This headline in last Saturday's Washington Post caught my eye: "Move to digital TV faces language barrier."

The article said many Hispanics aren't prepared for the switch from analog to digital television in February 2009.

Nationally, more than 40 percent of Spanish-speaking households rely on antennas to receive over-the-air broadcasts, according to a survey conducted by Knowledge Networks/SRI. Hispanic viewers make up about one-third of the U.S. households that rely on "rabbit ears" to watch TV, and it's this type of television setup that will have to be updated in order to receive digital broadcasts.

In the Post article, it cited a May report by Nielsen Media Research that said Hispanic households are among the least prepared for the digital transition. This led me to question the readiness of Hispanic viewers in our area.

I ran the question by Enelly Betancourt, editor of La Voz Hispana, Lancaster's Latino newspaper, and she agreed more needs to be done to spread the word to this population about the digital switch.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2006 report, there are about 33,000 people of Hispanic or Latino origin in Lancaster County, of whom about 27,000 speak Spanish at home and nearly 10,000 speak English "less than very well." (Of the approximately 500,000 county residents, some 70,000 speak a language other than English at home.)

It's hard enough explaining to people who speak and understand English what the transition from analog to digital television means. Throw in a language barrier, and the task becomes even harder.

"I believe Latinos in Lancaster County need more information on the switch to digital," Norman Bristol Colón, executive director of the state Governor's Advisory Commission on Latino Affairs, said in an e-mail Wednesday. "Education is always an asset for consumers. This education can be provided through our community-based organizations, faith-based organizations and our governmental organizations.

"In Lancaster, we have a great network of individuals and organizations that I know would gladly help in disseminating this information in an effort to alert the general public on the changes that may have a direct impact on them."

Colón said there has been a strong campaign by the top two Spanish-language TV networks in the United States, Univision and Telemundo, to inform the Latino community about the switch to digital. These stations are carried by cable providers in Lancaster County, but more needs to be done at the grass-roots level, he said.

The Rev. Luis Cortés Jr., president of Esperanza USA, a faith-based, community-building Hispanic organization in Philadelphia, said in the Post article that he believes many people won't take action until their TVs stop working.

"Their eyes glaze over when you say digital because it means nothing to them," he said. "The only national media vehicle in Spanish is TV."

Money talks:  I should have stayed in radio. A few weeks ago, political commentator Rush Limbaugh signed an eight-year, $400 million contract to remain with Premiere Radio Networks.

According to the Chicago Tribune, Limbaugh has more than 20 million listeners and is on 600 radio stations nationwide.

Locally, you can hear him from noon to 3 p.m. on WSBA-AM 910, WHP-AM 580 and WEEU-AM 830.

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Eric Stark is a Sunday News staff writer and can be reached at estark@lnpnews.com. blog comments powered by Disqus