Bob Barker Featured in DTV Public-Service Spots

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Bob Barker, come on down and pitch the DTV switch!

The former host of The Price Is Right was enlisted by the National Association of Broadcasters to star in new digital-TV public-service spots that encourage viewers to upgrade to DTV.

"Bob Barker is an American icon who is instantly recognizable to generations both young and old,” NAB vice president for DTV Jonathan Collegio said, although it is the older generation that is at higher risk of losing TV reception.

In addition to a general public-service announcement, Barker will also front a spot targeted to Wilmington, N.C., where the majority of stations are making the transition early -- Sept. 8 -- to help the Federal Communications Commission gauge the impact of the Feb. 17, 2009, national switch.

John Eggerton
John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.