At last, “D”-day — digital transition day — arrives Friday (June 12). That’s the day broadcast TV stations in the United States are supposed to end the analog transmissions they’ve been using since the day they went on the air. You’ll recall this was originally supposed to happen in February but was postponed because it was feared not enough people were prepared.

The Federal Communications Commission estimates 3.3 million households across the country still aren’t prepared.

As an example, Tom Scriven, assistant chief engineer at KVOA 4, told a story of a call he had received from a viewer who had been receiving programming just fine but couldn’t get a new digital converter box to work. As they talked through the issue, the viewer said whenever the box was turned off it worked fine and then added “I’m watching ESPN2 right now.”

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That’s when Scriven diagnosed the problem. Since ESPN2 is not a broadcast station, the viewer was already connected to either cable or satellite TV and didn’t need a converter box.

Jim Arnold, general manager at KOLD 13, says the No. 1 issue among callers lately has concerned reception issues.

“It’s especially a problem for people using indoor antennas,” Scriven says. “People are going back to using rabbit ears and they just don’t work as well.”

The best reception will come from an outdoor antenna, he says.

With the help of the Arizona Broadcasters Association, here is a rundown of how Tucson’s channels are planning for the conversion on Friday:

• KVOA 4 (NBC) will shut off its analog channel 4 at 11 a.m. Friday, continuing its digital-only broadcasts from Mount Bigelow. The good news is that within minutes after analog channel 4 is shut off, a digital version of channel 4 will go on the air from Tumamoc Hill west of downtown so viewers on the northwest side and in the Catalina Foothills who haven’t been able to see KVOA’s digital and high-definition program will have access to it over the air for the first time.

• KGUN 9 (ABC) hasn’t set a specific time for shutting off its analog signal but says it will do so before 6 a.m. Friday. KGUN’s analog channel 16 serving viewers on the northwest side and in the Catalina Foothills will continue to operate indefinitely. 

• KMSB 11 (Fox) will end broadcasts of its regular programming on analog as of 12:01 a.m. Friday but the signal will remain on the air for another 30 days to advise viewers what they need to do to receive digital reception.

• KOLD 13 (CBS) will shut off its analog transmitter at 9 a.m. Friday. Unlike other Tucson stations, KOLD’s analog and digital transmitters are in two different locations. The station’s analog broadcasts have come from the Tucson Mountains while the digital broadcasts are from Mount Bigelow in the Santa Catalinas. KOLD is planning to convert its Tucson Mountain transmitter into a digital transmitter to serve the northwest side and the Catalina Foothills but General Manager Jim Arnold said he’s unsure of how rapidly that can happen. “It could be hours, it could be days,” he said.

• KHRR 40 (Telemundo) will switch off its analog transmitter at noon Friday.

• KWBA 58 (CW) hasn’t set a specific time to shut off its analog transmitter but says it will do so by 6 a.m. Friday.

As noted already, those who get their programming from cable or satellite services will see no change in the way they receive their TV programs.

To help “at risk” households — low-income consumers, minorities, non-English speakers, seniors, residents of rural areas and on tribal lands and those with physical disabilities — the FCC has contracted with Best Buy’s Geek Squad to provide free connections of up to two DTV converter boxes and provide help in locating local digital broadcast transmissions.

Arizona is one of 31 states where the service is being offered within Best Buy’s service areas. To request free converter box installation, qualified consumers can call a DTV conversion hotline toll-free at 1-877-229-3889 between 6 a.m. – 9 p.m. daily. The free installations will be offered until June 30.

More on the Best Buy program is online at www.bestbuy.com/dtv. Or for answers to this and other digital TV questions, the government’s website is www.dtv.gov

Contact David Hatfield at dhatfield@azbiz.com

or (520) 295-4237. Inside Tucson Media appears weekly.