DTV Transition Update

Patrice Odongo

KIPDA launched an initiative in January 2009 to help seniors prepare for the transition from analog to digital television broadcasting. The initiative was funded through a grant awarded by the National Associations for Area Agencies on Aging (N4A). KIPDA engaged in a collaborative effort with Jewish Family & Vocational Services (JFCS) to prepare seniors and the disabled population for the DTV transition by assessing the need for a converter box, applying for the converter box coupon, identifying the different types of converter boxes and conducting in home installations of the analog to digital converter box. DTV assistance was available through July 2009, and services extended to our entire region of: Bullitt, Henry, Jefferson, Oldham, Shelby, Spencer and Trimble Counties.

KIPDA engaged in ongoing advertisements, including newspaper articles, public service announcements and television interviews and daily news announcements. Our outreach efforts reached a total of 5,819,636 people, which resulted in KIPDA staff being able to individually assist 3160 people. We worked with a core of about 25 volunteers, which help to maximize our installations. We were able to map our installation routes and dispatch our volunteers accordingly.

The DTV project was both rewarding and challenging. One senior in particular that I had the privilege of assisting through this transition was 94 years old. She paid a technician $50 to come to her home and connect three converter boxes. He did not teach her how to work the equipment and he only showed her that one converter box was working on one of the three televisions. The next day, none of her televisions would work properly. She attempted to call him for four weeks and he never returned any of her calls. Her next door neighbor came over and disconnected the converter boxes so that she could watch TV on analog. She then saw our advertisement on WHAS–11 and placed a call to our call center. We scheduled an installation appointment and got her connected. Once she was connected, we spent about 45 minutes teaching her how to properly use the equipment. We left her with a phone number to the KIPDA call center for any assistance with any future problems.

Many seniors encountered problems in transitioning from analog to digital broadcasting. It was challenging because every situation was different, but rewarding at the same time, because we were able to help a lot of seniors get and stay connected.