2008 Woodie Awards
Conversation Aversion
Cox fuzzes facts on digital TV switch-over
Doug Graham
Issue date: 2/14/08 Section: Opinion
A grave-looking envelope arrived in my mailbox last week. The outside was marked only with the words "IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING THE 2009 DIGITAL TRANSITION." I thought it must be some sort of government warning, or perhaps those coupons I'd read about.
Inside, bold letters spelled out my television's impending doom.
"IN FEBRUARY OF 2009, TV STATIONS WILL SWITCH FROM ANALOG TO DIGITAL BROADCASTING."
True, I thought, I wasn't much scared. I'm a fairly tech-savvy guy, and one of the reasons I recently switched to DirecTV was their receiver box can also pick up local digital broadcasts. Still, that covers only one of my televisions.
The letter spelled out three options to save my remaining TVs: Purchase a digital-to-analog converter box for every TV in my house; replace all my analog TVs with ones equipped with digital tuners; or, and here's the kicker, "Connect with Cox FREE for six months."
In the words of Ralphie Parker, it's a crummy commercial.
I guess I should have seen this coming. With the digital transition - meaning the government-mandated abandoning of traditional analog broadcasts that viewers can pick up with antennas - people are, frankly, afraid. I've had more than one conversation with people who are fairly clueless about the issue, thinking that their televisions will be rendered worthless when the transition hits on the scheduled date of Feb. 17, 2009.
They really shouldn't fret. The digital converter boxes Cox mentioned in this advertisement are now available at Wal-Mart, in both RCA and Magnavox flavors, no less, for under $50. What's more, the U.S. government is offering two $40 coupons per household toward the purchase of such boxes. The transition is not exactly going to break the bank for most people. They can even use their current antennas.
Let's do the math. The free service Cox offers in the ad is its "limited cable," which I've had before, and believe me, it's not much better than using bunny ears. After the six-month free period is over, the monthly fee for limited cable is $12.49 - a little more than the cost of one of those converter boxes using a coupon. Two months after the trial period, customers will have paid more than the cost of two digital converter boxes, and they'll still not be ready to receive digital broadcasts.
Inside, bold letters spelled out my television's impending doom.
"IN FEBRUARY OF 2009, TV STATIONS WILL SWITCH FROM ANALOG TO DIGITAL BROADCASTING."
True, I thought, I wasn't much scared. I'm a fairly tech-savvy guy, and one of the reasons I recently switched to DirecTV was their receiver box can also pick up local digital broadcasts. Still, that covers only one of my televisions.
The letter spelled out three options to save my remaining TVs: Purchase a digital-to-analog converter box for every TV in my house; replace all my analog TVs with ones equipped with digital tuners; or, and here's the kicker, "Connect with Cox FREE for six months."
In the words of Ralphie Parker, it's a crummy commercial.
I guess I should have seen this coming. With the digital transition - meaning the government-mandated abandoning of traditional analog broadcasts that viewers can pick up with antennas - people are, frankly, afraid. I've had more than one conversation with people who are fairly clueless about the issue, thinking that their televisions will be rendered worthless when the transition hits on the scheduled date of Feb. 17, 2009.
They really shouldn't fret. The digital converter boxes Cox mentioned in this advertisement are now available at Wal-Mart, in both RCA and Magnavox flavors, no less, for under $50. What's more, the U.S. government is offering two $40 coupons per household toward the purchase of such boxes. The transition is not exactly going to break the bank for most people. They can even use their current antennas.
Let's do the math. The free service Cox offers in the ad is its "limited cable," which I've had before, and believe me, it's not much better than using bunny ears. After the six-month free period is over, the monthly fee for limited cable is $12.49 - a little more than the cost of one of those converter boxes using a coupon. Two months after the trial period, customers will have paid more than the cost of two digital converter boxes, and they'll still not be ready to receive digital broadcasts.
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