NAB's Rehr Talks Up Broadcasting

REHR TALKS UP BROADCASTING
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
NAB President David Rehr said Wednesday that broadcasters need to do a better job of selling their strengths, which are localism, digital, and the power of its programming in the marketplace. "You might say that we have inadvertently relinquished some of the excitement occurring in broadcasting to our competitors by not being more proactive," he told a National Press Club audience in Washington. "That ends today." Rehr said the association's top priority in 2007 would be a massive public information campaign -- he likened it to a presidential run -- on the digital transition. The National Telecommunications & Information Association has been given only $5 million for its education campaign on the transition and has called on a lot of help from the industry. Rehr said NAB would reach out to third parties, but that he didn't expect The Ad Council to be part of the effort. Rehr said that broadcasters had too long allowed the "misimpression" that cable and satellite were more competitive than they really are, and he was out to change that. "This misconception affects our ability to attract investment, ad dollars, personnel and create momentum in the marketplace," he said.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6378118.html?display=Breaking...

* A Headlines reader shared a transcript of Rehr's speech and Q&A that followed. It included this exchange: Q -- "The law giving you control over broadcast licenses requires you to use them in the public interest. Do you feel you are doing that?" Rehr: "I think broadcasters really don't get enough credit for what they're doing in the public interest. And part of the things that I, hopefully with our staff, intend to do with the NAB is just to make people more aware of all the wonderful things these generous business people do to make their communities better. But yes, I think we are serving the public interest very, very well."
-- See "What Community Service?" http://www.benton.org/benton_files/whatservice.doc

* Rehr Urges Stations to promote Digital
http://www.tvnewsday.com/articles/2006/10/04/daily.11/

* NAB to Publicize Digital TV Transition
http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=10032...

* Rehr Declares Broadcasting as "Overwhelming Choice" of Media
http://www.nab.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=News_Room&CONTENTID=6933&TEMP...