We want TV that serves the needs of ordinary Americans in their local communities. At a pres conference yesterday, Mr. Lloyd and other public interest advocates announced the launch of People for Better Television, a coalition urging the Federal Communications Commission to start a public rulemaking to define the compact between television station owners and the communities they are licensed to serve. PBTV is submitting a petition to the FCC which argues that the needs of parents, children and communities must be protected in the digital age. TV must begin to respect the needs of families and their children. The coalition will be urging all Americans to call upon the FCC to take action on behalf of the public and set standards for television station owners as they enter the digital age.
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I am pleased that the DTV transition is largely on schedule and that broadcasters are joining the digital revolution. Over 270 stations from TV markets 1 through 90 have filed construction permit applications for DTV facilities, and over 150 of these have already been granted. But the DTV train is rolling out of the station, and broadcasters are climbing aboard to be part of the digital revolution of the 21st century. Terry Bryant, WETA-TV's senior vice president of broadcasting, says the station isn't committed to multicasting, but she points to a situation a few weeks ago when children's programming had to be dropped for the impeachment hearings as a time when multicasting would have been useful. WETA-TV has completed seven HD programs and is currently producing an HD program on the art of John Singer Sargent.