"Your countdown to the Digital Switchover"
I nearly keeled over in astonishment on getting a leaflet through the door this morning entitled "Your countdown to the Digital TV Switchover has begun"
It refers to the switchover of the rest of the Border TV area to Digital between 5th November 2008 and Summer 2009.
Like most other residents of Whitehaven and central Copeland, my switchover has both begun and finished. Our analogue signals were switched off between 17th October and 14th November last year. My first reaction was that this was obviously a Border TV area wide document, and that Digital UK were wasting a fortune of licence payer's money by distributing this document in the Whitehaven TV area.
My second thought was that they still did need to distribute some sort of warning here, because some residents of Whitehaven and central Copeland can still receive an analogue signal from the Bleach Green transmitter at Parton or the St Bees transmitter. Both these will go digital at the same time as Caldbeck in Summer 2009.
The document includes a timetable for when various area will go digital which makes no mention of the fact that viewers served by the Bigrigg transmitter have already gone over. It says of this area that "If you are in Cumbria or South West Scotland and receive your TV signal from the Caldbeck transmitter or one of its related transmitters, you'll switch from summer 2009."
Digital UK could have significantly reduced the likelihood of confusing people with this document by adding something like "Most viewers in the Whitehaven TV area have already gone over to Digital: if you are one of those who have not, you will switch in Summer 2009."
(Personally I would have put this at the top of the list because such a statement would have the added benefit of emphasising to viewers in the rest of the Border area that the process has actually started.)
It refers to the switchover of the rest of the Border TV area to Digital between 5th November 2008 and Summer 2009.
Like most other residents of Whitehaven and central Copeland, my switchover has both begun and finished. Our analogue signals were switched off between 17th October and 14th November last year. My first reaction was that this was obviously a Border TV area wide document, and that Digital UK were wasting a fortune of licence payer's money by distributing this document in the Whitehaven TV area.
My second thought was that they still did need to distribute some sort of warning here, because some residents of Whitehaven and central Copeland can still receive an analogue signal from the Bleach Green transmitter at Parton or the St Bees transmitter. Both these will go digital at the same time as Caldbeck in Summer 2009.
The document includes a timetable for when various area will go digital which makes no mention of the fact that viewers served by the Bigrigg transmitter have already gone over. It says of this area that "If you are in Cumbria or South West Scotland and receive your TV signal from the Caldbeck transmitter or one of its related transmitters, you'll switch from summer 2009."
Digital UK could have significantly reduced the likelihood of confusing people with this document by adding something like "Most viewers in the Whitehaven TV area have already gone over to Digital: if you are one of those who have not, you will switch in Summer 2009."
(Personally I would have put this at the top of the list because such a statement would have the added benefit of emphasising to viewers in the rest of the Border area that the process has actually started.)
Comments
Unfortunately, it is not possible to identify the individual postcodes of those who have already switched, nor is it possible to deliver only to selected postcodes within a sector - so the leaflets have to go to every sector which contains households that receive signals from Caldbeck - even though some of those households may also receive Bigrigg and already have switched.
You are right about the need to emphasise to the whole of the rest of the Border area (apart from in Copeland) that the process is underway - the leaflet has been or will be received by around 310,000 households throughout Dumfries and Galloway, the Scottish Borders and most of Cumbria.
I am very sorry if anyone is confused by receiving it. I hope that most people will realise, as you have, that it refers to Caldbeck (or Selkirk, for those in the Scottish Borders).
Anyone who wants more information can visit the Digital UK website at www.digitaluk.co.uk or call 08456 50 50 50.
John Askew
Regional Manager (Border)
Digital UK
The author of the "Diary" section of the Whitehaven News obviously went through the same thought processes as I did.
I presume from your comment that Digital UK will have to put out more material as Caldbeck prepares for switchover, the circulation of which will unfortunately have to include those of us from Copeland who have already gone over.
You may find it improves the effectiveness of those documents to include the odd reference to the fact that many viewers in the Whitehaven TV area have already switched, but those who have not yet done so will change to Digital when Caldbeck switches.