As I replied to abbey641 on the "What's with...." thread:
WFLD is back at 480P, and has been for a few weeks. The in-house signal path is predominanatly component digital with no NTSC degradation. FOX Network is all digital satellite feeds. The program syndicators still deliver their material to us in NTSC over satellite, and we immediately decode it and handle it as a digital signal from then on.
As to switching to 16:9, after I finish my current project, the boss told me I could work on this issue. It's NOT "all you gotta do" to actually make it happen. A new control system has to be designed and physically built that will interface to the automation system. Our operator is busy running two stations now, and this switching function has to become something they can program into the automation. They don't have the time available to sit and switch back and forth between the two aspect ratios, and there are two switches that have to be made for each change from "local" to "Net" and back to "local" again. Also, this switching function has to be able to handle the WPWR side if and when they begin supplying HD/widescreen material to us.
I'm actually dreading this project because of the incompatibility issues between all the pieces of hardware I have to interconnect, but it will get done.