Martin Revs Up DTV Push with NASCAR

The FCC is paying $350,000 to sponsor NASCAR driver David Gilliland as part of the agency's effort to get the word out on the DTV transition. Car No. 38 will carry multiple messages, including "Is your TV Ready for Digital?"
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TVNewsCheck,

Proving that his North Carolina roots run deep, FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said the FCC will sponsor NASCAR No. 38 entry with driver David Gilliland for three upcoming races in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series as part of the agency's effort to get the word out on the DTV transition.

The FCC DTV sponsorship will debut at Martinsville Speedway on Oct. 19 followed by the races at the Phoenix International Raceway on Nov. 9 and Homestead-Miami Speedway on Nov. 16.

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"I believe this sponsorship is an extremely effective way for the FCC to raise DTV awareness among people of all ages and income levels across the United States who loyally follow one of the most popular sports in America," said Martin in a prepared statement.

In his statement, Gilliland said he was flattered to be chosen to carry the message about the DTV transition, which will culminate with the shut off of analog service on Feb. 17, 2009.

"Yates Racing has had a tremendous 2008 season which allowed us to have a variety of important partnerships, and our No. 38 Digital TV Transition Ford will be another great example of partners who believe in the reach that we have," he said.

FCC is spending $350,000 ($450,000 less a government discount) for the sponsorship package, which includes messages on the car and on Gilliland's uniform, according to FCC spokesman Clyde Ensslin.

Messages on the hood and back of the car will read "Is Your TV Ready for Digital?" The car will also feature an image of an old analog TV with a yellow diagonal banner across it that says "Digital TV Transition" with the analog cut-off date of February 17, 2009.

Gilliland's uniform will carry the Web address of the FCC's informational site, www.dtv.gov.

There will also be DTV banners at each of the three sponsored races.

Ensslin noted that the FCC is also targeting seniors, buying full-page ads in AARP's Bulletin and its AARP magazine, each of which has a circulation of 24 million, plus the 800,000-circulation Spanish-language version of the magazine.

The print ads will include mail-in applications for converter box coupons.

According to the FCC, NASCAR is among the most popular sports in the country.

Seventeen of the top 20 highest-attended sporting events in the U.S. annually are NASCAR events, with average attendance topping 125,000 per event for the 36 point races during the 10 month season.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is the number-two-rated regular-season sport on television with nearly 8 million viewers tuned in weekly, and features 36 races at 22 different tracks across the country, the agency said.

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