DTV Action Items

posted on 5.27.2009

With just over two weeks until the transition to digital television is complete, stations should note the following points:

• During the final 14 days of the DTV transition, NAB recommends a rotation of spots including the 30-second "How to Upgrade" spot, the 15-second "Countdown" spots that note how many days remain, and the 15-second "Rescan" spot, which most over-the-air viewers must perform after June 12.
• If you have any questions about DTV consumer education requirements during these final days of the transition, please consult with counsel or contact the NAB Legal Hotline at (866) 682-0276.
• If you're missing any of the DTV spots, information on how to download them is listed below.
• If analog service is ending before 11:59 p.m. local time on June 12, stations must notify viewers through their required PSAs, crawls and other on-air consumer education. 
• This notification must also be included in the broadcast of the 30-minute program, along with analog shutoff information on all other stations in the market.
• Make sure to coordinate transition time with local MVPDs. Please visit www.mstv.org for more information.

Finalize Phone Banks
Stations should anticipate staffing levels to handle viewer phone calls - especially stations in markets without a participating "nightlight" station in their market must be ready to answer calls, as viewers will have no reference to the FCC's national DTV hotline, and will be most inclined to call local TV stations.

A guide on how to answer phone calls is available as a Q&A document to download at http://www.dtvanswers.com/quickanswers/DTVQ&A.pdf.

Also, staff should be aware of new features available on www.dtv.gov, including local walk-in centers and in-home installation resources that are available for local viewers.

Stations can direct phone calls regarding non-localized issues, such as hooking up a converter box, to the FCC's hotline at (888) CALL-FCC.

Analog "Nightlight" Program
To meet the program requirements, an instructional DTV "Nightlight" video that participating stations can run in analog after the transition is available.

This DTV "Nightlight" video explains the basics of how to upgrade to digital television, hook up a converter box, antenna information and rescanning for channels.

The program runs approximately eight minutes, with both an English and Spanish version. Each version is open captioned in both languages.

Stations should alternate between airing each version to ensure statutory compliance.

The "Nightlight" video is available to download at www.dtvanswers.com/nightlight.

**NOTE: A online version of the "Nightlight" video is also available to download, in either Flash or Windows Media format, for posting on any station website.**

Downloads
The newest spots are all available to download through an FTP server. They include:

• "Hooking Up Converter Box"
• "Antenna"
• "Rescanning"
• "Countdown"
• "How to Upgrade"

Links to download all spots, along with scripts, are available at www.dtvanswers.com/actionspots.

(**Note: In the past, some stations did have technical issues with the closed captioning getting stripped from the spots when they were dumped into editing systems. Please have traffic managers/producers check to make sure that the captioning is still present before these spots are placed in rotation.**)

Ordering Tapes/DVDs
NAB is unable to fulfill requests for tape and/or DVD copies of the latest spots and new 30-minute program.

Tape dubs can be ordered through our authorized provider, Video Labs. The cost is around $40-50 per tape, plus shipping.

Contact:
Anna Greene
Video Labs
(301) 217-0000

If Anna Greene is unavailable, you can also ask for Valerie Yoscak or Mary Price.

Questions?
Contact NAB's Mike DiSerio or call (202) 429-5493.

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