Media General broadcasters in Tampa, Fla. (WFLA), Spartanburg, S.C. (WSPA), Roanoke, Va. (WSLS), Columbus, Ohio (WCMH), and probably at least one additional market will begin airing local news in HD before the end of the year.

MG owns a total of 23 stations, which it says cover about 10 percent of all U.S. TV homes. Nearly all the outlets are affiliates of ABC, CBS or NBC. Ardell Hill, MG's senior vice president of broadcast operations, told TV Newsday this first list of group stations will begin offering local HD newscasts over the next several months.

Hill said visiting NAB2007 in Las Vegas last month demonstrated to him that there is now a "groundswell for doing local HD now." He said MG would probably convert more stations to local HD news in 2008.