NEWS
Federal Communications Commission
445 12th Street, S.W.
Washington, D. C.  20554
This is an unofficial announcement of Commission action.  Release of the full text of a Commission order constitutes official action.
See MCI v. FCC. 515 F 2d 385 (D.C. Circ 1974).
News Media Information 202 / 418-0500
Internet: http://www.fcc.gov
TTY: 1-888-835-5322
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: NEWS MEDIA CONTACT: 
June 4, 2008 Clyde Ensslin 202-418-0506
clyde.ensslin@fcc.gov
FCC EXPANDS NATIONAL DIGITAL TELEVISION EDUCATION AND 
AWARENESS CAMPAIGN, TARGETS OUTREACH IN WILMINGTON, NC
Commission Dedicates Team of Experts to Wilmington, NC to Assist Public and Launches 
Regional -- First in Flight, First in Digital -- Campaign that includes New Public Service 
Announcements, Billboards and Educational Materials in Partnership with Communities
Washington, DC  In a concerted effort to ensure that Americans have the information they need 
to make a smooth transition to digital television, Federal Communications Commission 
Chairman Kevin J. Martin today announced that the Commission has expanded its national 
Digital Television (DTV) Education and Awareness Campaign to include the release of newly 
developed public service announcements (PSAs) that will be distributed nationally to full-power 
television and radio stations.
More specifically, the FCC is providing more than 11,000 radio stations across the country with 
public service announcements on the transition. The 15, 30 and 60-second radio PSAs highlight 
important information for consumers to adequately prepare for the transition.  High quality audio 
and MP3 versions of the PSAs are available for listening and downloading at 
http://www.dtv.gov/video_audio.html .  
Chairman Martin also announced billboards are slated to be placed in approximately 45 of the 
nation's television markets announcing the completion of the switch from analog to digital 
television on February 17, 2009.  Billboards have already gone up in Philadelphia, Tampa, San 
Francisco and Seattle. The billboards are expected to be placed on highway signs, buses and 
subways in the nation's largest metropolitan areas. 
As part of the overall campaign, the Commission has dedicated a team of experts to assist the 
five-county Wilmington, NC area with the digital switch set for 12:00 noon on September 8, 
2008. This will include the release of specialized, First in Flight, First in Digital, PSAs and 
billboards, as well as educational materials, to assist the Wilmington television market with the 
transition. 
The Wilmington television market will be the first market in the nation to make the DTV 
transition.  Beginning on September 8th Wilmington-area stations WWAY (ABC), WSFX-TV 
(FOX), WECT (NBC), WILM-LP (CBS) and W51CW (Trinity Broadcasting) will broadcast 
only digital signals to their viewers in the Wilmington, North Carolina Designated Market Area 
(DMA),  which includes New Hanover, Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus and Pender counties. 
The Commission continues to coordinate and partner with Congress, the National 
Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), local officials, community groups, 
broadcasters, cable and satellite companies, manufacturers and retailers to accelerate and 
broaden consumer education outreach efforts throughout the nation. 
In addition to the new PSAs, billboards and educational materials, the FCC's national DTV 
Education and Awareness Campaign includes:
 Outreach specifically tailored to reach consumers who receive their television signals 
"over-the-air" via antennas; as well as those who are hard to reach and may be unaware 
of the upcoming transition, including senior citizens; non-English speaking and minority 
communities; people with disabilities; low-income individuals; and people living in rural 
and tribal areas.
 The creation of advisories, fact sheets and other publications to inform consumers about a 
variety of important DTV issues that may impact them.  
 Participation in media events, conferences, town hall meetings, workshops, and other 
public events.
 Grassroots community outreach in senior centers, libraries, retail stores and other public 
venues.
 Coordination with a broad range of Federal, State, and Local entities and Community 
stakeholders, including, for example, the U.S. Department of Health and Human 
Services, Bureau of Indian Affairs, state DMVs and health departments, sports leagues, 
and the National Association of Broadcasters.  
The DTV transition should not affect TV sets that are connected to a cable or satellite service. 
However, viewers who watch free, over-the-air television and receive signals with the help of 
rooftop antennas or rabbit ears will require converter boxes to receive digital signals on their 
existing analog sets. The FCC is encouraging these Wilmington-area viewers to immediately 
order their coupons for analog-to-digital converter boxes. 
The converter box program is run by the National Telecommunications and Information 
Administration. Each household can receive two free coupons good towards the purchase of two 
converter boxes. The coupons take a minimum of two weeks to be processed and mailed.  For 
more information on the Digital-to-Analog Converter Box Coupon Program, visit 
www.dtv2009.gov, or call 1-888-388-2009 (voice) or 1-877-530-2634 (TTY).
-FCC-
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