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TELEVISIONWEEK March 9, 2009 13

SPECIAL SECTION INSIDE

Creative Coverage NewsproTHE STATE OF TV NEWS Stations struggle for fresh ways to cover the protracted conversion to DTV transmission. Page 14

Digital News Grows WNBC’s “New York Nonstop” joins the list of news subchannels. Page 16

Broadcasters Still Need to Inform Confused Consumers About DTV Any Way They Can By Hillary Atkin boxes and what it all means for the Special to TelevisionWeek viewing audience affected by the Despite the recent delay of the U.S. switchover from analog signals. digital television transition from Feb. 17 The Nielsen Co. estimates about 4.4% until June 12, television stations across of homes, or nearly 5 million American the country are still trying to answer households, aren’t ready for the change consumers’ many questions, using their that will happen when stations turn off own airwaves and just about any other their analog signals and begin broadcast- means available to them. ing solely in digital. (The Federal Com- Questions persist about old TV sets, munications Commission says about a new antennas, coupons for converter third of the nation’s full-power Continued on Page 15 TW MAIN 03-09-09 A 14 TVWEEK 3/5/2009 5:19 PM Page 1

14 March 9, 2009 TELEVISIONWEEK NEWSPRO TELLING THE NEVER-ENDING

THANKS FOR SHARING Fox’s WNYW-TV technology reporter Brett Larson recently appeared on ABC’s “The View” to discuss the DTV STORY DTV transition. Finding New Ways to Cover the Transition Poses a Challenge to Newsroom Staffs

By Daisy Whitney Not only are stations around the country in the midst of shed- ding their analog signals forever, their news departments are tasked with creatively covering the drawn-out digital transition in their newscasts, too. The massive shift from the ana- log world to the crisp clear digital one is a major news event, but the fact is it’s been under way for a few years now and will continue to play out until all stations flip the switch to digital on June 12. Finding inno- vative ways to cover the transition is increasingly a challenge. CBS-owned Philadelphia sta- tion KYW-TV recently tried some- thing different. It conducted a training session with local Boy Scout leaders to teach them how to hook up converter boxes, then covered that initiative as a news story in late February. Scouts’ Honor Philadelphia-area Boy Scout leaders will be assisting viewers who need help with going digital, particularly seniors and the dis- VALUE ADDED Brett Larson, abled, explained Mike Nelson, technology reporter for Fox’s spokesman for the 29-member WNYW-TV in New York, has digital transition, as have most sta- York stations feature more detail, will find DTV answers in English CBS Television Stations group, reported on the benefits of tions in the Fox group. such as the timeline of the transi- and Spanish, links to manufactur- which will flip the switch in June. switching to DTV and how to The Fox station group has been tion, reasons for the DTV conver- ers’ DTV sites, a countdown clock The entire group has extensive- do it. including stories in its newscasts sion, who will be affected, how to and a tutorial from Mr. Larson. ly covered the transition and will on how to hook up converter box- Even broadcasters that shut off continue to do so for the next few San Francisco’s ABC-owned sta- es, too. In addition, the group is “All of our their analog signals last month months. “All of our stations have tion KGO-TV, which will turn off its leaning on the station’s local Web continue to produce reports on the been airing half-hour specials analog feed in June, has been pro- sites as resources for ongoing stations have transition. Fort Myers, Fla., CBS hosted by their local anchors and ducing “what you need to know” information and how-to content been airing half- affiliate WINK-TV is still running reporters,” he said, adding the sta- reports. on the transition. stories on how to tune in the digi- tions “have been participating in The station’s DTV coverage has Broadly speaking, Fox-owned hour [digital tran- tal channels, said Greg Stetson, the soft analog shutoff tests to help been led by consumer reporter WNYW in New York has produced station’s programming director. viewers determine if all of their TVs Michael Finney. “He’s done the sto- reports touting the benefits of sition] specials That follows months of coverage in are prepared for the transition to ries explaining the transition and switching to digital television hosted by their advance of the original switch digital.” is the one who does the DTV tests from the station’s technology date, he said. Mr. Nelson said the CBS-owned that we’ve been running mar- reporter Brett Larson, who also local anchors “Most stations went far above stations have presented detailed ketwide,” said Kevin Keeshan, the appeared on “The View” recently and beyond to lay out how it all stories about converter boxes— station’s news director. “We did to discuss the transition. Sister and reporters.” works, and what to expect,” said “who needs them, who doesn’t and three live tests prior to Feb. 17. We station WWOR has run “do it Mike Nelson, CBS Television Stations Tom Petner, editor of the Web site how to install them”—and regular have three more live tests across yourself” pieces to show viewers TVSpy.com. “The question, of updates regarding the coupon pro- three dayparts scheduled between how to outfit their TV sets for the determine if you have a digital course, is how many people gram. Many stations also have now and June 12.” digital transition. tuner, what to do if it is not ready absorbed it all. Judging from what assembled phone banks to answer NBC-owned KNTV in the San for the conversion, how to obtain I can see in the local market, the viewer questions about the transi- Francisco Bay Area has produced More Information Online converter box coupons and what transition so far has been pretty tion, he said. half-hour specials devoted to the On the Web, the Fox-owned New antenna is right for you. Visitors smooth.” ■ TW MAIN 03-09-09 A 15 TVWEEK 3/5/2009 5:21 PM Page 1

TELEVISIONWEEK March 9, 2009 15

ROAD BLOCKS Reporter of news, information and enter- Glenn Farley of Seattle’s tainment, from a public service or SIGNALS KING-TV termed the market even a selfish point of view,” Mr. Continued from Page 13 “terrain-challenged” due to Esparros said. stations have already gone all- mountain ranges. KNBC also has done stories digital.) on disposing old television sets, “We are really trying to give to be taken. from donating them to senior viewers as much information on “The way people watched TV centers and other facilities to how the transition impacts their for years would change, and we safely recycling them. lives and answer whatever ques- have tried to give some clarity to “We understand how difficult tions they might have,” said Mark the whole issue,” said Keith Espar- this transition is, and people may Ginther, news director of Seattle’s Bloomberg to talk about how peo- his own cable channel, he knew ros, KNBC’s assistant news director. not understand the complexity,” KING-TV, which has run many en- ple could get coupons and what exactly what it was about and what Mr. Esparros said there was a lot said Mr. Esparros. “Changing the terprise feature stories on the tran- they had to do to prepare with the it entailed,” Mr. Shapiro said. “He of viewer confusion between two way millions of people watch TV is sition in the past year and a half. right kind of antenna in order to get was the best advocate of the com- informational Web sites, daunting. Even with the amount of Reporter Glenn Farley, who nor- covered by all the stations,” said ing transition and simple things to www.dtv.gov, run by the govern- PSAs on the newscast, and the live mally covers the aviation and tech- Saul Shapiro, president of the Met- prepare for.” ment, and www.dtv.com, which is a demos we’ve done, still hundreds nology industries at KING, has ropolitan Television Alliance. At KNBC-TV in Los Angeles, commercial site that sells products. of thousands didn’t get the mes- made the DTV transition his beat, “Having the mayor involved the primary focus of its news sto- “Our goal is fairly simple. We sage, which is part of the reason contributing at least a dozen stories almost guarantees coverage. Also, ries also has been making sure didn’t want anyone to be without the current administration about it since 2007. The consumer because of his TV background with people knew what steps needed TV, with an uninterrupted stream delayed the transition.” ■ unit also has done reports on pur- chasing new TV sets and how to properly dispose of old ones. “We have transitioned from doing stories on the basic converter box to actually getting the signal,” Mr. Farley said. “Most of the stories moving forward will be focused in that direction.” The Seattle market is what Mr. Farley calls “terrain-challenged,” because of the mountain ranges in the broadcast coverage area, mak- ing it difficult for some residents to receive a clear digital signal. In a recent piece, he went out in the field in Olympia, Wash., with an antenna installer who measured the signal in various hilltop neigh- borhoods. In some areas, there was no signal at all, meaning residents there may have to erect taller tow- ers or buy special antennas. Beyond telecasting the DTV message, Mr. Farley and other KING staffers have participated in a number of public hearings on the transition, most organized by the city of Seattle in an effort to reach out to diverse populations, includ- ing those who don’t speak English. In addition, the station has participated with other broadcast- ers in the market in synchronous digital signal testing during morn- ing, evening and weekend news- casts—and then manning phone banks to answer viewer questions about the transition. “The phones would just light up,” Mr. Farley said. “The response from viewers has gone up as the deadline approached. I don’t know how you could have missed this.” “We’ve learned a lot ourselves,” Mr. Ginther said. “Portable radios that have TV sound on them won’t receive it after the conversion hap- pens. In an emergency, if the cable or satellite goes out in severe weather, it may be important to have a converter box in the house.” In the nation’s two largest mar- kets, New York and Los Angeles, most of the major stations have been broadcasting a digital signal for 10 years now. New York City stations recently mobilized to get out the word on the “official” transition under the aegis of the Metropolitan Televi- sion Alliance, a group formed after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks to coordinate efforts among broadcasters to replace facilities that were destroyed. “We got seven local anchors of the 5 and 6 p.m. news to hold a press conference with Mayor TW MAIN 03-09-09 A 16 TVWEEK 3/5/2009 6:23 PM Page 1

16 March 9, 2009 TELEVISIONWEEK NEWSPRO

DOUBLE DUTY WNBC’s Chuck Scarborough, left, will anchor a 7 p.m. NBC GOES newscast on “New York Nonstop” for NBC’s ‘NONSTOP’ ON digital subchannel. SUBCHANNEL

Stations Try Various director for KNBC. Genres to Fill “News Raw” is a research and development facility for the news- Additional Channels room, he said. On for five hours each on Digital Spectrum afternoon, “News Raw” yields mate- rial for the newscasts and the Web By Daisy Whitney site and also gives KNBC a sandbox In the latest digital news pro- in which to try new things. gramming initiative for local broad- As an example, the main channel’s casters, NBC’s flagship station newscasts are now using “News Raw” WNBC-TV in New York is launching a host Mekahlo Medina’s tech tools, 24-hour local information and including Skype video and Webcams, lifestyle subchannel today. for interviews, Mr. Long said. The new subchannel, dubbed “News is the only department that “New York Nonstop,” has the poten- produces anything at most TV sta- tial to reach 5.7 million digital homes tions, so anything that gets on TV will in the New York area, NBC said. probably come out of news,” Mr. Programming the digital spec- Long said. “Clearly news departments trum has been an ongoing challenge had to find new distribution systems for local stations, which, thanks to for their products. It wasn’t that peo- the demise of the analog signal, now ple weren’t consuming news, but they own more television real estate than were bypassing the traditional ways.” they know what to do with. It’s unclear how many people Several digital subchannels can CUTTING-EDGE watch “News Raw” because digital be created in the bandwidth space Mekahlo Medina, host subchannels aren’t rated by Nielsen. previously used by analog channels, of KNBC’s “News Raw,” Expect more news efforts on enabling stations to carry one or uses high-tech tools to digital subchannels, said Tom Pet- more types of programming or serv- produce his show for In addition, NBC will run pro- Other broadcasters around the ner, editor of broadcast news Web ices on the same frequency. the Web as well as the grams from LX.tv, a local lifestyle country also are firing up exten- site TVSpy.com. Many stations are While stations aren’t required to station’s newscasts. content producer that NBC pur- sions of their news franchises to aiming to create multimedia staffs program the new subchannels, some chased a year ago for its New York- the digital sphere. who can work across platforms, are experimenting with niche pro- The launch also dovetails with a centric programs such as “1st Look Chambers Communications- including on digital channels and gramming fare, such as sports net- bigger push on the part of NBC to New York” and “Open House NYC.” owned ABC affiliate KEZI-TV in the Internet, he explained. works and movie channels, while remake its stations into hyper-local Digital news channels are not Eugene, Ore., launched a 24-hour “You’re seeing within the larger others are choosing to run additional destinations, whether on-air or on new to NBC. The media company’s local news channel on its digital sub- groups an effort to reshape and reor- news on the digital tier since news is the Web. Los Angeles station, KNBC-TV, channel 9.2 in January. The new serv- ganize staffs so they can take advan- a low-cost programming option. In the face of declining viewer- debuted one of the first news efforts ice is called “KEZI Nonstop News” tage of these new digital opportuni- NBC said “New York Nonstop” will ship and shrinking ad dollars, NBC for the digital tier three years ago and is billed as western Oregon’s only ties, including those new channels,” debut on subchannel 4.2, with adver- revamped its local Web sites late with “News Raw,” a weekday pro- 24-hour local news channel. he said. “This is obviously not the best tisers on board sponsoring local KEZI launched the news channel time for advertising or ad placement, entertainment, lifestyle, event and as an alternative to the entertain- but then again, you do have a certain news coverage. “You’re seeing within the larger groups ment-centric digital subchannels economy of scale with your staff and WNBC marquee talent Chuck an effort to reshape and reorganize some of its competitors introduced, there’s a huge opportunity to target Scarborough will anchor a 7 p.m. the station said. The digital subchan- your content, much like Cablevision hourlong newscast on the digital staffs so they can take advantage of nel builds off of an initia- does with their News12 channel that will be an expanded ver- these new digital opportunities, tive started last fall to offer operations through the sion of the half-hour news he anchors 10 minutes of nonstop metro New York area.” on the main station. The reformatted including those new channels.” news and weather during Some local stations version for the digital subchannel will Tom Petner, TVSpy.com evening and late news are programming their afford time for more in-depth inter- broadcasts, KEZI said. digital subchannels with views with newsmakers, NBC said. last year into culture, lifestyle and gram that gives KNBC viewers a look News is also a familiar sports. Most of the sta- Mr. Scarborough’s name recogni- news destinations for their mar- into the newsroom, complete with format for advertisers. tions in the NBC-owned tion and following may help boost kets. “New York Nonstop” is editorial meetings and the process of While stations are getting group run Olympic viewership in the early days. emblematic of that broader philos- producing broadcast news. their feet wet with selling sports-centric channel “We’re branching out to multiple ophy at the station group. The news service runs on digital ad space in subchannels, Universal Sports on one ROBERT LONG platforms, and we want to continue Producers at WNBC will pro- channel 4.2 in Los Angeles and fea- news can be a good fit of their subchannels. KNBC-TV to evolve and grow our business and gram specifically for “New York tures viewer-submitted photos and because it’s a natural In addition, many ensure we have long-term viability,” Nonstop,” which also will run news videos, in-depth interviews with extension of a station’s brand. broadcasters have opted to run said Anna Carbonell, spokeswoman and weather every 15 minutes. political figures and local bloggers, But some stations aren’t focused AccuWeather’s local weather chan- for the station. “We’re realigning our- “New York Nonstop” will lean on and live feeds of major press con- on selling spots on their subchan- nels on the digital tier. NBC previ- selves around content because view- Web video creators, independent ferences in the city. “News Raw” is nels. KNBC isn’t selling ads in “News ously offered a digital weather ers have changed and they have dif- producers and filmmakers to help staffed by one reporter, who pulls Raw” and doesn’t have any plans to channel in WeatherPlus, but shut ferent habits and we had to change.” fill the space on the channel. double duty for the main channel. do so, said Robert Long, VP and news down that service late last year. ■