Digital UK to unveil Whitehaven switch date

[BGonaSTICK]

Digital UK will on Thursday announce the date that the first area in the UK will go digital-only. Last July broadcasting minister Shaun Woodward announced that the Cumbrian town of Whitehaven would lead Britain's switchover process this autumn.

Since then Digital UK, the industry-funded body charged with coordinating the Government's switchover timetable, has conducted marketing campaigns and held public meetings, raising awareness of switchover to 95% among the 25,000 households affected in the Whitehaven and Copeland areas.

Last week local newspaper The Whitehaven News said householders would be able to receive Film 4—albeit the Film4+1 timeshifted channel—after a reshuffle of the 19 channels that will be available when analogue signals are switched off in October.

"It's perhaps ironic that the start of the digital age—Copeland is the first district in England to turn off the analogue signal—will mean Film4 arriving one hour late but it will certainly be a 'sweetener' for folk having to make the switch to digital," said the News.

Channels available after switchover will be: BBC One, Two, Three and Four, CBBC, Cbeebies, BBC News 24, BBC Parliament; ITV 1, 2, 3 and 4, CITV; Channel 4, Film 4+1, More4, E4; Five; The Community Channel. Radio stations: BBC1Xtra, BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Five Live Sports Extra, BBC 6 Music, BBC7 and BBC Asian Network.

[Analoguesat]

It starts on 17th October 2007

First digital TV switch date set

The date has been set for the first stage of the UK's digital TV switchover to take place.
About 25,000 households in the Whitehaven area of western Cumbria will be the first to have the old analogue signal switched off, from 17 October.

BBC Two will be the first channel to go, with the remaining analogue channels switched off on 14 November.

All residents will need some form of digital TV by that date, with the whole of the UK to follow by the end of 2012.

Every TV set in the country must be connected to Freeview, satellite, c@ble or broadband TV by that date to keep working.


Whitehaven cannot currently receive the Freeview signal
New equipment, installation and support will be given to people over 75, those with significant disabilities and the blind.

The assistance will cost £40, or will be free for eligible people who are also on pension credit, job seeker's allowance or income support.

Letters are being sent to everyone in the area explaining the details of the switchover and what help is available.

The whole of the UK will follow the same process as the Whitehaven area.

How the digital switchover will happen in Whitehaven:


From early May, captions will appear on analogue channels warning viewers the TV set must be connected to digital.

In the early hours of October 17, BBC Two will stop broadcasting in analogue and the first group of Freeview digital channels - BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Three, BBC News 24 and CBBC - will become available.

During this transitional stage, analogue ITV1 will move to button 2 on remote controls to make way for the first group of digital channels.

In the early hours of 14 November, the remaining analogue channels will be permanently switched off. Every home in the area will then be able to receive at least 18 Freeview channels, including ITV2, E4 and BBC Four, plus digital radio, via an aerial.
The switchover will then be carried out region by region, with the rest of the Borders the next to have its analogue signal switched off, beginning at the end of 2008.

BBC News