The new digital broadcast standard powered by ATSC 3.0 will debut in the Minneapolis-St. Paul market on August 22, and with the conversion of a “lighthouse” UHF station to NEXTGEN TV broadcasts comes an announcement from the NAB of its next PILOT Next Generation TV Fellowship.
For the Twin Cities light-up of NEXTGEN TV, participating local TV broadcasters will be joined by members of the Minnesota Broadcasters Association, the NAB, Pearl TV and the Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Minnesota for a launch event scheduled for Tuesday.
While it is not known which station will serve as the ATSC 3.0 lighthouse, it is known that Sinclair Broadcast Group-owned affiliate of The CW Network, WUCW-23, is adding NEXTGEN TV broadcast capabilities. Joining WUCW are Hubbard-owned KSTP-5; CBS News & Stations WCCO-4, FOX Television Stations’ KMSP-9; and TEGNA’s KARE-11.
All collaborated with Pearl TV on the launch. For Hubbard, it is a milestone transition, as the Minneapolis-based company did not participate in other market launches where it has TV stations.
In fact, Hubbard appears ready to take on the future of broadcast television and its next generation of professionals, as the Hubbard School will host station and network executives, NAB executives, government officials, and university students to officially mark the stations’ switch on the new transmission standard.
Media attendees will get a behind-the-scenes look at the stations’ collaborative work and several future-forward demonstrations of the new service including enhanced video with High Dynamic Range, expanded audio options, interactivity, and internet-delivered content for viewers.
And, coinciding with the launch of the new service, the NAB will announce the University of Minnesota will be the host school for its next PILOT Next Generation TV Fellowship. The fellowship is an immersive program designed to educate and introduce students to television broadcasting through practical experience.
— With reports from RBR+TVBR in Boca Raton, Fla.
