Goodwill pre-emptive strike

[Matt J. McCullar]

I was browsing through a Goodwill thrift store in Interstate 20 a bit east
of Abilene, TX last week and one of the first things I saw for sale there
was a portable TV set. It looked like recent manufacture, but on top of the
set, right in plain sight where no one could help seeing it, was a big
sticker telling any potential owners that analog TV broadcasting will cease
in February 2009 and that the set would no longer be able to receive TV
signals after that. My guess is that Goodwill wants to head off a stampede
of angry customers when the Big Switch occurs. Seems like all thrift shops
should do this or something similar.

 

[James Sweet]

I was browsing through a Goodwill thrift store in Interstate 20 a bit east
of Abilene, TX last week and one of the first things I saw for sale there
was a portable TV set. It looked like recent manufacture, but on top of
the
set, right in plain sight where no one could help seeing it, was a big
sticker telling any potential owners that analog TV broadcasting will
cease
in February 2009 and that the set would no longer be able to receive TV
signals after that. My guess is that Goodwill wants to head off a
stampede
of angry customers when the Big Switch occurs. Seems like all thrift
shops
should do this or something similar.

Don't all stores everywhere have to do this for analog-only sets?

 

[Smitty Two]

I was browsing through a Goodwill thrift store in Interstate 20 a bit east
of Abilene, TX last week and one of the first things I saw for sale there
was a portable TV set. It looked like recent manufacture, but on top of the
set, right in plain sight where no one could help seeing it, was a big
sticker telling any potential owners that analog TV broadcasting will cease
in February 2009 and that the set would no longer be able to receive TV
signals after that. My guess is that Goodwill wants to head off a stampede
of angry customers when the Big Switch occurs. Seems like all thrift shops
should do this or something similar.

Yeah. Lots of people return things to thrift stores. Are we going to do
the analog TV thing again this week? I hope not.

 

[Paige D'Winter]

I was browsing through a Goodwill thrift store in Interstate 20 a bit east
of Abilene, TX last week and one of the first things I saw for sale there
was a portable TV set. It looked like recent manufacture, but on top of
the
set, right in plain sight where no one could help seeing it, was a big
sticker telling any potential owners that analog TV broadcasting will
cease
in February 2009 and that the set would no longer be able to receive TV
signals after that. My guess is that Goodwill wants to head off a
stampede
of angry customers when the Big Switch occurs. Seems like all thrift
shops
should do this or something similar.

Why should they? Only a dickhead watches anything off the antenna.

 

[Spam Trap]

Don't all stores everywhere have to do this for analog-only sets?

Everywhere?
The stores here on Saturn are not required to do this.
Neither are the stores on Ni'ihau, AFAIK.
I'm sure it's thus elsewhere.

 

[Jeff Liebermann]

I was browsing through a Goodwill thrift store in Interstate 20 a bit east
of Abilene, TX last week and one of the first things I saw for sale there
was a portable TV set. It looked like recent manufacture, but on top of the
set, right in plain sight where no one could help seeing it, was a big
sticker telling any potential owners that analog TV broadcasting will cease
in February 2009 and that the set would no longer be able to receive TV
signals after that. My guess is that Goodwill wants to head off a stampede
of angry customers when the Big Switch occurs. Seems like all thrift shops
should do this or something similar.

FCC 15.117(k) requires posting such a sign if they are selling analog
receivers.

<http://sujan.hallikainen.org/FCC/FccRules/2007/15/117/>
(k) The following requirements apply to all responsible parties,
as defined in Sec. 2.909 of this chapter, and any person that
displays or offers for sale or rent television receiving equipment
that is not capable of receiving, decoding and tuning digital
signals.

(1) Such parties and persons shall place conspicuously and in
close proximity to such television broadcast receivers a sign
containing, in clear and conspicuous print, the Consumer Alert
disclosure text required by paragraph (k)(3) of this section.
(etc...)

 

[JANA]

When the date comes for the analog TV to stop, the broadcasters are not
going to shut down the analog TV on that date. Most of the local stations
will not be ready to be in digital or HD. The main networks will have most
of the new programming in digital and HD. They will have a parallel analog
feed.

In any-case, I am sure that there will be converter boxes out in the market
place to convert the digital TV signals to analog to be viewed on older TV
sets. There are many low to medium income families that will not be able to
afford to go out and buy new TV sets.

--

JANA
_____


I was browsing through a Goodwill thrift store in Interstate 20 a bit east
of Abilene, TX last week and one of the first things I saw for sale there
was a portable TV set. It looked like recent manufacture, but on top of the
set, right in plain sight where no one could help seeing it, was a big
sticker telling any potential owners that analog TV broadcasting will cease
in February 2009 and that the set would no longer be able to receive TV
signals after that. My guess is that Goodwill wants to head off a stampede
of angry customers when the Big Switch occurs. Seems like all thrift shops
should do this or something similar.

 

[Too_Many_Tools]

When the date comes for the analog TV to stop, the broadcasters are not
going to shut down the analog TV on that date. Most of the local stations
will not be ready to be in digital or HD. The main networks will have most
of the new programming in digital and HD. They will have a parallel analog
feed.

In any-case, I am sure that there will be converter boxes out in the market
place to convert the digital TV signals to analog to be viewed on older TV
sets. There are many low to medium income families that will not be able to
afford to go out and buy new TV sets.

--

JANA
_____

I was browsing through a Goodwill thrift store in Interstate 20 a bit east
of Abilene, TX last week and one of the first things I saw for sale there
was a portable TV set. It looked like recent manufacture, but on top of the
set, right in plain sight where no one could help seeing it, was a big
sticker telling any potential owners that analog TV broadcasting will cease
in February 2009 and that the set would no longer be able to receive TV
signals after that. My guess is that Goodwill wants to head off a stampede
of angry customers when the Big Switch occurs. Seems like all thrift shops
should do this or something similar.

You are correct....the switchover will not be abrupt and it will be
messy.

And advertisers will not want to lose access to those customers.

And as for "everyone watches cable" comments, well many people do not.

I expect to see converter boxes to be offered for free.

TMT

 

[UCLAN]

You are correct....the switchover will not be abrupt and it will be
messy.

And advertisers will not want to lose access to those customers.

And as for "everyone watches cable" comments, well many people do not.

I expect to see converter boxes to be offered for free.

Converter boxes already exist in the $50-$60 range. And starting the first
of the year, $40 vouchers will be readily available, two per family. See:

http://www.dtv.gov/consumercorner.html
http://www.ntia.doc.gov/dtvcoupon/index.html

 

[Too_Many_Tools]

Converter boxes already exist in the $50-$60 range. And starting the first
of the year, $40 vouchers will be readily available, two per family. See:

http://www.dtv.gov/consumercorner.htmlhttp://www.ntia.doc.gov/dtvcoupon/index.html

I still expect to see convertor boxes free in the future...or even
paying people to take them.

As I said, advertisers will not want to lose access to customers.

Imagine what would happen if people learned that there is life without
television.

A collapse of the consumer based economy...;<)

TMT

 

[clifto]

When the date comes for the analog TV to stop, the broadcasters are not
going to shut down the analog TV on that date.

I had the distinct impression they were forced to do so by Government fiat.

 

[clifto]

Converter boxes already exist in the $50-$60 range.

I've seen a lot of people say this, and every time I've asked, not one
has been able to point me to an ad for one or a store where one could be
had.