NAB Commends Rite Aid for Helping Consumers Affordably Transition to Digital TV
November 3, 2008
WASHINGTON, DC — National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) President and CEO David K. Rehr sent the following letter to commend Rite Aid Corporation for offering the lowest-cost converter boxes in its stores and prominently advertising the federal government's TV converter box coupon program. NAB encourages all certified retailers to follow the example set by Rite Aid and help Americans prepare swiftly for the transition to digital television (DTV) on February 17, 2009.
Broadcasters are leading a massive nationwide campaign to educate consumers about their options for upgrading to DTV before the transition is completed.
October 30, 2008
Mary Sammons, Chairman and CEO
Rite Aid Corporation
c/o Corporate Secretary
P.O. Box 3165
Harrisburg, PA 17105
Dear Ms. Sammons:
On behalf of the 8,300 members of the National Association of Broadcasters, I am writing to thank and congratulate you for Rite Aid's commitment to helping Americans prepare for the digital television (DTV) transition.
A New York television broadcaster recently sent me a copy of Rite Aid's Oct. 12-18 circular that prominently advertised Access HD digital converter boxes for $40 and featured the government-issued $40 coupon, amounting to a free converter box for your customers.
First, let me thank you for participating as a certified retailer in the government's TV converter box coupon program. As you know, purchasing a digital converter box allows your customers with older "antenna" television sets that are not connected to a pay TV service to upgrade their sets to receive digital broadcasts from local television stations. Stations must switch their existing analog broadcasts to all-digital broadcasts by February 17, 2009. It is important that local stores where consumers regularly shop make it convenient to obtain a converter box, so thank you for stocking converter boxes and making them affordable through the government's coupon program.
Second, I want to congratulate you for running a special on converter boxes to make the net cost for consumers zero. I hope other retailers will follow your terrific example and provide similar deals on converter boxes for their customers.
Television broadcasters have aired more than 1 million DTV transition messages in the recent quarter to inform consumers about the transition and the availability of converter box coupons. We are grateful for Rite Aid's help in preparing Americans for the transition.
Best wishes.
Sincerely,
David K. Rehr
Cc: Gary Shapiro, President, Consumer Electronics Association
Christopher McLean, Executive Director, Consumer Electronics Retailers
Coalition
