Digital TV & Converter Boxes

[OakLeaf]

Does a weather radio deal with the aftermath reporting?

Well obviously not, but a regular radio does and so does your local EMA website, and you can get the information from the website as soon as it's posted, not at the top of the hour or half-hour. Plus the TV station and newspaper websites will have additional information on-demand.

Either a radio or a laptop will consume MUCH less of your backup power than a TV. Even if you have one of those fancy-dancy whole house generators, the less electric you use, the less FUEL you use, and fuel is definitely an issue in extended power failures which I assume is what you're talking about. Save it for the furnace fan, the water pump and the refr/freezer. (And the septic aeration system if that's the type you have!)

Bottom line: get your converter boxes if you want them, but make sure that you have broadcast reception at all before you spend the money, and don't try to justify the purchases to us as being important for emergencies.