Sinclair is running PSAs to remind viewers that HD is free on OTAs.
Whether they are in their HD infancy or offer everything from HD acquisition to HD studio shots, all stations share a common HD problem: return on their HD investment cannot be realized unless the public actually watches their HD news product.
However, help is on the way for stations wishing to educate their viewers about the availability of over-the-air HD. If all goes as planned, on Friday, Aug. 20, the Sinclair Broadcast Group will make available to all broadcasters a public service announcement telling viewers just that.
The non-branded spots, which will be available in :10-, :20- and :30-second lengths, are intended to help broadcasters rebuild their over the air audience, much of which has been lost to cable and satellite providers over the past several years.
Sinclair will begin running the PSA on its own stations in markets where the broadcast group has increased its DTV transmission power and is passing through network-supplied HD programming. The PSAs are SD and intended to run on broadcasters’ NTSC channels.
The basic message of the spots is that viewers can watch high definition for free from over-the-air broadcasters and that there’s no need to subscribe to cable or satellite service providers to receive HD.
When complete, the PSAs will be available from the Sinclair Broadcast Group's new Web site designed to support the informational campaign.
