According to the latest NAB survey, 90 percent of U.S. households are "aware that broadcast television signals and programming will switch to a digital format on Feb. 17, 2009." The NAB's press release calls that "near-universal awareness."

Wow. Congratulations, NAB! That DTV Answers campaign plus those thousands of local PSAs have done their job. We can all breathe a sigh of relief.

Not so fast. Let's do the math.

Even if viewer awareness swells to 95 percent by February 2009, that still leaves 5 percent of your viewers. Now from this clueless remainder, let's subtract a generous 85 percent to cover those connected to cable or satellite service. That still leaves 3/4 of 1 percent of your audience with no signal.

In the 200th market, that translates to roughly 350 households with no picture. In the 100th market, over 2,200 households will go dark. In market number 10, over 15,000 households will lose their signal. And each of those households equals at least one angry phone call.

And those folks may be the least of your problems. Awareness, after all, is just the first step towards understanding. But as Will Rogers said, "It ain't what we don't know that gives us trouble. It's what we know that ain't so."

And when it comes to the digital transition, it's easy to get confused. The difference between "digital" and "high definition" is just one example. A lot of viewers don't understand that while all hi-def video is digital, not all digital television is hi-def. Likewise, digital converter boxes have nothing to do with "digital cable" or the so-called "digital tiers" of cable service.

There are also time-consuming sub-topics, such as shifting reception patterns, "digital" roof or indoor antennas and closed captioning and VCRs that will no longer work in quite the same way.

Altogether, that "tiny" fraction of the audience could devour 100 percent of your staff time for weeks and weeks. The public relations migraine will last even longer, as broadcasters take a predictable pounding at the hands of opportunistic members of Congress — egged on by critical cable and satellite ads.

Wouldn't it be better to minimize this abuse and even make some money doing it? Here's how:

As soon as possible, start promoting the looming Countdown to Digital in your on-air PSAS and on your Web site. Begin by counting the weeks, but by Thanksgiving weekend, you need to be ticking off the days.

Schedule a series of "digital clinics" throughout your viewing area. Yes, I know many stations already send speakers to church groups and senior centers. But it's not enough to tell them. You've got to show them, too. Create a basic 10-minute presentation that focuses on the back of the TV and converter box, demonstrating which plugs go where. Allow plenty of time for individual Q&A.

And what better place to show them than in an advertiser's store — especially a local or big box electronics chain that pays for the privilege? Last year, the forward-thinking Quincy Newspaper stations launched just such a project, replete with sponsored PSAs and special viewer discounts. Read more about it by clicking here.

But let's face it. A lot of people simply don't listen. So, no matter what, your switchboard may still light up with hundreds of calls from frustrated viewers seeking personalized tech support. And they'll be angry because it's human nature to blame the messenger. This is unfair, even crazy-making, but it's also an opportunity.

Instead of wasting time on diplomatic excuses, disarm these angry viewers with the thing they least expect — actual home-based tech support.

If you organize now, you can recruit and train boy scouts, girl scouts and other community service volunteers to join your station's Digital SWAT Team, a glamorous squad of knowledgeable problem-solvers who show up at the viewer's door, festooned with your station's logo, not to mention your sponsor's.

Corny? Maybe. Effective? Absolutely. And it's the kind of memorable public service that your most demanding viewers — and their exasperated relatives — won't soon forget.

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Last time in MarketShare, we reported on the daring gamble by New Vision Television's duopoly WJCL (ABC) and WTGS (Fox). Their combined newsroom risked their reputation by allowing a reality show — TV Guide Channel's Making News: Savannah Style — to chronicle their newsmaking process.

So did the gamble pay off? Yes it did, according to News Director Michael Sullivan. "Our two-hour morning show and our 6 p.m. news came alive out of hash marks, registering a household 1 rating. Our 11 p.m. show retained its 1 rating won in May. The demographic growth there remains consistent."

But the big victory came on WTGS, says Sullivan. "Fox 28 News at Ten, reported a new high, a household rating of 4, making it the second-rated late night news behind WTOC. It had been a 3 in May so there is again another full point of growth."

Market Share by Arthur Greenwald showcases innovative station promotions every Monday in TVNewsday. Share one of your own success stories by writing to Arthur at greenwald@tvnewsday.com.