Breaking News!

Starting tomorrow, you'll need a digital converter box to view broadcast networks nationwide. Odds are that if you're reading this, you'll need to run out to Best Buy and pick one up since this is likely the first time you've heard the startling news. It angers me to no end that such little notice was given to prepare everybody for such a drastic transition and moreso that the cost of such a switch was placed entirely on the consumer. Thank goodness for Congressional action otherwise nobody's television set would have worked when they woke up on February 17. Presumably because they realized that nobody was aware of the pending situation, their action was enough to delay the transition for four months, until June 12. I, for one, am ecstatic to be living in a country whose leaders are in tune with what really matters. However, it's more than a little upsetting to see that the extra time has failed epically in accomplishing its goal of allowing all Americans to be ready.

However, that's not the part I'll miss the most. I'm sure to feel empty without the 18 commercials each hour warning of the impending switch that aired for the past few months, if not years. That said, I'm extremely grateful for the opportunity to have seen extra ones over the last four months.

To deal with my despondence over losing the fuzzy picture, I looked online for analog TV support groups. Unfortuantely and much to my surprise, I had no luck. However, I discovered something far more interesting, as a quick Google search reveals that the government has been undertaking a 15 year transition since early NINETEEN NINETY-FIVE! (Sorry for yelling. I'm not mad at you. Unless you're one of the 3,000,000 idiots who haven't bought a box yet...or a new TV...or cable.) I came to the realization that the government has been doing everything right and I really need to focus my anger about the lack of knowledge on the media.

That said, this is not the proper time for anger since we'll have plenty of time to point fingers after the event is complete. So please, as analog television lies on its deathbed, please feel free to post your favorite analog TV memories in the comments section. An obituary will follow.