These tests are absurd. Isn't the gluttony of public service announcements and news reports enough? TV stations are way too paranoid that they'll lose viewers and advertising money. It can be assumed that the majority of people know about this transition and what to do. So when the cutoff date happens and the few people who live under a rock realize that their TV is not working, they'll ask someone or call the station and find out right away. The "tests" are so not necessary.

Is this for real? 60 seconds? With people used to their cable going out for hours at a time, it's no wonder that a 60-second break wouldn't draw notice. Now how about a realistic test... like a one- or-two hour analog shutoff?
You'd get much different results.

And how about the weather? In a teeming rain, DTV becomes very problematic. Where are the propagation tests? No mention here of the decision to allow analog in case of an "emergency." What happens if there's a bad storm after Feb. 17th. Let 'em listen to radio? A very cavalier attitude toward broadcast TV.

Analog must stay for another couple of years until everyone's ready. I wouldn't want to be a member of Congress on the morning of Feb. 18, 2009, nor a station manager nor an FCC commissioner. Good time for a long foreign vacation...