NAB releases first digital deadline PSAs
Steve Safran September 27th, 2007
As of February 17, 2009, that non-digital TV of yours won’t work, at least not without a converter box. (And pray to God you’re not working at a TV station that day and taking phone calls.) The NAB is rolling out its first PSAs to educate the public about the upcoming digital deadline. It sent a 30-second spot to broadcasters. Here’s the script, via B&C:
Notice how digital’s made pretty much everything better? Especially television. Digital TV’s got better picture, better sound, more channels — in fact, digital’s so much better that, by law, ALL broadcast TV has to be digital by 2009. But there’s a catch: Some TVs need an upgrade to get digital. You could even lose your signal. Get the facts. Visit DTVAnswers.com to learn about television’s switch to digital. Or call this number to see how you can stay connected.
Very weak language. “Notice how digital’s made pretty much everything better?” That’s a lead? They need something that screams “Your TV ain’t gonna work on this date!” You can see the ad at DTVAnswers but, in another poor choice, the NAB isn’t making it embeddable. The one message that the TV industry badly needs to go viral can’t, because they haven’t included an embed code. I encourage them to change this. 2/17/09 is going to be one seriously crazy day, and we need to use every possible method of communication at our disposal to get out the word.
10 Comments Add your own
1. joe | September 27th, 2007 at 9:18 am
wow. i don’t think that psa does a good job of driving home the point that there is a deadline. it was very upbeat and slick. But, the PSAs need more gloom and doom in them. People need to know exactly what they need to do to get free tv or they’ll all switch to cable. what will your grandma do when she can’t watch the Wheel of Fortune?
2. Joe | September 27th, 2007 at 9:22 am
Yawn. The PSA doesn’t do a good job because the TV industry is busy trying to blame the FCC and the rest of the gov’t. for their poor reaction and slow movement to transition to digital. If people lose their TV signals in early 2009, it’ll be the TV industry’s fault because they dragged their feet for 10+ years instead of kicking it in gear and getting converted early.
3. tdc | September 27th, 2007 at 9:29 am
“…, by law, …”
a ‘law’ no doubt written by the industry (much like the dmca) that will no doubt have unintended consequences that a yet-to-be thought of company will exploit.
goog often cites this when they are sued by what were absolute giants who are now .01% their size.
oh well!
4. Steve Safran | September 27th, 2007 at 10:00 am
Exactly. This thing has CYA written all over it. You want to help people? It needs to scream “YOUR TELEVISIONS WON’T WORK ANYMORE ON THIS DATE!” The wording “Notice how digital’s made pretty much everything better?” is a lousy lead. It’s no lead at all. It doesn’t catch the ear and it’s a weak and dubious statement.
You want copy that people will actually remember? Copy that may have an impact, help stations and customers, and cut down on confusion? Follow this….
The lead: Your TV may stop working on February 17, 2009.
(Holy cow! Really? What do I need to do?)
The body: Here is what you need to do about it.
(OK, got it. But tell me again - why am I doing this?)
The close: Do this, or your TV may stop working on February 17, 2009.
(Oh right - that would suck.)
The last thing this campaign needs is subtlety.
5. Steve | September 27th, 2007 at 11:24 am
Needs to take a cue from our favorite ad:
“Head On. Apply directly to the forehead.
Head On. Apply directly to the forehead.
Head On. Apply directly to the forehead.”
6. Mike Escutia | September 27th, 2007 at 11:35 am
Well, on the bright side, DTV Answers is a much better site than the FCC’s attempt (dtv dot gov).
7. Steve Safran | September 27th, 2007 at 12:02 pm
The problem is not going to be the digerati. The problem will be the lower income folks who aren’t tech savvy. They’re not likely to be visiting the sites with information, and they’re not likely to know as much about the transition. All the more reason why these ads need to be, as Steve puts it, “Head On.”
8. Curtis | September 27th, 2007 at 2:57 pm
This PSA cries out for crowd-sourcing. And there’s got to be a concerned citizen out there who can produce something better in iMovie and go viral. Why leave it up to the people who’s job it is to actually address the issue. (
9. Hussman | September 28th, 2007 at 6:37 am
Holy Crap you guys… the NAB can’t do everything for you. If TV stations aren’t doign Sweeps pieces in May and Nov of ‘08 to educate peopel, with follow-ups on their websites, then those TV statiosn deserve what they get.
I’ve started running the PSA, and have signed up to be a speaker on the DTV transition to local business and community groups, with materials provided by through DTVSpeak.com.
There is no need to make people panic right now. Wait a few months for that.
10. Safran | September 28th, 2007 at 3:50 pm
You’re right, Hussman, you’re absolutely right. But the stuff that the NAB does put out has to be more direct than this. EVERYONE has to do better.
Good for you for going above and beyond. Let us know how it’s going.
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