. Johnsbury went on the air. The flagship of Vermont PBS, WETK in Burlington, went on the air October 16, 1967. All four of the stations that comprise Vermont PBS were originally owned by the University of Vermont. In the late '70s, the University of Vermont sold the stations to a community-based nonprofit corporation calling itself Vermont ETV, Inc., which continues to own them to this day.
I remember when this was announced. It didn't hit Michigan til' April of that very year. This began the "war over who-got-the-ONLY-converter-box-we-had-until-mama-could-get-a-second-and-third-one" Between me and my older brother.