As the Nation's full-power television stations transition from analog broadcast television service to digital broadcast television service, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has been committed making the significant benefits of digital broadcasting available to the public. The digital transition will make valuable spectrum available for both public safety uses and expanded wireless competition and innovation. It will provide consumers with better quality television picture and sound, and will make new services available through multicasting. These innovations, however, are dependent upon widespread consumer understanding of the benefits and mechanics of the transition. The Congressional decision to establish a hard deadline of June 12, 2009, for the end of full-power analog broadcasting has made consumer awareness even more critical. The FCC now requires that television broadcasters must provide on-air information to their viewers about the DTV transition, and must report those efforts to the Commission and the public.
Per FCC requirements, WOUB-TV/DT and WOUC-TV/DT, as non-commercial educational broadcasters, must air 60 seconds per day of on-air consumer education, in variable timeslots, including at least 7.5 minutes per month between 6:00 pm and 12:00 am. Beginning May 1, 2008, this requirement doubles, and beginning November 1, 2008, it increases again, to 180 seconds per day and 22.5 minutes per month between 6:00 pm and midnight. The transition PSAs must be closed-captioned. WOUB-TV/DT and WOUC-TV/DT must also air a 30-minute informational program on the digital television transition between 8:00 am - 11:35 pm on at least one day prior to June 12, 2009. This requirement applies separately to its analog channel and its primary digital stream.
WOUB-TV/DT and WOUC-TV/DT must also electronically report their consumer education efforts to the Commission on a quarterly basis, and place these reports in the broadcaster's public file. These reports will be made available on the Commission's website in a centralized, searchable database. For each quarter of required consumer education, the FCC requires that WOUB-TV/DT and WOUC-TV/DT complete Form 388 and file it electronically with the FCC by the tenth day of the succeeding calendar quarter, with a copy placed in the station's public inspection file by that same date. Because of the short remaining duration of the full-power transition period, only a limited number of these quarterly reports will be required. The first, covering the first quarter of 2008, must be filed no later than April 10, 2008, and the last, covering a station's final quarter of mandated educational efforts, will be filed no later than July 10, 2009, for most stations.
FCC form 388 for WOUB-TV (posted July 9, 2009)
FCC form 388 for WOUC-TV (posted July 9, 2009)
