With the UK's digital switchover now well and truly under way, today saw the first townin the country go digital-only. Whitehaven in Cumbria today saw its analogue TV signals switched off for good.
BBC1, ITV1 and Channel 4 were the last analogue channels to be switched off, and were permanently laid to rest at 2am this morning. Then, at 3.27 am, 20 Freeview channels and 10 radio stations started broadcasting to 25,000 households in and around Whitehaven.
Digital switchover continues
The line-up includes BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Three, BBC Four, BBC News 24, ITV1, ITV2, ITV3, ITV4 Channel 4, E4, More 4, Five.
"I'm delighted that today thousands of people in Whitehaven will be able to enjoy the great choice and extra features that digital TV has to offer," said Ford Ennals, Chief Executive of Digital UK.
"Our immediate priority is to make sure assistance is available to those who need it. I'd like to reassure the few people who have yet to switch, or who may need advice on issues such as retuning their new equipment, that we'll be on hand in the coming weeks to provide practical support."
DIgital switchover helpline
In addition to a helpline (08456 505050) and website, Digital UK is running help centres at four locations across the Whitehaven switchover area. The centres, run in partnership with Age Concern Northwest Cumbria, provide advice and practical assistance with digital TV equipment.
The next area to switch over is Scottish Borders in November 2008, followed by the West country, Wales and Granada starting in 2009.
For more information about the digital switchover, and when it will affect you, pop along to Digital UK. For digital TV options, visit the Freeview, Sky Digital, Virgin Media or BT Vision homepages.
