Poll Indicates Near-Universal Awareness of DTV Switch in Wilmington, N.C.

August 28, 2008

WASHINGTON, DC — As television stations in Wilmington, N.C., make their final preparations for the September 8 transition to digital television (DTV), awareness of the early switch among residents is nearly universal.

According to a new poll released today by the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), 97 percent of households in the Wilmington television market reported having "seen, read or heard" that the broadcast television industry will be going all-digital. In a May 2008 survey, that number was at 89 percent. The telephone survey was conducted from August 12–18, 2008, with 500 households. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4.2 percent.

"Broadcasters and the Federal Communications Commission have done a lot of heavy lifting to get the awareness levels up. However, there is still more to be done, and we will keep working to reach everyone willing to listen," said Jonathan Collegio, NAB vice president for the DTV transition.

With some two weeks to go, the poll found that 77 percent of respondents were able to state the correct accelerated transition date for Wilmington.

On September 8, 2008, Wilmington will become the nation's first television market to go exclusively digital as part of a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) experiment, which was announced in May. Five commercial TV stations in Wilmington are participating in the experiment, but the public station opted out, citing the importance of continued analog broadcasting during potential weather emergencies.

"Given the short time broadcasters have had to convey the new transition date to Wilmington viewers, these trends are encouraging and show the positive impact of the campaign on raising awareness," said Seth Geiger, president of Smith-Geiger LLC, which conducted the poll.

In support of the FCC's consumer education initiatives in Wilmington, NAB has engaged in several outreach efforts to help prepare residents for the early transition and facilitate coordination among the local stations. NAB produced Wilmington versions of its national television spots and currently its DTV Road Show is visiting the five affected counties.

On a national scale, NAB is leading a massive, multifaceted campaign to educate Americans about the DTV transition valued at more than $1 billion.