Wilmington, N.C., will make history today by becoming the first television market in the country to transition to digital television (DTV). Since the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced this experiment in May, NAB has been working closely with local participating stations to help coordinate their outreach and technical efforts.
FCC Chairman Kevin Martin is scheduled to symbolically flip the switch today at 12 p.m. during a press conference at Wilmington’s City Hall. NAB President and CEO David Rehr will also address reporters about broadcasters’ broad initiatives to educate both Wilmington residents and the rest of the nation about this revolutionary change in television.
To gauge awareness of the early switch, NAB commissioned a poll in August, which found 97 percent of Wilmington residents were aware that the television broadcast industry will be going all-digital, and 77 percent could state the correct accelerated transition date. NAB plans to conduct another poll in Wilmington on transition day.
In the two weeks leading up to the transition, hundreds of Wilmington-area residents came out to free public events organized by NAB's DTV Road Show and local broadcasters. The events featured a DTV Trekker, or truck designed to look like a giant TV set, and allowed residents from all five affected counties to get their last-minute questions answered and have an opportunity to win prizes.
Local television stations also aired NAB-produced DTV television spots counting down the days until the September 8 transition.
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