June 16: Sniglets On Digital Headaches and Dave's Dustup

By Sylvia Gurinsky

I want my PBS!!!!!

In this household, at least, the digital conversion has put the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area's two public broadcasting stations - WPBT-Channel 2 and WLRN-Channel 17 - out of commission.

Channel 2's analog channel is broadcasting, at least until the end of the month, a "public service" notice from Comcast about converting to digital. There are questions in these quarters as to whether the presence of that analog channel is preventing the digital one from coming through.

As for 17, it was working fine until yesterday morning. Commercial channels have worked better, though Channel 7 has been out this afternoon.

It's 1952 all over again, with efforts to adjust and readjust television antennas. There are questions as to whether a conversion to cable in these quarters will be necessary to view PBS.

I hope not. I hate pollution. I'd rather have the quality of PBS stations without having to partner them with the garbage of cable news and reality channels to get it.

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Classy apology last night by David Letterman for that over-the-top joke last week about Alex Rodriguez and Bristol (and it was about unwed teen mom Bristol) Palin.

Tepid (And I'm being kind) acceptance of apology by the Palin family. I agree with those who say the governor of Alaska was exploiting this for her own political gain.

Biggest blunder came not from Dave, whose joke elicited an "uh-oh" reaction from here when he told it last Monday night, but from the National Organization for Women, with its "me-too" rap on Letterman's knuckles.

NOW has far more important issues to worry about.