As part of its commitment to educate Central Indiana citizens about rapidly approaching changes to our nation's television landscape-- WFYI Public Television, in partnership with the Indiana Broadcasters Association, recently extended an invitation to the general managers of Indy's seven major television stations to appear in a new public service announcement about next year's digital television conversion.

The thirty-second spot, which was written and produced by WRTV 6 and recorded during a production session at WFYI Public Television's studios on St. Patrick's Day, is designed to alert local viewers to the nationwide switch from analog broadcasting to all digital broadcasting. By law, all full-power television stations in the United States must cease analog broadcasting on February 17, 2009.

The spot features several local broadcast leaders, including:

Lloyd Wright, President & CEO, WFYI Public Television (PBS) Don Lundy, General Manager, WRTV 6 (ABC) Jim Tellus, Vice-President and General Manager, WTHR-TV Channel 13 (NBC) Jeff White, General Manager, WISH-TV Channel 8 (CBS) and WNDY 23 (My Network TV) Jerry Martin, General Manager, WTTV 4 (CW) and WXIN 59 (FOX)

This timely PSA is scheduled to premiere Monday, March 24 on all seven of the participating Indianapolis television stations. Many of the stations also plan to feature information about this collaborative effort during their local newscast that evening. WFYI Public Television will unveil the spot following its March 24 broadcast of The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer.

Once the digital television conversion is complete in early 2009, virtually every Central Indiana household with a television (that's equipped with a digital converter box, an HD tuner or cable services) will readily receive WFYI Public Television's many DTV services, which include: WFYI DT 20.1 -- a visually stunning lineup of PBS digital presentations; WFYI DT 20.2 -- a digitally enhanced version of WFYI Public Television; and WFYI DT 20.3 -- a mix of PBS encores, BBC hits, how-to programs and Classical Arts Showcase. And, on the horizon, The Indiana Channel -- a new DTV service that will offer programming about Indiana's three branches of government, in addition to locally-produced documentaries showcasing Indiana's rich history and cultural heritage.