WITI's SAP/DVS channel enabled (notice/warning), more stations to come...

[mrschimpf]

I found out tonight through accident since I watch NCIS on WDJT with Descriptive Video Service, then flipped over to WITI later to watch New Girl, that 6 has now enabled their Second Audio Program channel. Right now when WITI isn't in network programming, a voiceover on the SAP audio says this in an endless loop.

WITI Fox 6 has added a second digital audio channel. The purpose of this channel is to provide audio descriptions of the action taking place during a program, to assist visually challenged people. This service is part of the Accessibility Act, which the FCC is requiring television stations to enforce, effective July 1, 2012. During Fox network programming, 7-9pm weekdays, 6-9pm Sundays, and all Fox Sports broadcasts, the descriptive audio channel will be used as the Spanish audio language channel. It's possible that some TVs will automatically elect the SAP channel. If that happens to your TV, use the remote control to find the audio settings on your television. Once you find the audio channel settings, you will see there are two choices; English and Spanish. Select English. Again, every television set is different. You may have to refer to the instructions that came with the television to find this setting.

Note that the above isn't fully true in regards to Spanish audio; Fox has one DVS program in The Simpsons that carries description, and that was true of Sunday's episode when I checked my recording.

Also, it isn't truly effective until July 2013 for Milwaukee going by this article about the new DVS requirements (Milwaukee is currently Nielsen DMA 34, and the legislation forces the top 25 markets to launch DVS on July 1 this year, then ten more markets each year after that), but I assume Local TV just wanted to get it over with for their stations from their hubs in required cities. So if you suddenly hear a non-ending loop on WITI recordings or DVS or Spanish in network hours, this is why, and also if WTMJ and WISN follow (seems CW and MyNet are excluded from the regulation).

I hope this finally gets WMVS to open up their DVS channel too (never have on their digital signal); for a public television station to not have this feature now is annoying.