Zenith Marks Final Week of Analog Television With Donations of Hundreds of Converter Boxes for Needy Viewers

Zenith Marks Final Week of Analog Television With Donations of Hundreds of Converter Boxes for Needy Viewers

Leading Converter Box Manufacturer LG Electronics Suggests June 13 Saturday Morning Channel Scanning over First Cup of Coffee

WASHINGTON, June 8 /PRNewswire/ -- In the last few days of full-power analog TV broadcasting, LG Electronics is helping hundreds of viewers in Houston, Dallas, Albuquerque and Seattle keep their analog TVs going with a free Zenith-brand digital TV converter box. The donated converter boxes will help viewers in communities considered most "unready" for Friday's switch by full-power TV broadcasters to all-digital service.

Zenith and its parent company, LG Electronics, also are reminding over-the-air converter box and digital TV set viewers that it will be important to re-scan for channels on Saturday morning, since hundreds of digital TV broadcasters will be moving to new channel assignments during the June 12 transition.

Over the past two weeks, more than 200 Zenith digital TV converters have been shipped to the Area Agency on Aging in Houston, to the Dallas Concilio of Hispanic Service Organizations, to the Barelas Senior Center in Albuquerque and to Reclaim the Media, a leading community outreach organization in the Seattle.

"Throughout this transition, we are proud to have strongly supported the federal government and its outreach to hundreds of community organizations by providing Zenith converter boxes for demonstration purposes, said Zenith Senior Vice President Richard Lewis. "Those demonstration units have now been repurposed and sent to viewers who are most in need of help."

Converters Help Needy Viewers

"We are very grateful to LG for this donation of Zenith converters," said Elizabeth Rubalcava, affiliate relations director of the Dallas Concilio of Hispanic Service Organizations. "Many of the boxes are being distributed to low-income Hispanic families during this Tuesday's Knowledge is Power community meeting in Dallas. The Hispanic families that we serve rely on TV for international news, community information, educational programming and free entertainment," Rubalcava said. "Because of the current economic situation, many families cannot afford to make purchasing a digital TV converter box a priority. But with LG's generosity, we can help some of those families continue to enjoy television and stay connected to the world around them."

Wade Henderson, CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights added that the LCCR Education Fund "commends LG's efforts to help the most vulnerable communities of our country maintain access to essential information and emergency alerts. In these uncertain economic times, donations like these go far for needy families."

"With these much-needed DTV converter boxes, some of the neediest families in the Seattle area will be able to make a successful and cost-free transition to digital by June 12. It is critical that everyone has access to vital news and information, and we're pleased that our work in the community has helped us identify and quickly assist 65 Seattle families that most need converter boxes with this generous donation from LG and Zenith," said Karen Toering from the Reclaim the Media DTV Assistance Center in Seattle.

Zenith's Lewis added, "Over the past year, we've also donated hundreds of converter boxes to organizations in Missouri, North Carolina, Arkansas, Texas, New Mexico, California and Minnesota to help as many people as we can to prepare for the final digital switch. Millions of consumers have also purchased Zenith converter boxes for use at home, and we continue to offer free telephone support to anyone with a Zenith converter box as well as easy-to-follow installation instructions at ConnectYourBox.com and ConecteSuConvertidor.com."

Saturday Scanning Recommended

Zenith is urging analog TV viewers to install their boxes now to begin enjoying the benefits of digital broadcasting and to avoid possible confusion about receiving the new digital channels on Friday. Additionally, LG Electronics is reminding over-the-air converter box and digital TV set viewers that it will be important to re-scan for channels on Saturday morning, since hundreds of digital TV broadcasters will be moving to new channel assignments during Friday's transition.

"More than 600 local TV stations will move to new digital channels as part of Friday's final switch," Lewis said, "so it's important to start your day on Saturday by re-scanning for channels with your converter box. That's very easy to do with the Zenith converter box -- just touch the MENU button on the remote control and select AUTO TUNING on the Setup menu. The box will automatically scan for new channels in just a few seconds, even before you can finish your first cup of coffee." Channels can also be manually added or deleted from the same Setup screen.

In addition to installation assistance for analog TVs and VCRs on www.ConnectYourBox.com, the Zenith digital TV transition Web site (www.zenith.com/dtv) also includes an online video that, among other things, shows how to scan the new digital channels with a touch of a button on the box's remote control. Fully captioned and also available online in Spanish at ConecteSuConvertidor.com, the video shows how easy it is to connect a converter box to an analog TV.

Final Transition is Here: Be Prepared

President Obama is urging all Americans to make sure they are prepared for this Friday's switch. "The transition to digital will free up airwaves for broadband and enhanced emergency communications for our police officers, firefighters, and other first responders.

"We have worked hand in hand with state and local officials, broadcasters, and community groups to educate and assist millions of Americans with the transition. The number of households unprepared for digital television has been cut in half. Still, some people are not ready. I want to be clear: there will not be another delay," President Obama said.

The Zenith DTT901 - endorsed by low-power community broadcasters, full-power broadcasters, and environmental and disability advocates for its ease-of-use and low energy consumption - combines advanced digital technology in a simple package for consumers. It has been one of the most popular boxes among consumers and widely used by the government, broadcasters and community groups as part of the coordinated DTV consumer outreach programs.

Source: Zenith Electronics

CONTACT: John Taylor of Zenith Electronics, +1-847-941-8181,
john.taylor@zenith.com; or Dave Arland, +1-317-701-0084, dave@arlandcom.com,
for Zenith Electronics

Web Site: http://www.zenith.com/
http://www.connectyourbox.com/

-------
Profile: intent