ALEXANDRIA, Va., April 5, 2002 - The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) today announced that more than one-half (54.43 percent) of the television households in the United States can receive a digital television signal from their local member station. Stations have been coming online at a fast pace, especially in the last year. PBS now has 69 DTV transmitters, or more than 25 percent of the total 271 stations currently broadcasting a digital signal. With more than a year to go before the federally mandated deadline for the DTV transition, this momentum is a sign of public television's aggressive drive to deploy digital technology for the American public.
"In the entire broadcasting industry, only public television is dedicated to developing the potential of the digital spectrum for use in the education and public service arenas," said Edward P. Caleca, senior vice president, PBS Technology and Operations. "The credit for the strides we have made in the digital transition belongs to the dedicated professionals who have been working at their local stations to meet their own self-imposed deadlines. Their determination and ingenuity are making the promise of DTV a reality. We expect the total number of digital PBS member stations to continue growing steadily."
The digital transition presents many opportunities for public television to further its mission and to continue bringing high quality, educational programming to the American public. More significantly, DTV opens up a host of additional opportunities that are not possible with today's analog television, such as datacasting and interactive television programs. PBS showcases at least one DTV program each month. In April, viewers can tune into The Shape of Life, American Family and NOVA "Japan's Secret Garden" in High Definition, as well as many other programs broadcast in Widescreen Standard Definition (check local listings). PBS also offers the PBS KIDS® Channel and PBS YOU, a lifelong learning service, as multicast options.
For more information about DTV, including the complete list of public television stations that are broadcasting a digital signal, visit the PBS Digital Television Web site.
PBS, headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, is a private, nonprofit media enterprise owned and operated by the nation's 349 public television stations. Serving nearly 90 million people each week, PBS enriches the lives of all Americans through quality programs and education services on noncommercial television, the Internet and other media. More information about PBS is available at PBS.org
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Contact:
Jan McNamara, PBS
(703) 739-5028