WASHINGTON -- First in flight, first in digital television.

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Read More: 2009 Digital Television Signal Switch

     

The Federal Communications Commission today formally announced that the Wilmington, N.C., market would be the first to switch from analog signals to an all-digital format.

     

The agency says five local stations will begin broadcasting only digital signals beginning at 12 p.m. on Sept. 8, five months ahead of the much-advertised Feb. 17 nationwide flip.

     

An FCC spokesman says Wilmington, which volunteered for the switch, was one of eight communities with technology in place to go all digital.

     

Jason Oxman, a spokesman for the Consumer Electronics Association, says about 93% of Wilmington's households subscribe to cable or satellite TV, while only 7% still watch over-the-air programming.

     

The association says Wilmington is the nation's 135th ranked TV market in the nation.