By Michele Harris
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

February 17, 2009, will be a significant day in the history of television. On that day, all full-power TV stations in the U.S. will cease broadcasting on their  current analog channels and television will be exclusively digital.

The transition to digital has already started, with most major broadcast stations and cable channels currently airing programming in both analog and digital; so no matter how old your television set is or how you get television service, you can watch TV.

Once the system is entirely digital, however, viewers may need to make some adjustments. An estimated 19 million Americans will need to purchase new TVs, converters, or subscribe to cable or satellite service to watch television after Feb. 17, 2009.

To help clear up the issue, Retirement Living TV (RLTV) has launched a major campaign called Countdown to Conversion. Says John Erickson, CEO of Retirement Living TV, “RLTV feels it is critical to raise awareness and create a system of support to assist in this impending change to digital TV. We are  committed to keeping older Americans ‘connected’ to the world, and will champion strategies to educate them on how they will be affected, encourage them to participate in the process, and offer assistance to facilitate the  transition.”

As part of their Countdown to Conversion campaign, RLTV held a forum on the issue hosted by veteran newsman and RLTV host John Palmer. Th e forum included FCC Commissioner Deborah Taylor Tate and Kyle McSlarrow, president and CEO of the National Cable & Telecommunications Association.

The forum will air on RLTV throughout the month of June.