Moving the DTV transition date from February to June appears to be a mortal lock. The Minority Media and Telecommunications Council is advising Congress to avoid a second delay by focusing on minority preparedness now. MMTC quoted Nielsen stats showing that mainstream Americans are ready to go with the exception of 4.6%. That contrasts with totally unprepared percentages of 6.9% for Asian Americans, 9.7% for Hispanic Americans, and 9.9% for African Americans. MMTC suggests that Congress remedy the situation in part by directing some advertising cash to television and radio outlets targeting this at-risk groups, along with other forms of community outreach.
It also requests a special meeting of the minds, suggesting “…a one-day summit at the FCC with every stakeholder: retailers, commercial and public broadcasters, civil rights organizations, consumer groups, and NTIA, and draw up specific plans with benchmarks and clear responsibilities.”
RBR/TVBR observation: All we can say is good luck with the advertising expenditure request. We’re sure that the minority advertising community would welcome the US government as a client, but the whole do-DTV-on-the-cheap concept was built on the foundation of free airtime from all broadcasters.
