INDIANAPOLIS -- RTV6 and hundreds of other television stations all over the country cut the cord to analog TV for good Friday as the digital TV transition finally took place months after it was originally scheduled.

After 60 years with an analog signal and with the push of a button, WRTV went digital only at 8 a.m. Friday.

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All other Indianapolis TV stations have done or will do the same before midnight Friday, as will analog stations all over the U.S.

"It's quite a day to actually come out here and shut down the analog," said RTV6 engineer Ron Estep. "I've taken care of this transmitter out here for years."

Viewers who subscribe to cable or satellite will not notice a difference, but people who receive RTV6 with an antenna will need to begin using a converter box on their older TVs, if they haven't already begun doing so.

At 1 million watts of power, RTV6 is broadcasting its DTV signal at the legal limit. Most viewers who received the analog RTV6 in the past should have no problem receiving the new signal, in most cases, and for most the picture quality will be much better.

In many cases, the DTV transition means that those who received a fuzzy or ghost-ridden analog signal in the outlying areas of central Indiana will now get crystal-clear reception, a dramatic improvement over what they previously enjoyed.

However, in some outlying areas, particularly portions of Blackford, Cass, Carroll, Delaware, Grant, Randolph and Wabash counties, viewers with antennae may have trouble getting the new signal because of terrain, building and tree blockage.

DTV Switch Silences 87.7

The DTV switch also means the audio from RTV6 will no longer be heard on the radio at 87.7.

Channel 6 is a unique channel in that the audio portion of the broadcast from any station on that channel could previously be heard on most FM radios. However, all of them are gone now that the switch has been made.

6News heard from numerous Hoosiers on the phone and in the comments accompanying this page who relied upon WRTV's audio on 87.7 while at work or in their cars.

"I hate it. I'm really going to miss it," Julie Thomas told 6News' Julie Pursley. "I'm just going to miss being able to listen to the news and the weather and 'Regis and Kelly' in the morning."

Thomas was among many who said she listened to 87.7 as she commuted to and from work, but others listen throughout the day, too.

"I had you turned on throughout the house while cleaning, listening to "Good Morning America," said "Debbie," who commented on TheIndyChannel.com. "I leave for work at 5:30 a.m. and listening to you got me caught up on news before I got to work each day. This is going to be a total bummer."

Anyone who has a radio equipped with a "TV band" feature is also losing the signal of RTV6 and other stations. Those radios aren't capable of receiving the new digital signal.

It's not too late to get help making the DTV switch. Viewers can call 888-DTV-2009 or 888-225-5322 for assistance. More Info: www.indianadtvanswers.com