To encourage baby boomers to help their elderly parents, relatives, and neighbors get ready for February's digital television conversion, the Consumer Electronics Association enlisted actress Florence Henderson, best known for her role as Carol Brady on The Brady Bunch, to launch the Convert Your Mom public awareness campaign.

“CEA's member companies have filled retail stores with a wide assortment of affordable digital TV products, from low-cost digital televisions to converter boxes and antennas that are easy to hook up to existing analog TV sets,” said Gary Shapiro, CEA's president-CEO. “We know that one of the best ways to reach seniors is through their families. With Convert Your Mom we're asking baby boomers to help make sure everyone is ready well in advance.” 

Beginning with a satellite media tour hosted by Henderson in early May, the Convert Your Mom campaign will feature a special downloadable guide and tips for getting ready for the digital TV transition, among other elements.  

The campaign will remind viewers who rely on an antenna and an analog TV set for reception, that they have choices to continue enjoying free over-the-air television: 

• Buy a new TV with built-in digital tuner.
  
  
• Subscribe to a pay TV service like cable or satellite TV.
  
  
• Purchase an affordable digital TV converter box to receive over-the-air digital TV signals and convert them for analog viewing.

CEA emphasizes that dozens of affordable converter boxes are now certified by the U.S. government as eligible for $40 discount coupons that are being distributed by the U.S. Department of Commerce, and digital TV sets are also now widely available for under $200.

More information about CEA's ongoing digital television public education efforts can be found online at www.digitaltips.org.