There’s still well over a year to go before the national transition to all-digital OTA broadcasts, but it seems everyone is determined to show a “serious” commitment in getting the public informed about the issue. Circuit City has just announced new education initiatives including in-store pamphlets and advertising supplements. Best Buy is dropping analog TVs from its shelves altogether. (I guess figuring that warning stickers aren’t enough for attention-deficit Americans…) Meanwhile, the National Association of Broadcasters is putting in place a six-part DTV education plan at a cost of $697 million.
Since one study showed that as of March more than 60% of Americans were not aware of the analog shut-off date, I have no doubt that awareness campaigns are needed. However, for the other 40% of us already aware of the DTV D-Day, it looks like a tiresome 16 months ahead. And this is before we even get to the rash of converter boxes sure to hit the market soon. (CES 2008?)