Vouchers offered for digital TV antennas

The Urban League is giving away vouchers to 1,000 Twin Cities households that are still struggling with the television signal switch.

Star Tribune

Last update: July 6, 2009 - 3:43 PM

The Minneapolis Urban League is offering vouchers for digital TV antennas to 1,000 Twin Cities households to help with the transition from analog to digital television.

Vouchers for the antennas will be given away Tuesday at the Urban League office in north Minneapolis, the Federal Communications Commission said Thursday. Vouchers will be given away from 10 a.m. until noon.

The vouchers are part of an attempt to help households still struggling with the television signal switch.

People who sign up for free installation of a TV signal converter box also will be given a free antenna by the private contractor doing the installation.

When the government-mandated switch to digital televisions signals took place last month, households that get their TV signals over the air were out of luck if they had an older set lacking a signal converter box.

In some cases, those households also need a new antenna.

Television stations broadcasting in digital use both the VHF (channels 2-13) and UHF (channels 14-51) bands. Many indoor antennas use "rabbit ears" for the VHF band and a "loop" or "bow-tie" antenna for the UHF band. To pick up all channels, an antenna that covers both the VHF and UHF bands is needed.

Although most Twin Cities households made the switch without a hitch, more than 33,000 weren't prepared, according to Nielsen Media Research.

More information on the digital TV switch is available at www.dtv.gov.

BOB VON STERNBERG