This coming February 17th, all television broadcasts in the U.S. will switch to digital. Vermonters who currently receive over-the-air signals with a pair of rabbit ears will no longer receive a signal. But chances are, most people already know of the impending change. The government's outreach effort has been huge, with public service announcements made during popular programs, newspaper ads, and coupons for converter boxes.

Middlebury professor of American Studies and Film & Media Culture, Jason Mittell, speaks with VPR's Jane Lindholm about what's behind this massive outreach effort, and what it says about our culture's attachment to the tube.