Idaho g.m. testifies on the Hill about DTV transition woes

Peter Morrill, g.m. of Idaho Public Television, told a House subcommittee today that public broadcasting fund cuts threatened the completion of the digital transition at his station, according to Broadcast & Cable magazine. In Idaho, he said, some coverage will be lost due to "those darn mountains." However, due to "the short time frame and desperate economic conditions, it is extremely difficult to finance and deploy the transmitters." He asked the committee to give stations two years to build out the systems, and to make money available without requiring matching funds.