BALTIMORE -- Sinclair Broadcast Group is firing up the mobile DTV exciters at 10 stations in nine markets over the next six months. Currently, Sinclair, in partnership with Cunningham Broadcasting, provides mobile DTV on two stations--WSYX-TV and WTTE-TV--in Columbus, Ohio.
“As local broadcasters who serve our communities every day, we witness first-hand the value our content and services provide to millions of viewers and businesses,” commented Mark Aitken, vice president of Advanced Technology for Sinclair and chairman of the ATSC A/153 mobile DTV standardization activity and a broadcast industry leader in developing next generation television opportunities. “The pace of technology makes it imperative for broadcasters to continue to lead in serving our communities. Broad adoption of mobile DTV, as a part of our local broadcast television offering, is the next step. We are confident our network partners will see the value mobile simulcasting brings in building station and network brands, audience share, and local television relevancy.”
Sinclair, a long-time mobile TV advocate and founding member of the Mobile500 Alliance, has agreed to commit certain of its Fox affiliates to operate within the Mobile Content Venture’s Dyle mobile TV environment, as the M500 and MCV continue to work towards a common platform solution. Dyle technology includes a conditional-access authentication process, allowing for measurement and targeted advertising. Sinclair’s non-Fox affiliates will use the Mobile500 MyDTV application, which uses, Sinclair said, “a similar level of user information and conditional authentication.”
“In supporting today’s mobile DTV standard, along with other local broadcasters in these markets, we will enhance the local broadcast television experience for free to our viewers,” Aitken said. “Broadcast mobile DTV will allow the delivery of new broadcast services and products, greater access to news and events, and allows broadcasters to continue to maximize the effective use of the nation’s spectrum resources.”
The stations and markets that Sinclair will support MobileDTV are:
Austin, Texas: KEYE (CBS)
Baltimore: WBFF (Fox)
Cincinnati: WKRC (CBS)
Columbus, Ohio: WSYX (ABC) - already on air
Columbus, Ohio: WTTE (Fox) - already on air
Dayton, Ohio: WKEF (ABC)
Dayton, Ohio: WRGT (Fox)
Asheville, N.C.: WLOS (ABC)
Pittsburgh: WPGH (Fox)
Salt Lake City: KUTV (CBS)
St. Louis: KDNL (ABC)
West Palm Beach, Fla.: WPEC (CBS)
