To be fiscally prudent, WNIT drops analog early

WNIT, the pubTV station in South Bend, Ind., has discontinued analog broadcasting after its two major signal amplifiers failed, writes General Manager Mary Pruess in the South Bend Tribune today. If the expensive repairs wouldn't be obsolete within a year, when the FCC mandates the final analog sign-off, WNIT would do them immediately, she writes. WNIT offers a phone hotline and webpage for info about over-the-air viewers' options. In Tennessee, where cable carriage is limited, Cookeville's WCTE rented expensive equipment rather than turn off its analog signal this winter.