By Ryan G. Murphy, RTNDA Digital Media Editor

Today marks the big DTV switch we’ve all been waiting and preparing for in our newsrooms. It’s been called “a new era in TV broadcasting,” and “the evolution of television.”

It was impossible to miss the countdown graphics that ran during TV programming – “only 12 days left!” On the web, DTV countdown clocks click down towards 00:00:00 – the time when, presumably, we’ll all have arrived in the digital age.

If only it could be that easy.

The fact that, after today, millions of homes will still be left without access to TV demonstrates to us in the journalism world that getting our audiences (and people in our own newsrooms) to accept change is not as simple as launching a countdown clock.

The truth is,  in news, we’ve been evolving for quite some time now – long before DTV was a consideration. That’s hardly breaking news for most people reading this, but there’s a great deal of value for RTNDA members to witness in the DTV transition--even beyond the clearer picture we’ll get on our television sets.

One of the things that struck me while working in a newsroom was the staff who were  reluctant to embrace all things digital. As a web editor, I can recall arguing with a big-name anchor over why it was important for our station to tape a Web cast on Saturday nights, despite low traffic. Very little I said could get him to understand the value. When we finished our discussion, he asked if I could try to fix his computer since I was “the IT guy.”

That situation is obviously much different than forgetting to get, or not knowing to get, a digital converter, but the principle remains the same: for some people--change is not easy.

Clearly, RTNDA members “get it,”, but consider the folks in your newsroom that don’t. We’ve all dealt with them. Perhaps today, DTV day, a day of change, you can look introspectively at how you can begin to help those people better understand your organization’s digital platform. It’s not only an altruistic ambition, it’s ultimately going to help you put out a better news product.  Which is why we’re all here in the first place, right?

Since joining the staff at RTNDA, I’ve learned very quickly that our association’s greatest asset is its members. In my brief time here, I’ve had some great exchanges with some fascinating people. So with that in mind, I’d like to open this up, and all other blogs. for discussion. In my opinion, creating a dialogue among our members is a much more valuable commodity than just mine, or any other single opinion.

So I’m curious, what troubles have you experienced in getting some colleagues to embrace digital and what efforts have you taken to alleviate those problems?

I’d love to hear your thoughts. Email me anytime at ryanm@rtnda.org or leave a comment below.