Television broadcasters plan to invest the equivalent of $697 million to educate the American public on the upcoming switch to digital TV transmission.

The National Association of Broadcasters detailed what it described as a “multi-platform, multifaceted campaign” at a press conference in Washington Monday afternoon.

NAB said that the combined elements of the DTV campaign will reach “nearly all television viewers and generate 98 billion audience impressions during the course of the campaign that will run through Feb. 17, 2009, when all TV stations will turn off their analog signals.”

NAB broke down the campaign into the following areas (along with the value of each):

• “DTV Action” PSAs: $327 million
  
  
• Crawls, snipes and news tickers: $26.6 million
  
  
• 30-minute educational program: $4.2 million
  
  
• 100-day news countdown: $275.7 million
  
  
• Newspaper “earned media” coverage: $2.7 million
  
  
• Online newspaper “earned media” coverage: $1.1 million
  
  
• DTV Roadshow visiting 600 locations: $7.3 million
  
  
• DTV Speakers Bureau: $2 million
  
  
• Banner ads on station Web sites: $457,000
  
  
• Public television efforts: $50 million

NAB said that every broadcast network is participating in the campaign along with 95 broadcasting companies, representing 939 television stations. Many other stations are expected to participate, NAB added.

With the immense amount of activity the broadcast partners are undertaking to educate consumers, NAB has engaged Starcom MediaVest Group, one of the country's largest media services organizations, to help plan and monitor the campaign, using software to calculate approximate impressions and valuations.

The scale of the campaign is “unique,” said Todd Kirby of Starcom MediaVest. Other marketers, he said, have spent comparable amounts over the same period, but not on a single “brand or message.”

Jim Yager, CEO of Barrington Broadcasting Group, said that stations will air some of the PSAs in primetime, but that primetime “does not determine the effectiveness of a campaign.” Reaching viewers in other dayparts—morning, midday and late night—is just as important, he said.

Television Bureau of Advertising President Chris Rohrs said that the NAB could count on the participation of TVB's member stations. He said: “It is in our vital economic interest to get through this transition with a minimal loss of viewers. It just makes sense. Self-interest is a tremendous motivator.”

NAB President David Rehr said he sees the transition as an opportunity to “get people excited about wireless TV” and he said that NAB will soon announce details of an antenna program to encourage consumers get their digital TV over the air.

Concerned about the transition, some policymakers have suggested laws or regulations requiring broadcasters to air PSAs and to report on when and where they aired, but the broadcasters at the press conference said that their voluntary campaign obviates the need for federal mandates.

“We will be quite aggressive and people will be pleased with the results,” Rehr said.

The Association of Public Television Stations President John Lawson agreed there was no need for regulation, but said it is time for the federal government to put some money into an awareness campaign aimed at reaching “hard-to-reach populations.”

Following the NAB's announcement, U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez praised the association, saying: "The National Association of Broadcasters' $697 million campaign demonstrates that broadcasters nationwide will work to ensure that all households are aware of the February 17, 2009, transition, so that no consumer will lose television reception because of a lack of information.

“NAB's consumer education efforts in English, Spanish and closed-captioning are an extraordinary commitment. Combined with the more than 160 members of the Digital Television Coalition, this shows that industry and advocates are taking their responsibility seriously, and far exceeds what the government alone could accomplish,” Gutierrez concluded.

And FCC Chairman Kevin Martin also praised the NAB's plan: "Today's action by the National Association of Broadcasters will play a significant role in ensuring Americans will have a smooth transition to digital television. A successful completion of the digital transition depends upon government and industry working together in promoting consumer awareness. The switch from analog to digital technology will offer consumers many benefits, make valuable spectrum available for public safety uses, and expand wireless competition and innovation. The commission is committed to ensuring that appropriate policies are in place to ensure that no American is left behind in this part of the digital revolution."