Two weeks ago, MarketShare looked at the phenomenon of the invisible general manager—the unfortunate trend of executives concealing their e-mail addresses or even their names from viewers who visit a station's Web site.

At the end of the column, I previewed a related topic: how to head off viewer confusion when stations must "give up" their analog channel numbers after the mandatory digital transition on Feb. 18, 2009.

Both the column and the postscript generated some very helpful replies from what Dave Barry likes to call "alert readers." First, the postscript. In the column I had asked "How many stations still showcase their analog channel number even though it becomes a relic in February 2009?"

Well I've since learned that's not true, thanks to a most gracious email from Jennifer Johnson, a communications attorney and partner at Covington & Burling in Washington, "In fact," Johnson explained, "the analog channel number will not become a relic. The FCC has issued a rule that requires stations to identify themselves with their analog channel numbers (also called "major channel numbers") before and after the transition."

A quick consult with my TVNEWSDAY colleagues plus a couple of pals in station creative services, revealed that (a) Ms. Johnson is correct but (b) there is still a lot of confusion on the topic among TV promotion people.

In a follow-up conversation Jennifer further clarified how channel designations will work in the new digital age, but strongly recommended I check with an unimpeachable source: the NAB's Senior Vice President of Science and Technology Lynn Claudy. Or as I now think of him, the digital television equivalent of Yoda. (Check out TVNEWSDAY's recent two-part Tech One-On-One interviews with Claudy here and here.)

Right now, most TV stations are broadcasting on two channels, one carrying their standard analog signal, the other transmitting in digital. And most TV executives realize that in February, 2009 they'll be transmitting purely in digital, and doing so using just one assigned channel.

Claudy clarified that, contrary to not-uncommon misconception, stations aren't required to forfeit their analog channel. "For technical reasons some stations prefer to stick with their analog channels when they have to give one of them up." The other channel goes back to the government for auction to other digital service providers.

Now the last time the industry flirted with widespread channel displacement was in the early 1980s when broadcast stations found themselves the victims of local cable company "channel mapping." The NAB and FCC weren't about to let that happen again.

"When we started planning the DTV service," explains Claudy, "it was always intended that stations would retain their branding. After all, stations have years and years of equity invested in those call letters and channel numbers."

So how can ABC7 or 5Alive retain that identity while transmitting in the double digits? By transmitting their familiar call letters and channel numbers in the digital PSIP code—the Program System Informatin Protocol. The PSIP signal also carries program listing text and closed captioning text, parental guidance warnings, ratings tracking data and more. (For more than you ever wanted to know about PSIP, click here.)

No matter where on the dial a station is actually transmitting, the new digital tuners and set-top boxes will identify that station based upon PSIP data. "Your tuner will look at RF channel 38 but (display it as) Channel 6, if that's what the station identity is supposed to be."

That holds true for any present channel number, even those currently on analog channels 52 or higher. That's significant because starting in February 2009, actual TV signals will be carried only on the current channels 2 through 51.

In short, the system is designed to preserve the appearance of business-as-usual, while the underlying technology takes a giant leap forward. So for the vast majority of stations, their basic branding doesn't have to change—unless they want it to.

"Suppose you don't like being channel 13," says Claudy. "You can petition the FCC for a rulemaking to permit you to change your on-air identification—just as you can request a frequency change for technical reasons—as long as nobody else in the market was calling itself by that channel number."

Has any station yet done so? How are stations planning to make sure no viewers are left behind when they suddenly lose those analog signals? And how will stations identify and brand those additional virtual channels they will soon create? Stay tuned. We'll bring you the answers next week.

Right now, back to our topic from two weeks ago. I had taken some stations to task for Web sites that provide only generic "contact us" forms as opposed to the names and contact info of living, breathing executives. I chose Atlanta stations as our | More …