With the new year just around the corner a report from Journal Sentinel in Milwaukee, Wisconsin indicates that television viewers are going back to rabbit ears. The reports says:
Nearly 23% of TV households in the Milwaukee area are broadcast only. The national average is 9.6%, Nielsen statistics show.
If the rest of American follows Milwaukee’s lead in 2011, another 13.4% of US households will make the switch from cable to over-the-air television.
MONEY QUOTE:
“Over-the-air television, around since the invention of TV, is far from dead and may even be on a comeback.”
It seems that there are several reasons why people are cutting their cable, but the main one continues to be the huge cost burden associated with cable. People are glad to find alternatives to cut out nearly $100 per month from tight budgets.
President of Antennas Direct, Richard Schneider was interviewed for the article and says,
“I think that’s what is really driving antenna sales. One TV station alone can have five or six multicasts,” Schneider said.
Advances in antenna design have helped, too. The newer units are smaller and less obtrusive than the sprawling metal ones mounted on rooftops.
“Your spouse and your neighbors might not be so resistant to a 12-inch antenna on the side of your house, rather than a 15-footer that’s somewhat offensive visually,” Schneider said.
Over-the-air TV viewers in smaller cities and rural areas say they get good reception from about a 50-mile radius, depending on where they live.
Read the full article from the Journal Sentinel online.