The Association of Public Television Stations (APTS) and PBS said they will start a campaign aimed at educating households that receive television only through over-the-air signals about the upcoming DTV transition.

Separately, the NCTA has produced two new TV spots – one in English (click here to view) and one in Spanish (click here to view) – to help cable companies raise awareness of the issue.

The spots will be distributed to cable networks and operators for airing in markets nationwide. The announcements are part of the $200 million public service advertising campaign the NCTA announced in early September.

A major component of the APTS/PBS campaign includes the commitment by local public television stations to air multiple DTV Action Spots throughout the DTV transition. Over the next 16 months, that could amount to 3 billion broadcast impressions – “a significant percentage of our available time,” said APTS President and CEO John Lawson.
 
The campaign will also include information in stations’ printed program guides and Web sites, and mailings.

The burden of promoting awareness of the DTV transition has been purposefully shifted to the broadcast industry.

Lawson said, “When Congress created Medicare Part D, the Department of Health and Human Services obligated almost $109 million to advertise, educate and inform beneficiaries. In comparison, Congress only set aside $5 million to educate the American public about the transition to digital.”