Univision Communications Launches Industry's First Digital Television Conversion Education Campaign
New York - Univision Communications Inc., the nation's leading Spanish-language media company, recently announced that it has launched a massive multi-platform campaign to educate the country's Hispanic population on the upcoming Congressionally mandated transition from analog to digital television broadcasting (DTV). Univision is taking the lead, starting its education program well ahead of the other broadcast networks in order to ensure that all Hispanics in the U.S. and Puerto Rico are appropriately informed about this complex and important issue.
As part of the first phase of the campaign, Univision today began airing thirty-second public service announcements (PSAs) on its broadcast television networks (Univision and TeleFutura), local television stations, radio stations and online site, featuring some of its most popular stars explaining the DTV transition. The second phase will provide instructions on how to receive additional information and money-saving coupons for the required conversion devices. In addition, Univision has launched a dedicated website, at Univision.com, Keyword: TV Digital, which includes information regarding the transition to DTV, as well as answers to frequently asked questions and information on making televisions DTV-ready.
Univision is working with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) on this educational effort which will include a toll-free information hotline with Spanish-language capability to handle questions regarding the DTV conversion.
Over the course of the next several months, Univision will air special programs, cover the issue through local and national news and public affairs programs and host interactive events across the nation to facilitate the DTV transition process for Hispanics.
"I am very proud of the fact that Univision has launched this campaign a full three months before the FCC's schedule, fulfilling our duty to go above and beyond to serve the Hispanic community," said Joe Uva, CEO, Univision Communications Inc. "Our audience puts a great deal of trust in Univision to provide them with timely information regarding events in the nation that affect them, and the DTV transition is something we feel will impact a significant portion of the country's Hispanic community. By addressing viewers' concerns early and often through our education campaign, we are ensuring them that they will be able to continue to rely on Univision as their number one source of information on this subject, as well as other news and information, now and well into the future."
Univision's DTV PSAs, will feature top Univision talent including the cast of Univision's "Despierta America" (Wake Up America) and TeleFutura's "Escandalo TV" (ShowBiz TV) and can be viewed at Univision.com, Keyword: TV Digital.
The switch from analog TV to DTV began in 1996, when the U.S. Congress authorized the distribution of an additional broadcast channel to each TV broadcaster so that they could introduce DTV service while simultaneously continuing their analog TV broadcasts. In addition to improved picture and sound quality, DTV allows the same number of television stations to broadcast using fewer total channels, freeing up parts of the increasingly scarce broadcast spectrum for public safety and new wireless services. The FCC requires that all full-power television stations cease analog broadcasting on February 17, 2009.
For more information, please visit www.univision.net.
SOURCE: Univision Communications Inc.