PANAMA CITY, FLA.: WJHG-TV, the Gray-owned TV station here, recommended that its viewers get battery-powered DTVs for emergencies.
“Those battery-operated portable analog TVs you’ve come to depend on after a storm will no longer pick up a signal,” the station’s Web site warns.
For WJHG viewers, hurricane season commences nearly two weeks before final DTV transition date hits June 12. The station implores viewers still using an antenna to pick up television, to get down to Radio Shack and get a converter box or buy a digital TV set.
However, those converters won’t work with battery-operated analog sets, said James Anderson, manager of the local Radio Shack.
“If your power is out and you have a battery-operated television that’s analog, it will not pick up any of the digital stations,” he said, noting that battery-powered DTVs aren’t cheap. The 7-incher with rechargeable battery comes with a $200 price tag.
Hurricane season starts June 1 in this community on the Gulf of Mexico. -- Deborah D. McAdams
