Russia or TV on Page One?
“Russia expands fighting in Georgia; 2,000 dead” says a 6-column headline on Page A8 of the Post-Dispatch.
The biggest headline on Page One, over 4 columns:
“Big TV switch is coming, but many in area are…
NOT SET YET AS DIGITAL
KNOCKS ON THE DOOR”
That juxtaposition struck one reader as clearly misplaced news judgment. “There’s no news on the front page.”
Yesterday, the news editor and the person scanning our wire services searched in vain for an article putting the Russia-Georgia fighting into perspective. They agreed that an explainer article would be worthy of A1 but that an account of the day’s warring would not. News headlines on the fighting were broadcast throughout the weekend, and are readily available online. (The 2,000 death toll is unconfirmed, today’s accounts are saying.) (Ultimately, they placed the story on A8 and led the Page One index to news inside with Russia: “Russia steps up surge.”)
On the front page, we strive to give readers interesting, informative, important, useful, relevant local news stories they won’t find elsewhere.
As a Page One element, the update on digital conversion (15 percent of area homes would have no television if the switch took place today) got more volume than it deserved. The 4-column, 3-line headline plus the 4-column photo pushed the overall page heavily to “light.”
Would Russia on the front page better suit your appetite for news?
Steve Parker is the deputy managing editor for news, and oversees the Post-Dispatch's front page. STLtoday's online news editors are on his newsroom team. Parker has been at the paper since September 1980. 
To answer your question…yes! Digital TV switchover is not news; maybe a Everyday section story but it’s not news. Russia invading a sovereign country aligned with the USA is news. You choice is just another example of the dumbing down of the PD. Thankfully the NYT covers news and there’s a stable of web sites that have real news.
While I’m here, the stltoday.com website has the worst collection of poor browser practices around. Pop-up ads that my browser can’t seem to suppress, too much fancy graphics scrolling, unfolding, etc. Make is clearner, simpler and easier to navigate. I don’t think it is an improvement over the previous version.