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 LAUNCHES BILLBOARD AND RADIO CAMPAIGN IN WILMINGTON, N.C. Outdoor Display Ads, Radio Spots Encourage TV Viewers to Prepare for Digital Transition Washington, DC – Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Kevin J. Martin announced today that the Commission has approved the placement of special billboards and radio messages to help prepare Wilmington-area television viewers for the transition to digital television on September 8, 2008. This regional initiative is part of the FCC’s overall Digital Television (DTV) Educational and Awareness Campaign and concentrated efforts to prepare the Wilmington, N.C. television market for the early switch to digital television in September. The entire nation will make the DTV transition on February 17, 2009. BILLBOARDS The billboards highlight the “First in Flight, First in Digital” theme of the Wilmington area’s transition to digital television (DTV). They will serve as eye-catching reminders of the approaching transition. The four billboards will go up this month in the following high traffic areas: by the USS Carolina Memorial, on I-40 on the Pender/New Hanover County border, on the east side of Highway 421 in the Carolina Beach area, and on Highway 421 near the I-140 interchange. PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS The FCC has provided local radio stations in the Wilmington area with public service announcements on the transition. The 15, 30, and 60-second PSAs offer important information for consumers to adequately prepare for the DTV transition. High quality audio and MP3 versions of the PSAs are available for listening and downloading on a dedicated website created specifically for Wilmington-area viewers: http://www.dtv.gov/wilmington/video_audio.html. 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). THE DIGITAL TELEVISION TRANSITION AND FCC OUTREACH 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 rest of the nation will make the switch on February 17, 2009. In addition to Wilmington, Chairman Martin has also announced plans for the placement of billboards in approximately 45 television markets across the nation. Billboards have already gone up in Philadelphia, Tampa, San Francisco and Seattle. Public service announcements will also be distributed nationally to thousands of full-power television and radio stations. The Commission continues to coordinate and partner with Congress, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, local officials, community groups, broadcasters, cable and satellite companies, manufacturers, and retailers to accelerate and broaden consumer education outreach efforts throughout the nation. - FCC - News and information about the Federal Communications Commission is available at www.fcc.gov.