With less than a year until the analog television shutdown, the transition to digital television will dominate the events at NAB 2008 in Las Vegas. A dedicated line-up of programs focuses on consumer, technology and regulation issues.
Executives from the broadcasting and cable industries will participate in an in-depth panel discussion on partnership opportunities available during the transition to digital television. The panel discussion will be held on Monday, April 14 at 3:30 p.m. during the NAB Show in Las Vegas.
Titled “DTV Transition: Partnership Opportunities for Cable Operators and Broadcasters,“ the discussion will include Raycom Media president and CEO Paul McTear, Time Warner Cable president and CEO Glenn Britt, Comcast Cable West Division president Brad Dusto, Advance/Newhouse Communications chairman and CEO Robert Miron, and National Cable & Telecommunications Association president and CEO Kyle McSlarrow.
A joint session, titled “The Buck Stops Here! DTV Transition Best Practices,” will be one of the highlights in the show’s extensive schedule of DTV-related discussions on topics ranging from consumer education to technology requirements to regulatory compliance.
In the joint session, co-hosted by the Association for Maximum Service Television (MSTV) and NAB, DTV experts will address critical issues facing broadcast stations, including consumer education, tower work, equipment purchases, FCC approvals and coordination with cable and satellite companies that remains unresolved.
The joint session is a town hall-style forum that will also take place on April 14, and will be moderated by former FCC chairman Richard Wiley and David Donovan, president of MSTV.
In addition to this year’s comprehensive line-up of DTV panels and experts, the NAB Show will also feature a “DTV Trekker,” a 20ft-long customized truck designed to look like a television. The “Trekker” is part of NAB’s traveling road show to bring information about the DTV transition to Americans across the country.
Additional DTV sessions include: “Coming in 2009: Mobile DTV from the Broadcast Television Industry;” “DTV Audio in a File-Based World;” DTV Broadcasting for Mobile and Handheld;” “DTV Transition: Partnership Opportunities for Cable Operators and Broadcasters;” “How Tomorrow’s TV Might Look Like...Differences and Progress;” “Mobile TV: Opportunity at 100 MPH!;” “Show Me the Money...Business Models and ROI;” “Taming DTV Loudness and Consistency Issues—A Discussion of Strategies to Improve the Listener Experience;” “Television Music Licensing in the Digital World;” “The DTV Transition: Turning the Corner;” and “The Future of Digital Media in Television, Film, Newspapers, Magazines, and Advertising.”
