Inside the News

Surviving at analog TV conversion

   The conversion to digital TV won't affect a lot of people, but it seems to be generating no  small amount of confusion.

   The changeover is set to happen Feb. 17 — that is if it isn't delayed by Congress — and only a small percentage of the TV-viewing population needs to do something about it.

   To repeat: You don't have to worry if you get your television through cable or a satellite TV service.

   If you get your TV over the air, but you have a newer set with a built-in digital tuner, you're still OK.

   It's only if you get TV through an antenna on an older, analog set that you need to act.

   You can buy a new TV. You can sign up for cable or satellite service.

   Or you can buy a digital converter box for between $40 and $80.

   However, the problem is that the federal program to provide $40 coupons to cover part of the cost of a converter has run out of money.

   That means people trying to get a coupon by the Feb. 17 deadline may be out of luck.

   Concerns over the coupons and the outreach efforts meant to make sure people are prepared are prompting President-elect Barack Obama and others to call for a delay in the deadline.

   Do you think the conversion should be delayed? Have you bought and set up your converter box already?

   Did you upgrade to a new TV or cable/satellite service instead?

   What do you think of the fact that Congress is mandating this change? And do you think the concern over the conversion is being blown out of proportion?

   People have a lot of questions, too many to answer in this space, so here's a few Web sites worth checking out:

   www.dtv2009.gov and www.dtv.gov, official government sites, and www.dtvanswers.com, from the National Association of Broadcasters;

   Also, www.tvfool.com, is an interesting site for the technically inclined that answers everything from the coverage area of local stations to what direction you should point your TV antenna.

   And YouTube has an amusing video look at the conversion:

    

   — Stephen T. Watson

A message to our blog readers

We interrupt these blog posts for a reminder of the rules for commenting on our Web site.

   The vast majority of the people who post on our Web site's blogs are courteous and thoughtful, and we appreciate the time they take to share their opinions and have their voices heard.

   However, the nastiness of some of the recent comments and the personal attacks from a select few have had a chilling effect on people who might otherwise want to take part in the online discussion.

  The blogs are intended to provide a forum for discussion, legitimate disagreement and energetic debate. They are not intended to provide cover for anonymous spitting matches and hate mongering.

      The rules, posted on each blog, read: 

   "Please use good taste, be respectful of other writers, keep comments relevant to the post and do not impersonate someone else. We are not responsible for the comments on this blog, but we reserve the right to remove any that are libelous, obscene, threatening, abusive, or otherwise offensive, and to block any user who does not follow these guidelines."

Reporter James Heaney had it right several weeks ago when he provided a similar notice on his Outrages & Insights blog:

   "As in print, The News reserves the right to control the content it publishes online. We are in the news business and are not interested in hosting an online food fight."

   

Tell us what you think about buffalonews.com's new look

     The News Web site has a different look today, one that we hope provides not only easier navigation but a better guide to all we have to offer. It is the first phase of an overall site redesign that will continue over the next several months.

     Web users may want to check out the following features:  the "Don't Miss" crawler at the top that serves as a teaser to some of the best features and stories on the site; the separation of "Police Blotter" items from "Latest Local News," and the ability to scroll through those items; better use of photographs; a cleaner, more attractive typeface.

     Let us know what you think.  This is a work in progress and we're happy to hear your thoughts.

--Margaret Sullivan, Editor

Has Sarah Palin been treated fairly?

  Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has set the presidential race on fire.  She is the talk of the campaign after her surprise selection as Republican presidential nominee John McCain's running mate.

     Lots of attention -- fueled by a few controversies -- arose quickly afterwards.  But so far, despite the great interest in Palin and questions about her readiness, campaign officials have severely limited her access to the press.  Meanwhile, they have charged that the media and Democratic nominee Barack Obama are guilty of sexism in the way they're treating her.

     I've shared my thoughts -- based in part on my own experience as a working mother -- in my Viewpoints column today.      I'd like to hear what you think.  Post a comment and join the discussion.

-- Editor Margaret Sullivan

How much privacy are public officials entitled to?

      It's a juicy story, no doubt.  A well-known state assemblyman confesses to having an extramarital affair.  Meanwhile, a state panel is investigating whether he violated ethics rules.  And local blogs are abuzz with e-mails that may come from the assemblyman and his lover.  The assemblyman is locked in a heated re-election campaign and allegations of dirty politics are all part of the mix.

     How well is The Buffalo News handling the Sam Hoyt story about his alleged affairs with Legislature staff members?  Are we giving it about enough coverage?  Is it the right kind of coverage? Should it even be the subject of news stories at all?

     Read News Editor Margaret Sullivan's column in the Viewpoints section for a discussion of the issues surrounding media coverage of the private lives of politicians -- especially their sex lives -- and let us know what you think.

An inquisitor with the common touch

   Tim Russert was just a face on the television to me back in 1996, when I gave my elderly mother the thrill of her life by bringing her to the White House for a Christmas party.

   It was there that I met Russert, and it was there that I came to know him.

   A few minutes after arriving, I told my mother to wait for a moment while I went to get us some wine. That left this daughter of a coal miner and widow of a tannery worker standing awkwardly alone in the middle of an ornate White House parlor … and that was obviously too much for Tim Russert to take.

   I saw him quickly work his way out of another conversation and rush over to my mother and extend his hand. By the time I returned with my wine and introduced myself, my mother and Tim Russert were chatting like old friends.

   And the next time I saw Russert, at a party three months later, his first words to me were: "How's your mother?"

   The world knows Tim Russert through questions much tougher than that one, but to me, that question he asked me, and the act of kindness he showed us months earlier, told me everything I ever needed to know about him.

   Russert died suddenly on Friday, leaving all of official Washington in shock and deep mourning, and leaving me struggling for words, with a lump in my throat, as I wrote his obituary.

   It goes without saying that American journalism and American politics won't be the same without him. But it must be said that the lives of countless people, whom he touched with his infinite kindness, won't be the same, either.

  … Jerry Zremski