Households Not Ready for DTV Transition

By Jackie Guzman
10/20/2008


The Nielsen Company, a media conglomerate reports 13% of Hispanic households are unprepared for the switch to digital broadcasting, taking effect Feb. 17, 2009.

For this reason many people still oppose the digital switch deadline. Rep. Hilda Solis (D-CA) introduced the “DTV Border Fix Act,” a bill that would provide stations located within 50 miles of the U.S. border with Mexico to have a full-power analog television broadcasting license until February, 2014. It will give viewers in the border region more time to make the switch to digital television. U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes (D-TX) says, “Transition to DTV needs more time.”

Over 22 members of Congress across the nation have endorsed the proposed legislation, including Texas Republican senators Kay Bailey Hutchison and John Cornyn who authored similar legislation in the Senate.
The Nielsen results show that households with two or more persons viewing English-language broadcast networks declined 2%, from Apr. to Aug., 2008, while Spanish-language broadcast networks declined only 0.4%.

The report estimates 94,000, or 31% of El Paso’s households rely exclusively on analog reception and lack digital-converter boxes.

“As of today, [in Texas] only 34,474 coupons have been redeemed, representing only one-sixth of the number needed,” says Reyes.

The Federal Communications Commission and the Government Accounting Office acknowledge the reliance on over-the-air analog reception in the U.S.-Mexico border region which has the highest concentration of Hispanic viewers in the nation. There, many Spanish-speaking residents in the United States take advantage of Spanish-language programming from Mexico.

Television sets across the border in Mexico will continue to receive analog after the Feb. U.S. transition. That side of the border will lose U.S. reception, which will become digital, unless analog is continued. Similarly, unconverted analog on the U.S. threaten to lose U.S. reception but will have transmissions originating in Mexico.
Reyes says the mayor obstacle for many Spanish-speaking viewers is a lack of incentives to purchase the required digital converter box once they discover their current television sets still work after Feb. 2009.

Barack Obama 44th president of the United States

NCLR and State Farm Partnership

Luncheon that took place in NCLR headquarters on October 2, 2008

College-Educated Immigrants Underutilized

A new report shows more than 1.3 million college-educated immigrants living in the United States are unemployed or working in unskilled jobs such as dishwashers, security guards and taxi drivers.

About one in five in the U.S. labor force are highly skilled. However, they face many obstacles when trying to secure well-paying positions using their credentials and some never echieve employment commensurate to their qualifications, says Michael Fix, co-author of the study.

Well-educated and Latino and African immigrants are far worse off in the job market than are Europeans or Asians, concludes the Migration Policy Institute report.

Latinos have the highest unemployment rates of all foreighn-born groups. they are the least likely to be sponsored by employers or family members or through a government lottery program. Only 6% of them benefit from such sponsorship, compared to 16% of Europeans and 35% of Asians.

More Than Two Candidates

By Jackie Guzman
November 4, 2008 at 03:40pm


03:40pm -->So far, there's a candidate that very few people know about. Today I had the opportunity to join him at a press conference in Washington D.C. His statement: Justice. His Political Party: Independent. His name: Ralph Nader.

This is the fourth time that Nader is running for president under the Green Party and as Independent. Although, he is very conscious that he will not have a bedroom in the White House, he strongly believes on making sure people hear his opinions.

Nader was not allowed to participate in any of the presidential debates, neither his vice-presidential candidate Matt Gonzalez.

Nader and Gonzalez raised only $4 million (that's about what Obama raises in one day) during his campaign tours. He said that most of his followers were from Massachusetts.

During today's press conference somebody asked him whether he was helping the democrats win this election. Nader said no, but he also mentioned how his candidacy has reshaped the distribution of votes in certain states. And in some cases not in the way one would expect. In Florida, Nader's candidacy helped Obama grow his lead by alledgely taking voters away from McCain.

Tonight, Nader will have a reception at the National Press Club in D.C. where he and his followers will be able to see the results of the elections.

Nader strongly believes in justice, democracy and hope. He did not say much about the Democrat and Republican candidates but he did mention that both should talk more about solutions to the problems we face.