The tests are intended to help viewers identify whether they are ready for the Feb. 17, 2009, DTV transition.

Last February, after stations in the Orlando market began running PSAs about the analog shutoff I started getting phone calls from viewers confused about what it was all about. Most of the callers wanted to know: “Will this analog shutoff affect me?” I didn’t think they should have to wait until next February to find out.

The FCC has approved requests from nine television broadcast stations that asked for extensions of waivers that would exempt them from distant signal strength tests under the SHVERA Act of 2004.

The commission’s Media Bureau said more than 96 percent of full-power television stations are either fully operational with digital service or are on track to have their full digital service operational by Feb. 17, 2009

The current total of commercial and public stations broadcasting in digital is now 1,129.

Under certain conditions, TV stations can request a waiver from the digital signal testing used to determine if a household is eligible to receive distant DTV signals under the Satellite Home Viewer Extension and Re-authorization Act of 2004 (SHERVA).

In the 60-second exercise, the 12 stations simultaneously suspended their analog signals, allowing viewers to determine whether or not their televisions were DTV-ready.