DAYTON, Ohio -- Over the past year local broadcasters and cable systems have been airing announcements advising viewers of the coming change to digital television.

On Nov. 14, Dayton’s five commercial television stations will take the campaign one step further by conducting an innovative digital TV transition test to prepare viewers for the end of analog broadcasting on Feb. 17, 2009.

It is the first of several such tests that will air over the remaining 13 weeks. These tests will allow viewers to determine whether they have the necessary equipment to receive a digital signal.

The five stations, WBDT-TV, WDTN-TV, WHIO-TV, WKEF-TV, and WRGT-TV, will air a 60-second announcement at approximately 6:58PM. In the announcement viewers will look for a message which will only be visible on the digital signal.

If they see the message they’re ready for Feb. 17th. If they do not see the message they will be given a phone number to learn more about the changeover and what they need to do.

Each local broadcaster has been providing information on their websites and over-the-air to insure that all viewers throughout the Dayton region are prepared and that the transition is easy and enjoyable.

To learn more about the digital conversion, go to www.dtvanswers.com.