Remember the now-defunct eight-track tape players? Consider that your television set may soon fit into that same category of out-of-date technology.

Television stations are currently making the conversion to digital telecasting, which will eventually require that consumers replace their old television sets with new ones that can accept a digital signal.

WLEX-TV, Channel 18, in Lexington, is among the first stations in Kentucky to construct a new telecast and production center complete with digital telecasting and video editing equipment.

"We bought the latest and best technology that is available at the moment," explained John Duvall, president and general manager of WLEX-TV, Inc. "It greatly upgraded us and we got a big head start."

The station, which is located off Russell Cave Road on Lexington’s north side, recently moved into a new 25,000-square-foot building. The building was specifically designed to house a television station.

Just as important, the station’s infrastructure was almost completely replaced with new digital equipment, which managers say will meet television production demands well into the next century. The price tag for the new building and equipment was approximately $7 million, according to Marilyn Clark, vice president and station manager.

That conversion is no small feat. Already, in the nation’s largest television markets, stations are building digital transmitting facilities. Stations in smaller markets, such as Lexington, must begin transmitting digital signals in the spring of 2002, according to Duvall.

"That doesn’t mean that you will have to buy a new television set (immediately)," noted Duvall. "We will transmit on Channel 18 in analog but also be transmitting a digital signal on a different channel. There will be a period of years when we really have two transmitting stations. The idea there is to give people time to convert from their analog sets to digital sets."

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is mandating the move from the 50-year old analog television service to digital broadcasting. So television stations don’t really have a choice. They must make the conversion.

"Ultimately, the consumers will drive the answer to the question of when analog goes away," said Duvall.

The move from analog to digital transmitting should give television stations greater flexibility in the use of their bandwidth. Generally speaking, a digital signal is more compressed than the current analog signal. That means that when WLEX-TV and other stations start transmitting digitally, they will be using only a portion of the frequency range that is assigned to them. Duvall draws the analogy of adding lanes to a roadway.

"What you’ve basically got is a whole bunch of concrete," Duvall noted. "If you’re the government, you can decide to put a light rail track down one lane, have three lanes for cars and one lane for trucks. You could divide it up any way you want to."

For television stations, the move to digital broadcasting means that they may be able to add other channels, such as a high school sports channel, a channel devoted to schools, or one devoted to religion.

"Almost anything you can imagine," said Duvall. "Conceivably, we could program those channels any way we want to."

But federal requirements in this conversion are continually evolving. It is still unclear what the ultimate outcome will be.

"In the next three years, anything could happen politically," Duvall noted. "It’s anybody’s guess what we’re going to wind up with."

Although Channel 18 is not yet transmitting a digital signal, the new equipment has greatly enhanced the station’s production capabilities, according to Duvall. He says the picture people receive in their homes is already much better as a result of the new equipment.

"Honestly, it’s just enormously improved the picture we deliver to people’s television sets," said Duvall. "The new equipment we bought and put into this facility greatly improves the picture."

Perhaps just as important to the station’s 120-plus employees is the new facility itself. The station has a completely new look and feel.

Although the new building is constructed adjacent to the old one, they are, in fact, worlds apart. Parts of the station’s old building dated back to 1955.

"Over the years, as the market grew, they needed more room so they would add on to the building," explained Clark. "It was just such a maze."

The old building is now used mostly for storage but Clark said it might eventually be renovated.

The current facility was designed and constructed by James N. Gray Construction Company, of Lexington. Carol Carol & Company, also of Lexington, did the interior design.

The building has windows throughout, giving employees an abundance of natural light and an ability to see what is going on beyond their walls.

The station -- which is affiliated with NBC Television Network -- also has a new news set, designed by Express Group, of San Diego, California. The background scene is one of downtown Lexington, shot from atop the Patterson Office Tower on the University of Kentucky’s campus. A working weather center is adjacent to the news set.

"It’s a tremendous improvement," said James Allison II, station relations manager. "There’s a lot of flexibility built into what this area can do. It’s a pretty flexible room."

Employees occupied the new building on June 1, according to Allison. Construction was completed last April and then the equipment was installed.

The layout of the building was designed so that Channel 18 could offer tours to the public without interrupting day-to-day work. Allison said Channel 18 will offer tours for small groups by appointment on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

The new facility "has given us a nice feel and a lot of flexibility," noted Clark. "We also wanted people to be able to come through and see television happen. We’re just extremely happy to be here," she continued. "I think it’s really good for the north end of the community. We’re happy to be a part of a resurgence for the north side."

Lisa Summers is a staff writer for The Lane Report.