Broadcasters Aren't Depending on FCC Repacking Outreach; Public Television Seeking to Handle for All

“Where the rubber meets the road, it’s really up to that individual station or group,” said Jeff Klingler, chief engineer of American Christian Television Services’ WTLW Lima, Ohio. WTLW is part of Phase 2 of the repacking -- the current phase -- and the FCC is focused on using the $50 million repacking consumer info budget to get the message out only to markets that have been affected by the repacking. Broadcasters already are doing a good job assuring their viewers are aware of the coming need to rescan for over-the-air channels, so the FCC’s program is largely intended to make sure that assistance is available to viewers who need help, said Incentive Auction Task Force Chair Jean Kiddoo. “We don’t want to confuse anyone” who doesn’t yet need to rescan, Kiddoo said.

So far, more than 250 stations -- including channel sharers -- have changed channels and the IATF has heard that broadcasters are generally doing “more than the minimum” notices required by commission rules, Kiddoo said. Many broadcasters told us they’re using on-air spots to get the message to viewers, and NAB created a series of ads using TV celebrities such as Dr. Phil and Pat Sajak that can be shown to viewers. “NAB is fully engaged with the dedicated staff at the FCC to ensure these Americans do not lose access to vital information during the challenging repack process,” an NAB spokesperson said.

WTLW plans to begin broadcasting information about its impending relocation starting in January, said Klingler. The station also has a newsletter that will be part of the information effort, he said. Telling viewers over the air about the change can be tricky since many see local stations through MVPD retransmission, several broadcasters said.

Since several other TV stations in WTLW’s market are also in Phase 2, the other stations and WTLW plan to cooperate on consumer education efforts and coordinate their flash cut, to minimize the amount of rescanning required, he said. Klingler still expects consumers to miss the message, however. Infrequent TV watchers may not see the spots, he said, and he expects the public will look to local broadcasters for information before they seek FCC info. “It’s going to be confusing,” Klingler said.

“We weren’t looking for the FCC to help us,” said Pollack Broadcasting CEO William Pollack, who recently completed repacking a station during Phase 1. Pollack used on-air spots, crawls and social media to promote the shift, and said it's had few customer complaints. Though broadcasters aren’t depending on FCC efforts, any education the agency does is “icing on the cake,” Pollack said.

Public TV groups want the FCC to invest the repack consumer education funds in public TV stations, since they're better situated than commercial broadcasters to handle viewer outreach, America’s Public Television Stations CEO Patrick Butler told us via email. Public TV stations have “the call-in infrastructure, the technological expertise, and the trusted relationship with viewers that can make consumer education work for both public and commercial television stations in every market where reassignment of television channels is required,” he said. Milwaukee PBS General Manager Bohdan Zachary told Congress in testimony during a House Subcommittee hearing that his station handled consumer repack calls for his entire market during its shift (see 1812100050). “Public television stations are proposing to do nationwide what Milwaukee PBS has already done in its market,” said Butler.

The public TV testimony before the House focused on the importance of local outreach, and IATF officials said the FCC’s consumer education efforts already have a local focus. In markets currently affected by the repacking, the IATF bought online paid search advertising, and Kiddoo has been doing rounds of radio interviews where she informs listeners about the repacking and the need to rescan televisions after channels move, IATF officials told us.

The FCC’s education efforts are mainly aimed at “those who know they need to do something but aren’t sure how to do it,” Kiddoo said, and the FCC’s education program “will also reach out to consumers whose channels have already moved but who might not have done the necessary rescan,” Kiddoo said. “We urge the FCC to support local public stations coordinating this consumer education for their entire market,” Butler said.

The FCC is expanding its call center operation to deal with repacking queries to the FCC’s 1-888-CALL FCC help line, the IATF said. The agency is also working with an outside public relations agency on future information campaigns, the IATF said. The agency is also working with various organizations to reach certain groups in markets affected by the repacking, such as senior citizens, the IATF said. The agency also has revamped its online transition maps and rescanning webpages, IATF officials said.