DENVER -- KMGH announced Monday that the station will not make the switch to DTV on Feb. 17 but delay to allow more time for the station and the viewers to prepare.

Vice President and General Manager Byron Grandy called the decision "difficult" but said, "We believe we are acting in the best interest of all our viewers."

Grandy said technical problems with the transmitter used to broadcast the digital signal has forced the station to reduce power to the transmitter, limiting the number of people who could watch 7NEWS and ABC programming.

"I am concerned," Grandy said, "that thousands of viewers who have installed converter boxes and made the DTV switch are not able to receive our signal. I want to deliver to these viewers a full-power over-the-air digital signal as soon as possible."

Last week Congress extended the deadline for stations to make the switch to DTV from Feb. 17 to June 12, saying thousands of viewers had not yet purchased converter boxes and were unprepared for the switch. A coupon available to consumers to help pay for the cost of new converter boxes has been backlogged.

"I also understand there is some uncertainty about the DTV transition and many folks need more time to prepare. My hope is we can accommodate all viewers prior to June," Grandy said.

Grandy said the delay would allow viewers more time to purchase converter boxes, but said the station would likely not wait until June 12 to make the switch to DTV.

The station will seek permission from the FCC to terminate analog service earlier than the new transition deadline, Grandy said.

Read the entire press release from the KMGH:

KMGH-TV, Denver's ABC7, after careful consideration, has decided not to terminate analog service on Feb. 17, 2009. Recently passed legislation allowed TV stations to seek such permission from the FCC to terminate analog service earlier than the new transition deadline of June 12, 2009.
Vice President & General Manager, Byron Grandy, explained, "This was a difficult decision to make but after careful consideration we believe we are acting in the best interest of all our viewers. With the February 17th deadline approaching, a tight timeline for approval and some uncertainty in viewer readiness, I felt it was best we delay."
The decision to delay is made more difficult because of a unique set of circumstances for KMGH-TV. KMGH's current DTV coverage is significantly less than what the station would like. In December of 2008, there was a failure in the new tower/antenna system used by KMGH forcing the station to reduce digital power and greatly limiting the availability of KMGH's digital over-the-air service.
"I am concerned that thousands of viewers who have installed converter boxes and made the DTV switch are not able to receive our signal. I want to deliver to these viewers a full power over the air digital signal as soon as possible. I also understand there is some uncertainty about the DTV transition and many folks need more time to prepare. My hope is we can accommodate all viewers prior to June," Grandy said.
KMGH-TV is coordinating with the Colorado Broadcasters Association on a new DTV transition plan and will continue its efforts to educate and inform the public on this exciting transition to digital television. KMGH-TV will assist all of our viewers in this transition with call centers to answer viewer questions, in-depth stories within newscasts, informational crawls over programming and assistance available on TheDenverChannel.com.