UPDATE: As of 6 p.m., the National Association of Broadcasters it had heard few issues reported to TV stations nationwide — an average of 121 calls and a median of 40 calls per station. Biggest issues were rescanning converter boxes and antennas.
——————————————-

I didn’t really want to come to work today to face dozens, possibly hundreds of phone messages from readers who weren’t quite prepared for today’s switch to digital television broadcasts.

But I guess everybody did their jobs. I had just one phone call this morning and a few e-mails and comments. The call was from a guy who decided to finally hook up his converter box bought last year. He called his local Best Buy to take advantage of the retailer’s FREE in-home installation by Geek Squad and was told he had to buy the box within the past 30 days. (Not true, by the way, the free service, which is funded by the government, will install any box purchased at any time from any store.)

There was also a comment on my blog (Rev: “What happened to channel 9?”), but I suspect Rev may be joking. Nevertheless, I found that Channel 9 switched at 1:10 p.m. today with no issues.

While TV stations nationwide have been transitioning all day, many Orange County and Los Angeles stations are actually going to start tonight, from 6 p.m. to midnight. Here’s the list from the National Association of Broadcasters:

• EV=6pm-12am LOS ANGELES KAZA-TV AVALON
• EV=6pm-12am LOS ANGELES KBEH OXNARD
• EV=6pm-12am LOS ANGELES KCOP-TV LOS ANGELES
• EV=6pm-12am LOS ANGELES KFTR-TV ONTARIO
• EV=6pm-12am LOS ANGELES KMEX-TV LOS ANGELES
• EV=6pm-12am LOS ANGELES KOCE-TV HUNTINGTON BEACH
• EV=6pm-12am LOS ANGELES KRCA RIVERSIDE
• EV=6pm-12am LOS ANGELES KTBN-TV SANTA ANA
• EV=6pm-12am LOS ANGELES KTLA LOS ANGELES
• EV=6pm-12am LOS ANGELES KTTV LOS ANGELES
• EV=6pm-12am LOS ANGELES KVEA CORONA
• EV=6pm-12am LOS ANGELES KWHY-TV LOS ANGELES
• EV=6pm-12am LOS ANGELES KXLA RANCHO PALOS VERDES

The NAB has been tracking TV stations’ reports all day and really, there have been few issues. Local stations that went digital today had an average of 130 calls per station, as of 1 p.m. The most calls happened in Houston, Texsas, where stations received 675 calls, mostly about rescanning.

KVCR, the PBS affiliate in the Inland Empire, transitionied at 5:30 a.m. and reported just seven calls as of 2:30 p.m.

Yes, many, many millions of dollars were spent to make today a, pretty much, non-event for most consumers and, thankfully, me.

More digital TV transition news:

Is the day really almost here? Tomorrow, TV networks across the U.S. will end their analog broadcasts and switch to the more efficient digital technology. Millions of citizens have upgraded their TV sets to accommodate the change, but I imagine there are at least three people in Orange County who have yet to do so.

Hence, my reminder: One more day, folks! Get with it!

For those who need to upgrade, go to my DTV 2009 guide, at gadgetress.freedomblogging.com/dtv2009, which should answer all your questions. It will tell you that the cheapest way to upgrade your TV is to buy a converter box, for which the government is still offering $40 discount coupons. Plus, companies like Best Buy’s Geek Squad are offering free installation.

For everyone who opted for a converter box, don’t forget to rescan the machine to pick up any channels that went digital after you installed the box. If you can’t get certain channels, it could be an antenna issue. A “reception map” is available at fcc.gov/mb/engineering/maps, which indicates the reception of channels in your neighborhood.

If anyone is having trouble understanding what’s going on, blame the Federal Communications Commission, which has set up a 24-hour hot line to answer any questions. That number is 888-225-5322 (or 888-CALL-FCC).

Additional help is available for consumers who are deaf or hard of hearing at: Communication Services for the Deaf at 877-388-4968, 877-889-4279 (TTY), 866-351-1950 (video phone), 888-CALL-FCC, and www.c-s-d.org.

More digital TV transition news: