PROFNET EXPERT ALERTS: Education & Government

PROFNET EXPERT ALERTS: Education & Government

    ____________   TOPIC ALERTS    Digital TV Transition (20 responses)   The Future of Newspapers (continued, 2 responses)    _____________   EXPERT ALERTS    1.  Government: Securities Regulation in the Obama Administration   2.  Politics: President Obama's Role as 'Persuader-in-Chief'   3.  Science: Examining the Impact of Darwin   

DIGITAL TV TRANSITION

On Feb. 17, all full-power broadcast television stations in the United States will stop broadcasting on analog airwaves and begin broadcasting only in digital. Televisions without digital tuners will need a converter box in order to keep working. Following are experts who can comment on the impact to consumers and the industry (followed by the results of a ProfNet Poll on whether consumers are ready for the switchover):

1. TODD SEDMAK, communications director of the NATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, serves as the media relations director for the TV Converter Box Coupon Program, which helps households make the switch to digital television: "Consumers who rely on an antenna to receive free TV, who want to ensure that at least one of their TV sets is working, should consider all their options in switching to digital television, including purchasing a converter box without a coupon. Nielsen has reported that 93 percent of households are prepared for the transition. However, we still have more work to do to ensure that more Americans are ready. In January 2008, Nielsen estimated that there were 14.3 million over- the-air households. As of Jan. 13, 2009, coupons have been distributed to more than 13.5 million households that certify that they rely on an antenna for TV. We are continuing to work to ensure that Americans know their options prior to the transition." Web sites: http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ and http://www.dtv2009.gov/ (1/16/09)

2. FRANK GRAYBILL, lead engineer for THIRTEEN and WLIW21, New York's public television stations: "With so much misinformation and converter box coupon shortages, there is discussion about delaying the digital transition. Pushing back the switchover from analog to digital will only prolong the confusion and will not guarantee people will be prepared. Those who are not ready for the transition by Feb. 17 will most likely not be ready at a later date. Americans who still rely on rabbit ears or an antenna to receive reception must understand that they do not need to buy a new television set, nor do they need to subscribe to cable. They will need a converter box and, in some cases, a dual band UHF/VHF antenna to continue receiving free, over-the-air television. Cable subscribers do not need to do anything, as their cable companies will take care of everything." News Contact: Gloria Park, parkg@wnet.org Phone: +1- 212-560-2063 (1/16/09)

3. GARY SGRIGNOLI, a member of IEEE and president of SGRIGNOLI CONSULTING, a DTV-transmission consulting firm, is an expert on development of broadcast standards, specifically focused on DTV: "There are an alarming number of people out there that do not understand this change and will not be prepared to deal with it. This is especially unfortunate for those people in rural areas that depend on analog television for news, and are unaware of what simple steps they can take to prepare for the change." Sgrignoli was involved with the DTV Station Project in Washington, D.C., helping to develop DTV RF test plans. He has been involved with numerous television broadcast stations around the country, training them for DTV field testing and data analysis, and participated in numerous DTV over-the-air demonstrations. Sgrignoli spent 27 years working as a research and development design engineer for Zenith Electronics Corporation. He is located in Chicago. News Contact: Kori Green, greenk@ruderfinn.com Phone: +1-312-329-3913 Web site: http://www.mswdtv.com/ (1/16/09)

4. GREGORY J. GOLDA, clinical instructor of media studies and coordinator of multimedia productions at SACRED HEART UNIVERSITY in Fairfield, Conn.: "DTV transition has been an interesting confluence of government and corporate interests all angling for good positions. The government is moving this along with the benefit of the corporate money funding campaigns, and the businesses are enjoying a rare opportunity in the market where resistance to such a large-scale technological change is being widely supported, and even enjoyed, by the public with its love of the plasma TV and the associated media technologies like Blu-ray. The under-reported story is what that vacuum created by the cessation of the analog signal means to the public. The FCC has had hundreds of hearings across the country listening to citizens' concerns about how those public airwaves are being redistributed to the corporations and how it will impact free speech, not just in America, but throughout the world." News Contact: Funda Alp, alpf@sacredheart.edu Phone: +1-203-396-8241 (1/16/09)

5. YUVAL BRISKER, CEO of TOA TECHNOLOGIES, a developer of software that predicts in-home service appointment arrivals, can discuss how cable companies can survive the switch from analog to digital without losing customers, and how consumers can have a larger say in the way their service requests are handled: "As the deadline for the switch from analog to digital TV looms, cable companies and consumers alike have failed to calculate the true cost of the conversion. By February, cable companies will have invested in hundreds of thousands of man-hours to schedule and service in-home appointments, while consumers will have wasted even more time as they sit out their four- to six- hour appointment window. But it doesn't have to be this way. The cable industry is plagued with poor customer satisfaction ratings, and it's not getting any better. Some MSOs are making valiant efforts to reduce churn and improve customer service by reducing the wait time of the in-home appointment to less than two hours. In fact, the appointment window can be reduced to 60 minutes, if they wanted to install such timesaving technologies. But why hasn't the cable industry been quick to adopt such convenient and self-serving systems?" News Contact: Maureen Shaw, mshaw@kwitco.com Phone: +1-646-747-7155 (1/16/09)

6. ROB ENDERLE is president and principal analyst of the ENDERLE GROUP, a forward-looking emerging technology advisory firm, and an expert on consumer technology: "Folks who have cable, IPTV or satellite services can generally snooze through this transition; however, people who live on antennas, particularly those that have portable TVs, will either need to buy digital set-top boxes or new TVs. The big problem at the moment is that the funds the government has put aside for rebates have mostly run out, suggesting there will be a lot of folks, come February, who won't be able to watch TV. This will likely, given the economy, be a much more difficult transition than has been anticipated. It could be a huge boon for IPTV, which could benefit the most from this, given how many people will be scrambling to get connected that are already paying for broadband, but didn't consider using it for TV." News Contact: Jessica Mularczyk, mularczykpr@verizon.net Phone: +1-508-498-9300 (1/16/09)

7. DAVID BERMAN, director of training and public relations of the HOME THEATER SPECIALISTS OF AMERICA, an association of high-end electronics integrators around the country: "This transition is a landmark because it's the first time that anyone will be able to see digital picture quality for free. This will open up the high-definition community to people who wouldn't have this opportunity otherwise, and makes HDTV even more mainstream. Truth be told, the large majority of people have already converted -- most of the sets sold in the past few years were digital. Even those who didn't purchase an HDTV have a cable box. But the transition has certainly driven sales, created demand for those 50 and over, and been a positive step for the industry." Berman, who is located in Chester Springs, Pa., can also offer extensive knowledge about the HDTV industry. (1/16/09)

8. CHRIS MAUZY, president and CEO of ZIP EXPRESS INSTALLATION, a home- installation service company, and co-creator of GEEK SQUAD, says the digital television transition is going to leave millions of Americans desperate for solutions on Feb. 17: "Perhaps not as dramatic as its failures during the Gulf Coast hurricanes or in some foreign policy decisions, the federal government's response to the transition to digital broadcasting still stands out as another case of governmental bungling that's going to sting an estimated 20 million television viewers in the United States -- that's more viewers than the entire population of Florida. And, the confusion and inability to find easy solutions hits Americans least able to cope with these difficulties, including the elderly, minorities and disabled communities." Mauzy is based in Minneapolis. News Contact: Chad Giron, chad@dbcpr.com Phone: +1-202-292-4560 (1/16/09)

9. LEO DELGADO, CEO of CSI ASSOCIATES, a group of cable TV consultants based in South Florida: "Communities composed of elderly residents are the least likely to understand the changeover from analog to digital. Some of them have gone out and bought expensive digital television sets, thinking that they are going to lose their off-air television signals, even though they are subscribing to cable or satellite television. The same confusion exists in the minority or ethnic communities. A lot more education needs to be done before Feb. 17." News Contact: Michelle Friedman, mfriedman@boardroompr.com Phone: +1-954-370-8999

10. PAUL RYDER, vice president of consumer electronics and wireless businesses for AMAZON.COM, can discuss retail trends in regards to DTV, best- selling boxes, HDTVs and more: "On average, we have seen a 134 percent increase in month-to-month sales (by unit) for converter boxes since Amazon.com began accepting the government DTV coupons last September." News Contact: Erin Byram, ebyram@webershandwick.com Phone: +1-212-445-8174 Cell: +1-646-872-2812 (1/16/09)

11. CHRISTINE WATKINS, CEO of INVISION, a provider of advertising sales solutions, managing the sales of TV inventory for broadcast networks, cable networks, ethnic market media and syndication television: "After years of predictions about 'digital convergence,' we can now see it clearly on the horizon. By next month, all TV broadcasters will shift to digital delivery. At the same time, the Internet has matured from a testing ground to a mainstream media buy for nearly every major brand. Giant hardware companies are rapidly developing new devices that will soon marry watching television with being online. The interactivity and accountability of Internet advertising will become an inevitable part of broadcast and cable television. This enormously complex issue will have major implications for those who will be the big winners in the future." Watkins can answer questions such as: How will these vast technological advancements affect the buying and selling of media, and the delivery of media to the consumer? Will it ever be possible to use a single interface to place ads in all-digital media? If so, how will it work? News Contact: George Simpson, george@georgesimpson.com Phone: +1-203-521-0352 (1/16/09)

12. LINETTE GEORGE is president of GET ORGANIZED BY GEORGE, member of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZERS (NAPO), a non-profit group committed to helping the public understand the importance of being organized, and a member of NAPO-Chicago's Green Team. George is encouraging consumers to consider recycling their old TV set, instead of dumping it in landfills when the digital TV transition takes effect: "How many millions of televisions are going to be chucked? Most people still think they can throw those in the landfill. If people know what chemicals are in TVs, that might help. I look at my computer and I don't see toxic. I just see a computer." George can provide home organizing tips for individuals as they embark on outfitting their living room with a new TV. She resides in Lombard, Ill. News Contact: Theresa Katalinas, theresa@comsolutionsgroup.com Phone: +1-215-884-6499 (1/16/09)

13. HOLLY MACHINA is president of PRECISION ORGANIZERS COMPANY, member of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZERS (NAPO), a non-profit group committed to helping the public understand the importance of being organized, and a member of NAPO-Chicago's Green Team. Machina is encouraging consumers to consider recycling their old TV set, instead of dumping it in landfills when the digital TV transition takes effect: "Really, the best green choice we can make is to keep our existing TVs and buy the conversion box. Older TVs are comparable or more energy-efficient than most of the flat-panels. In fact, plasma TVs eat up a ton of energy, almost the amount of energy as a refrigerator." Machina can also provide home organizing tips for individuals as they embark on outfitting their living room with a new TV. Machina resides in Riverside, Ill. News Contact: Theresa Katalinas, theresa@comsolutionsgroup.com Phone: +1-215-884-6499 (1/16/09)

14. Following are experts from the GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY who can comment:

-- DR. JOY LASKAR heads a research group with a focus on integration of high- frequency electronics with optoelectronics, and integration of mixed technologies for next-generation wireless and optoelectronic systems. He has authored or co-authored more than 400 papers, several book chapters, three books (including two books in development), numerous invited talks, and has more than 40 patents issued or pending. Most recently, his work has resulted in the formation of two companies. In 1998, he co-founded RF Solutions, an advanced WLAN IC company, which is now part of Anadgics (NASDAQ:Anad) . In 2001, Laskar co-founded Quellan, a next-generation interconnect company, which is developing collaborative signal processing solutions for the enterprise, video, storage and wireless markets.

-- DR. PAUL STEFFES, professor of electrical and computer engineering, received the S.B. and S.M. degrees in Electrical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), in Cambridge, Mass., in 1977, and the Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University in California in 1982. His doctoral research at Stanford University concentrated on microwave radio occultation experiments using the Voyager and Mariner spacecraft, with specific interest in microwave absorption in planetary atmospheres. In 1982, Steffes joined the faculty of Georgia Tech. His research has been sponsored by NASA, the NSF, the SETI Institute and by the industry. He has been involved with numerous NASA missions, including Pioneer Venus, Magellan, the Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS), and the High Resolution Microwave Survey (HRMS).

-- DR. HELENA MITCHELL, Ph.D, is the executive director of the Center for Advanced Communications Policy. She guides the development of the technology policy agenda and creates programs and services to strengthen Georgia's leadership in advanced technology. Mitchell holds the rank of principal research scientist for the Georgia Institute of Technology and is the principal investigator and director for a $5 million grant for a Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on mobile wireless technologies for persons with disabilities. In tandem, she directs the Innovative and Dynamic Educational Applications for Learning (IDEAL) lab, which is a collaboration of experts creating innovative technologies that span educational, community and business environments. Her areas of specialty include spectrum management, educational technologies, regulatory and legislative policy, DTV, emergency/public safety communications, and universal service to rural and vulnerable populations.

-- PROFESSOR GREGORY DURGIN joined the faculty of the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering in fall 2003. He received the BSEE ('96), MSEE ('98), and Ph.D. ('00) degrees from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. In 2001, he was awarded the Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) post-doctoral fellow and spent one year as a visiting researcher at Morinaga Laboratory in Osaka University. In 1998, he received the Stephen O. Rice prize (with co-authors Theodore S. Rappaport and Hao Xu) for best original journal article in the IEEE Transactions on Communications. Durgin also authored "Space-Time Wireless Channels," the first textbook in the field of space-time channel modeling. Durgin serves on the IEEE Wave Propagation Standards Committee. He has won several teaching awards, as well as the National Science Foundation Career research award. He serves regularly as a consultant to the industry.

-- DR. NIKIL S. JAYANT is executive director of the GEORGIA CENTERS FOR ADVANCED TELECOMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY (GCATT), director of the GEORGIA TECH Broadband Institute (GTBI) and director of the MULTIMEDIA COMMUNICATIONS LABORATORY. Jayant, who grew up in Bangalore, India, obtained his BSc in physics and mathematics from Mysore University, and the BE and Ph.D. degrees in electrical communications engineering from the Indian Institute of Science. As part of his doctoral program, he was a research associate at Stanford University. Jayant joined Georgia Tech in 1998. He is a co-founder of an ATDC company, EGT, and a VentureLab company, VQLink.

News Contact: Don Fernandez, don.fernandez@comm.gatech.edu Phone: +1-404-894- 6016

15. SHERMAZE INGRAM is the senior director of media relations for the digital television transition, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF BROADCASTERS (NAB), which is educating America about the Feb. 17 transition to digital television. NAB experts can discuss technical aspects of the DTV transition. Ingram is located in Washington, D.C. News Contacts: Rob Volmer, rvolmer@cvic.com Phone: +1-202- 232-6572, and Ashley Dos Santos, adossantos@cvic.com Phone: +1-202-232-6571 (1/16/09)

16. LINDA YUN is the media relations manager of the digital television transition, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF BROADCASTERS (NAB), which is educating America about the Feb. 17 transition to digital television. NAB experts can discuss technical aspects of the DTV transition. She is located in Washington, D.C. News Contacts: Rob Volmer, rvolmer@cvic.com Phone: +1-202-232-6572, and Ashley Dos Santos, adossantos@cvic.com Phone: +1-202-232-6571 (1/16/09)

17. PROFNET POLL:

We asked 100 people: Are you ready for the digital TV transition?

Yes: 84% No: 16%

[Note: This is an unscientific poll. Users were asked at random.]

THE FUTURE OF NEWSPAPERS

We've added the following to items posted previously at http://tinyurl.com/9v4v76

1. UPENDRA SHARDANAND, CEO of DAYLIFE, an online news content provider: "What is in danger is investigative journalism -- the economics for supporting that doesn't exist online or offline. For that to survive, trust and foundations will need to intervene. Government source is possible, but can't be the sole solution -- you need a diverse community of funders. Newspapers -- sources of news and information -- survive and, in fact, flourish. They may not be the same brands, and it will become incredibly fragmented, but as the industry is restructured and a lot of efficiencies are found, the barrier to launching a new news property is actually decreasing. One could launch a local site in Cleveland, for example, using a small handful of writers focusing on highly differentiated, local content; use a content service for everything else; and outsource IT, monetization, etc." News Contact: Tim Cox, tim@zingpr.com Phone: +1-650-369-7784 Web site: http://www.daylife.com/ (1/20/09)

2. BOB BELLACK, chairman of ZETABID, a partnership of the Los Angeles Times Media Group and two other firms selling bank-owned properties, can talk about how the future of newspapers is finding new markets for its primary product -- ad space: "Ad space will continue to be the driver of growth for newspapers, but as an industry, we need to think differently about how we leverage our most prized asset. Given the changing distribution model and readership habits, newspapers need to be aggressive about creating new markets for ad space. The possibilities are limited only by our imagination." News Contact: Greg Berardi, greg@bluemarlinpartners.com Phone: +1-415-239-7826 Web site: http://www.zetabid.com/ (1/20/09)

_____________ EXPERT ALERTS

1. GOVERNMENT: SECURITIES REGULATION IN THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION. STUART C. JOHNSON, partner at BRYAN CAVE LLP in Atlanta: "Securities regulation will be broader in the Obama administration. Regulation of hedge funds, swaps, derivatives, etc., is likely. The real issue is whether the regulation will be additive to the market." News Contact: Luis Mocete, luis.mocete@bryancave.com Phone: +1-212-541-1141 (1/21/09)

2. POLITICS: PRESIDENT OBAMA'S ROLE AS 'PERSUADER-IN-CHIEF'. NANCY SNOW, associate professor of public diplomacy, is currently teaching a graduate- level course at SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications on President Obama's first 100 days in office. Snow is an expert on Obama's role as "persuader-in-chief": "The 44th president is a master of message and image control. His calm and disciplined approach to managing government will be a welcome change for this country after eight years of a roller coaster ride -- from 9/11 to 'Axis of Evil,' 'Shock and Awe' to 'Mission Accomplished.' Obama is no Messiah, but he is messianic. We expect better things for a nation in need of an extreme makeover." Snow's book, "Persuader-in-Chief: Global Opinion and Public Diplomacy in the Age of Obama" (Nimble Books), was released on Inauguration Day. She is the author of "The Arrogance of American Power: What U.S. Leaders Are Doing Wrong and Why It's Our Duty to Dissent"; "Information War: American Propaganda, Free Speech and Opinion Control Since 9/11"; "Propaganda, Inc.: Selling America's Culture to the World"; and an editor of "Routledge Handbook of Public Diplomacy and War, Media and Propaganda: A Global Perspective." Web site: http://www.nancysnow.com/ (1/21/09)

3. SCIENCE: EXAMINING THE IMPACT OF DARWIN. EMILY BUCHHOLTZ, professor of biological sciences at WELLESLEY COLLEGE: "Charles Darwin's 1859 work, 'The Origin of Species,' contains both exhaustive evidence supporting the fact of evolution and an argument for natural selection as its principle mechanism. This is the seminal text in the field of biology, as it changed our view of ourselves, revealing our genealogical relationship to all living organisms. This profound insight has influenced the arts, social sciences, and sciences, shaping our modern world." Buchholtz and other experts will address "Darwin's Impact," a symposium held Thursday, Feb. 12, at 4 p.m. in Tishman Commons, Wang Campus Center on the Wellesley campus. News Contact: Arlie Corday, acorday@wellesley.edu Phone: +1-781-283-3321 Web site: http://www.wellesley.edu/PublicAffairs/Releases/2009/011409.html (1/21/09)

PROFNET is an exclusive service of PR Newswire. To submit an Opportunity by e-mail: profnet@profnet.com To consult the ProfNet Experts Database: http://www.prnewswire.com/profnet To contact ProfNet by phone: +1-800-PROFNET, ext. 1 To share a thought on ProfNet Expert Alerts: profnetalerts@prnewswire.com

PRNewswire -- Jan. 21

Source: ProfNet

NOTE TO EDITORS: The following experts have provided direct contact information: Todd Sedmak, National Telecommunications and Information Administration press@ntia.doc.gov Phone: +1-202-482-7002; Rob Enderle, Enderle Group renderle@enderlegroup.com Phone: +1-408-272-8560; David Berman, Home Theater Specialists of America david@htsa.net Phone: +1-610-363-9055 ext. 305; Shermaze Ingram, National Association of Broadcasters singram@nab.org Phone: +1-202-429-5477; Linda Yun, National Association of Broadcasters lyun@nab.org Phone: +1-202-429-4190; Upendra Shardanand, Daylife upendra@daylife.com Phone: +1-212-219-1022, ext. 4006; Nancy Snow, Syracuse University nsnow@syr.edu Phone: +1-310-995-7669

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Profile: International Entertainment