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[ The Video Agenda ]
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Don't mandate DTV education
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by Mark J. Pescatore
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In an oversight hearing on the DTV transition in mid-October, Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA), chairman of the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, said consumer education is the "most critical component" of a successful transition. He added that the federal government is ultimately responsible for consumer education, because it mandated the move to DTV in the first place.
Markey is absolutely right. Unfortunately, the government didn't budget much for consumer education, so officials are relying heavily on the voluntary efforts of the television industry, which has a vested interest in making sure that as few TVs as possible go snowy on Feb. 17, 2009 (when analog broadcasts are shut down). Thankfully, public and commercial television broadcasters will spread the word better than any government solution.
The best way to communicate with television viewers is through television itself. I can't take credit for that revelation -- it comes from a letter to Congress last September from Kyle McSlarrow, president and CEO of the National Cable & Telecommunications Association, announcing the launch of the U.S. cable industry's $200 million DTV consumer education campaign. Its effort includes English and Spanish TV spots that are already in rotation, as well as plans for "bill stuffers" and on-demand programming in 2008.
When PBS announced its $50 million expanded DTV consumer education efforts (as I discussed last month), the National Association of Broadcasters unveiled plans for its second phase of initiatives, too, a $697 million, multi-platform campaign (including on-air spots) that was endorsed by more than 900 stations.
Plans include a DTV Road Show, with two tour trucks visiting 600 locations in more than 200 markets, as well as a DTV Speakers Bureau that could reach as many as 1 million consumers during an estimated 8,000 speaking engagements. Plus, the NAB is working with 170 organizations to reach members of the population more likely to rely on over-the-air broadcast. All these efforts will generate 98 billion audience impressions and reach practically all TV viewers, according to the NAB.
Next year, expect DTV transition talk to reach new heights. Between all these efforts and more, even the laziest of couch potatoes should get the message -- and our society will survive if a few hundred thousand procrastinators have to make a mad dash for set-top boxes in the middle of February sweeps. This is television, not the Black Plague.
There has been talk about laws or regulations that would mandate DTV education efforts, but this type of legislation is unnecessary. Public and commercial broadcasters have clearly made a commitment to their viewers and have been doing a fine job of consumer education without being required to do so.
Mark J. Pescatore is the editor. Contact him at mpescatore@nbmedia.com.
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