Question about the "-TV" suffix

[cd637299]

Here is a question....the answer is probably easy, but I cannot detect it.

Once all the full-power TV stations completely convert from analog to digital, will the "-TV" suffix, once reserved for only these analog TV stations, be returned to these full power stations? I can't see why it cannot be done....after all, we are watching "TV". Nobody at the water cooler at work will ask "Hey did u see what was on DT last night?"

Could the further subchannels be allotted "WXXX-TV-2", "WXXX-TV-3" etc?

Inquiring minds....

cd

[w9wi]

The subchannels are all covered under the main callsign. WSMV-DT is the assigned callsign both for 4-1 and for 4-2.

There is a single license document that covers both the analog and DTV stations. However, it specifies two callsigns:

"Analog Call Sign: WSMV-TV
Digital Call Sign: WSMV-DT"

That said... we've had our DTV license since 2002 (the permit was issued in 1999). Looking at the daily Public Notices, they used to show the -DT suffix on all DTV permits. They've rapidly begun to drop it. I'm not sure whether that means they're dropping the -DT suffixes on the actual licenses they send to these stations, or only in the Public Notices.

I suspect the -DT suffixes are going to be around for awhile, because I don't think the FCC will go to the trouble of issuing new license documents just to get rid of it.