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[ The Video Agenda ]
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DTV education efforts expand
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by Mark J. Pescatore
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In just 15 months, analog TV is going away forever, and broadcasters have begun a new push to make sure its viewers know the end is near.
Last month, PBS and the Association of Public Television Stations (a PBS lobbying group) announced its next phase of DTV education. According to APTS president and CEO John Lawson, local public television stations have committed to airing "DTV Action Spots" until Feb. 17, 2009, when stations will only be permitted to broadcast digitally.
"Over a 16-month campaign, this equals more than 3 billion broadcast impressions educating viewers about the transition," Lawson said. "Given public television's limited number of non-programming minutes, this represents a significant percentage of our available time."
DTV transition information will also be available at pbs.org, plus special mailings and other printed material will spread the word as well. According to APTS estimates, airtime and other resources that are being allocated to DTV education by public television are valued at more than $50 million.
Remember, for the vast majority of U.S. television households, the DTV transition will be virtually transparent because they subscribe to some paid service like cable or satellite. That means those tens of millions of old fashioned analog sets still in operation will continue to deliver content.
Why so much time and effort for a small percentage of viewers? Well, small is a relative term. According to estimates from the National Association of Broadcasters, about 17 percent of U.S. households rely exclusively on over-the-air broadcast. That's more than 19 million homes -- and many of these households are challenging market segments to reach, including minorities, senior citizens, and people who don't speak English.
Will all this transition talk work? A recent APTS survey suggests that early DTV education efforts are already having an impact: The percentage of Americans who were unaware of the DTV transition dropped from 61 percent a year ago to 51 percent in August 2007.
But we live in a country where it is your God-given right to be absolutely clueless. I guarantee there will still be plenty of people who will wake up on Feb. 17, 2009, and wonder why their TV is broken. And TV stations will find these people, interview them, and put them on the evening news -- which, of course, they won't be able to watch.
Now that's great TV.
I applaud the DTV transition education efforts of public broadcasters and others. These campaigns are important and they are working. The public didn't ask for this transition; the least we can do is let them know it's coming. And while the message won't reach everyone, it certainly won't be from lack of trying.
Mark J. Pescatore is the editor. Contact him at mpescatore@nbmedia.com.
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