Off-Air DTV Reception Pushes Antenna Sales

Antennas Direct, a St. Louis-based manufacturer of consumer television antennas, reports that company sales increased 224 percent during the first quarter of this year, as compared with the same period in 2008. The increase is attributed to both consumer frustration in trying to snag digital off-air television signals and high approval ratings for the Antenna Direct products.

"Educating the public on the differences in television antenna technology has been one of our biggest challenges," said Richard Schneider, president of Antennas Direct. "But people are beginning to understand -- not in technical terms, but results -- that there is a difference among antennas when it comes to digital reception."

Schneider said that his company reported sales of more than $2 million in the first quarter of 2009, more than the entire revenue generated by the company in 2006.

Antennas Direct is now marketing their products through Best Buy stores on a nationwide basis. Best Buy began stocking Antennas Direct products at the end of 2008 and has since doubled its monthly orders from the manufacturer.

Antennas Direct was launched in 2001 by Schneider as fallout from his attempting to locate a good antenna for DTV reception.