FCC Releases DTV Consumer Education Plan -- sort of

The Federal Communications Commission is responsible for making rules to facilitate the upcoming transition to digital-only television broadcasting, enforcing those rules to protect consumers, and promoting awareness of the transition through direct to consumer education and other outreach tools including media relations. The FCC must develop a consumer education plan that will augment its current outreach activities and educate the American public to create a steady drum beat of evolving messaging around the transition leading up to February 17, 2009. Creative thinking and a disciplined approach will be essential to keep the transition – a confusing technical issue – relevant for the American public in a somewhat cluttered media landscape. The primary goal of the Consumer Education Plan is to identify channels and outreach activities not yet employed by the FCC to ensure that Americans are made aware of the digital television transition so that they may reap the benefits of it and, if necessary, take action so they are prepared when transition occurs. At the same time, the plan must take into account those high over-the-air audiences that may be harder to reach through conventional information channels. Ketchum recommends that the FCC: 1) Concentrate communications to “over-the-air” (OTA) consumers and hard-to-reach populations. 2) Leverage earned media tactics to deliver appropriate messaging. 3) Identify direct-to-consumer channels that will cost-effectively target OTA households. 4) Create and distribute publications and TV and Radio PSAs that are clear, concise and consistent. 5) Communicate directly with target populations through public and private partnerships, Web site and call center.
http://www.dtv.gov/DTVEducationPlan.pdf