RF 7 carrier must still be present

[Dan.Strassberg]

Since I had read reports that the slide that told viewes to rescan was
now gone from Channel 7, I decided this was the time to rescan,
because I concluded (incorrectly, it seems) that the absence of the
slide meant the carrier was now gone. So I rescanned. Punching up 7-1
or 7-2 on the remote still produces a black screen with a text box
that makes a slow tour of the screen flashing "No program available"
at each stop. In other words, there is no change from yesterday. I
guess that means the ATSC carrier is still present on RF 7. I can get
"7-1" (and, though I didn't try "7-2", I suspect that I can get that
also) by simply using the remote's up-arrow key to go from RF 7 to RF
42 (the old and new 7-1 and 7-2 are adjacent to one another in the
sequence of channels that appear when I use the arrow keys). But I
find the need to do this both confusing and annoying, and I have a
master's degree in Electrical Engineering from MIT. If the slide is
gone, what earthly use is it to keep the carrier on RF 7? How do
people without technical backgrounds cope with this needless
confusion? Is the goal to so thoroughly frustrate viewers that they 
break down and buy cable in a fit of pique?

-----
Dan Strassberg (dan.strassberg@att.net)
eFax 1-707-215-6367