March 11, 2002 – The clock is ticking toward May 2003, the date by which the Federal Communications Commission says all television stations must have converted to digital transmission. WTJX-TV is hustling to raise the $4 million it needs to make the transition.
Toward that end, the territory's public television Channel 12 just launched a "Give a Buck Campaign." Residents have received or will soon get a green flyer in the mail asking them to donate a dollar to help defray the costs of the digital conversion.
WTJX general manager Lori Elskoe said Monday the response has been good, particularly from St. Croix, where residents were the first to receive the flyers. "A lot of people have been sending in $50 or $100," she said. She said WTJX sent out 10,000 flyers at a total cost of $3,000 to $4,000.
Elskoe is hoping the Senate comes up with $1.3 million of the needed $4 million, money she said she began asking for about four years ago. "If we don’t get the money and can't carry digital, we'll be off the air," she said.
Sen. Donald "Ducks" Cole said that a proposal sponsored by Sen. Adelbert Bryan appropriates money for WTJX. Cole anticipated the measure would be attached as an amendment to an appropriations bill during a mid-April session.
Cole said he supports allocating the money. "If we lose the public television station, we would be robbed of the service the station has provided over the years," he said.
Bryan was off island and could not be reached for further information.
Elskoe said with just a bit more than a year to go until the deadline, WTJX must purchase equipment and install it. She said it should not be hard to get the equipment, as there are plenty of suppliers with adequate stocks on hand.
Digital transmission will improve the quality of picture generated by WTJX, Elskoe said. Digital is viewed as the new generation of TV transmission, which until now has used analog signals. "Digital is like a CD as compared to a cassette," she said, and analog is like the dated cassette technology.
She said using digital signals will allow WTJX to compress multiple broadcasts into one channel shown as the same time. For example, WTJX-1 might carry nationally generated PBS programming, while WTJX-2 could carry local shows and WTJX-3 could carry college courses.
Also, digital broadcasting allows for interactive capability. For example, Elskoe said. a viewer could obtain a printout of the text of a "Newshour with Jim Lehrer" program by clicking an icon at the bottom of the television screen that would tell the viewer's computer to print it.
Elskoe said about 90 percent of the station's programming comes from PBS and the rest is locally generated. WTJX produces "Face to Face," "Topics," "Graffiti Street," "The Teacher is In," "Behind the Headlines," and various specials including broadcasts of the V.I. Carnival, Crucian Christmas Festival and St. John July 4th Celebration parades.
To be added to the flyer mailing list or to obtain further information, call the station at 774-6255.
