[opendtv] News: FCC Hones In on DTV PSA Mandates
- From: Craig Birkmaier <craig@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: OpenDTV Mail List <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 22 Oct 2007 09:13:44 -0400
FCC Hones In on DTV PSA Mandates
Specific Details Emerge on Chairman Martin's Plan
By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 10/22/2007 8:00:00 AM
Details are emerging on Federal Communications Commission chairman
Kevin Martin's plan to require broadcasters to deliver a set number
of public-service announcements about the transition to digital, and
the FCC also apparently wants to mandate some of the content of those
messages.
Martin said at a hearing Oct. 17 that he has proposed mandating PSAs
as part of broader DTV-education requirements that include quarterly
reports from various stakeholders, including the consumer-electronics
industry and cable and satellite, on their education efforts. He
added that the number of those PSAs would increase closer to the Feb.
17, 2009, date for the DTV switch-over.
Those proposed requirements -- which have been circulated to the
other commissioners for a possible vote by the end of the month --
came in response to a request from top House Democrats that the FCC
step in.
According to a source familiar with the proposals, the chairman wants
each TV station to air four PSAs of at least 15 seconds in length per
day, each in a different four-hour daypart, starting in November --
if the mandates are adopted at the upcoming Oct. 31 meeting -- and
for six months thereafter. At that time, the number would double to
eight PSAs, two in each daypart, plus four crawls, one in each
daypart.
Six months later, the number would increase to 12 PSAs and 12 crawls,
three apiece in each daypart.
The crawls would need to refer to the Feb. 17 date and include the
relevant government Web site, while the PSAs would need to tell
viewers how to continue to receive TV signals -- get converter boxes.
The PSAs would have to be in the same language as the majority of the
programming on the station.
The National Association of Broadcasters already pledged to air PSAs
that it values at more than $327 million worth of airtime, with
noncommercial stations saying that they would add to that total.
The NAB did not say what percentage of those would air in primetime,
when that airtime is generally more costly to give up, but the FCC
plan would mandate at least some daily PSAs in either primetime (8
p.m.-11 p.m., 7 p.m.-11 p.m. on Sunday) or early fringe time periods
(6 p.m.-8 p.m., 7 p.m.-8 p.m. on Sunday).
An FCC spokeswoman said she could not comment on an order currently
on circulation.
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