Already Missing The Analog
By Des McGinn
3/30/08
Tonight, at the end of an SNL rerun, I watched the now
ubiquitous government funded commercials telling us of
the coming shut down of the analog television
channels in February of 2009. We’ve all seen them,
ominously warning that after that date those waves
will be gone for ever and urging us to prepare.
I know most have that confused look on our faces
asking what are they talking about and does it affect
me? Of course it doesn’t. So very few today use an
antenna for their daily TV signal. Cable and
Satellite have taken care of that and only a very few
have to worry.
Day in and day out, I’d say, “Yeah!” “Go High Def!”
Just yesterday, I ordered my two forty dollar coupons,
which will allow me to purchase, cheaply, converters
in preparation of the time. At the local Radio Shack,
they are now selling the boxes for $59.99, so, with
coupon my net cost will be forty bucks or so.
Anyone who knows me would confirm that I’m a
futuristic geek. Long espousing the virtues of cable,
satellite, digital and high definition, I’d be the
last person who you’d think would shed a tear about
the passing of little used, antiquated technology.
But, here I am, tears unexpectedly in my eyes, doing
just that.
No militant protest to reverse the decision and save a
national treasure. No, time marches on and we are
better for it.
But, being the first child of television, the youngest
living TV Guide of my time, I fondly recall the days
of black and white, not remotes, three channels, 12
hour broadcast days and cancellations coming only
after an entire 24 episode season.
I remember waking up on Saturday mornings at six am,
for the black and white to “warm up” and the picture
gently fading in. The half hour or so of the pre
broadcast alignment grid; only used by who knows to
calibrate their signal. Then, with an anticipatory
glee rarely matched since, seeing my first cartoon for
a too, too short time block of my favorite shows.
In less than a year, gone from this planet forever
will be the waves that should quite rightly be
consider the waves that changed the world.
Sure there was Edison, Marconi ushering in the
telegraph, telephone and radio. But, television, our
precious “TV”, truly changed everything. Nothing
before, but, fire, the wheel and the printing press
have had an equally profound influence on our world
and only the internet has since.
We’ve all watched, heard and read of the “hay day” for
early TV. Milton Berle, Lucille Ball and so, so many
more drove us all to that magic box for out joy and
entertainment.
Besides my precious cartoons, no memory of my very,
very young youth burns in my mind more than watching
the mourning of John Kennedy for days on my
“precious.” Only being seven at the time, I remember
being a little confused and somewhat inconvenience
that my TV was kidnapped on every channel by this same
event.
Only years later would I come to appreciate the import
of those days of inconvenience. Since, there have been
many, many more such milestones likewise chiseled into
my consciousness: Bobby Kennedy, O.J. being chased in
that white Bronco, the Challenger tragedy and 911.
Surely, many, many more joyous events, thankfully, but
we all have most of these common visions brought to us
by those glorious, soon to be gone, analogue waves.
It is fact that these waves are not gone for ever;
they are forever traveling through out the universe,
maybe to be viewed again by others or a fortunate few
of us living in the time of such technology, but for
the rest of us, time is short.
Surely, none will miss rabbit ears, aluminum foil,
crawling on the roof to turn the antenna, and the
“Never Twice (the) Same Color” of the NTSC broadcast
standard.
But most of us have been bathed in the omnipresent
signal of our society almost since we’ve been born but
soon no more. All the old handheld TV’s will be
obsolete while the unfortunate few who can’t afford
cable or satellite will be tethered to these new boxes
for our video fixes.
For me, who’s various economic circumstances of late
has forced me back to the antenna; I look at such
misfortune as bearing a silver lining of reconnecting
me back to my youth and suddenly and unexpectedly
already missing the analog.
So, to paraphrase from far more talented others, do
not ask for whom the analog bell tolls. It tolls for
thee.
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