WPRI and WNAC to switch to digital

Four TV stations broadcasting in Rhode Island are expected to shut down analog signals on or around the date originally set by Congress, rather than wait until the new June 12 deadline.

WJAR and WLNE-TV, which broadcast in Providence-New Bedford, WNAC-TV, and WPRI-TV will be among 400 stations around the country that will go digital Tuesday.

WPRI-TV General Manager Jay Howell tells the Providence Journal this will make Providence the largest TV market in the nation to pull the switch.

An additional 191 full-power stations have already turned off analog nationwide.

Once analog is dropped, people receiving television signals through an antenna must obtain a digital converter to receive signals.

The government sought the delay in the switch after it ran out of money for the $40 coupons that subsidize digital converter boxes.