Paul Jay's Ponderings

I predict as the analog broadcast stations drop from the air, the public airwaves will become much more "public". And you're probably wondering, "Just what exactly do you mean by that?" Because without any official analog based broadcast on what used to be official TV channels, there will be a big gaping hole in the recieving capability of millions of existing TV sets. And what does a blank media usually invite? Yes, free expression! (If you don't believe me, just look what happens to any large fairly blank wall in an urban setting.) So what will happen is that somewhere along the line, we will see dozens if not hundreds of pirate analog television stations move in. So who would notice? The official replacement for the analog stations is likely to be digital. Depending on their modulation, a 100W or less pirate broadcaster probably won't do much to screw up their signal. So now pretty much anyone whos neighborhood friends has old TVs has a potential audience, and you don't have to worry about screwing up the sitcom some granny watches 3 houses over - because it won't be there anymore. Maybe we'll see YouTube repeaters and funky stuff like that. And you thought people without converter boxes will be deprived. Hopefully the geeks and the ghetto hackers out there will actually make small locales of television a lot more interesting than it is now...

At least I can only imagine. The potential is there.

Labels: anarchy, free for all, hacking, opened airwaves, TV change