Analog Nightlight Filing Deadline Looms

By Doug Lung
published

Broadcasters who were not on the FCC's list of stations eligible for the analog night light program have until Tuesday, May 26, to file with the commission, demonstrating that they can act as analog night light stations without causing harmful interference to other stations.

A week ago, the FCC released its list of stations eligible for the analog night light program. The commission identified several "at risk" markets without a night light station. Some of the larger markets include Houston, Portland Ore., Birmingham Ala.; Baltimore, Atlanta, Indianapolis, Tulsa Okla., Fresno Calif., and Nashville, Tenn. If you have a station that's eligible for night light service in these or other markets without a night light, consider staying on the air for an extra two weeks or so to help the procrastinators make the move to DTV and provide the community with emergency information. The FCC and the local community will appreciate it!

Doug Lung
Doug Lung

Doug Lung is one of America's foremost authorities on broadcast RF technology. As vice president of Broadcast Technology for NBCUniversal Local, H. Douglas Lung leads NBC and Telemundo-owned stations’ RF and transmission affairs, including microwave, radars, satellite uplinks, and FCC technical filings. Beginning his career in 1976 at KSCI in Los Angeles, Lung has nearly 50 years of experience in broadcast television engineering. Beginning in 1985, he led the engineering department for what was to become the Telemundo network and station group, assisting in the design, construction and installation of the company’s broadcast and cable facilities. Other projects include work on the launch of Hawaii’s first UHF TV station, the rollout and testing of the ATSC mobile-handheld standard, and software development related to the incentive auction TV spectrum repack. A longtime columnist for TV Technology, Doug is also a regular contributor to IEEE Broadcast Technology. He is the recipient of the 2023 NAB Television Engineering Award. He also received a Tech Leadership Award from TV Tech publisher Future plc in 2021 and is a member of the IEEE Broadcast Technology Society and the Society of Broadcast Engineers.