Major Broadcasters Launch NEXTGEN TV On Seven Local Television Stations In Portland, OR

PORTLAND, Ore., July 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Seven leading local television stations in Portland, OR, including KATU (ABC), KOIN (CBS), KGW (NBC), KPTV (Fox), KOPB-TV (PBS), KRCW-TV (CW) and KPDX (MyNet), today became among the first in the nation to begin broadcasting with NEXTGEN TV, a revolutionary new digital broadcast technology. Based on the same fundamental technology as the Internet, digital applications, and other web services, NEXTGEN TV can support a wide range of features currently in development, such as immersive audio and video (up to 4K), broadcasting to mobile devices, personalized viewing tools, and advanced emergency alerts providing rich media instead of simple text messages. NEXTGEN TV also allows full integration with 5G and other broadband-delivered Internet content.

Powered by ATSC 3.0, NEXTGEN TV is the most significant broadcast technology upgrade ever. Today's launch in Portland is one of the first in the country for NEXTGEN TV and follows a decade of development of the new technology and a year of planning and preparation by the local stations. BitPath, which is developing new data broadcasting services, led the planning process and coordinated efforts across the seven television stations.

The participating stations have cooperated to ensure that current programming remains available to all viewers, regardless of whether their television service is provided over-the air or by a cable or satellite company. Antenna viewers can simply rescan their TV sets to ensure full service.  Rescan instructions are available at: kptv.com/site/nextgen_tv.html and fcc.gov/rescan. Cable and satellite subscribers need not take any action.

Tom Casey, Vice President of Engineering and Technology for Meredith's Local Media Group, owner of KPTV and KPDX, said, "Meredith has long been committed to bringing forward NEXTGEN TV, and we're excited for this first step of many as we work to best serve our communities with cutting edge technology."

"Today's launch in Portland marks an important milestone in our effort to upgrade the television viewing experience for Nexstar's consumers and advertisers," said Brett Jenkins, EVP and Chief Technology Officer for Nexstar, owner of KOIN and KRCW-TV. "This deployment of NEXTGEN TV in a key top-25 market not only continues the momentum we have built over the last several weeks with the roll-out of this advanced technology in markets such as Las Vegas, Nashville and Salt Lake City, it further enhances the value of Nexstar's spectrum by enabling us to deliver the highest-quality viewing experience in tandem with Internet-based information and hyper-targeted advertising. The day is rapidly approaching when we will be able to provide the full suite of benefits of NEXTGEN TV to all of the communities served by Nexstar television stations across the country."

Mark Aitken, Senior Vice President of Advanced Technology for Sinclair Broadcast Group, owner of KATU, said, "150 years ago, Portland was in the midst of an era of phenomenal growth.  A century and a half later, it is only appropriate for us to nurture a new technological growth spurt for this dynamic city.  We are quite excited to introduce the exciting benefits of NEXTGEN TV to the residents of Portland, providing them an extraordinary new viewing experience."

"The future of television in Portland begins today, as the launch of NEXTGEN TV opens the door for innovations that offer a more enriching experience for viewers across platforms," said Kurt Rao, SVP and Chief Technology Officer of TEGNA, which owns KGW. "TEGNA is proud to have partnered with other local broadcasters to bring NEXTGEN TV to Portland, and we look forward to expanding this new and exciting technology to more TEGNA markets."

Steven Bass, President and CEO of OPB, said, "As a public service organization, OPB is pleased to join our broadcasting colleagues in bringing a new level of service to residents of our region."

John Hane, President of BitPath, said, "Today's launch marks the largest ATSC 3.0 deployment supported by BitPath's transition team to date.  KOIN, KATU, and KRCW-TV will soon join more than two dozen other leading ATSC 3.0 television stations as charter participants in the groundbreaking data broadcasting network being launched by BitPath later this year. We look forward to bringing exciting new data broadcasting services to the greater Portland area."

About KPTV and KPDX – Meredith

Meredith Corporation has been committed to service journalism for 118 years. Meredith uses multiple distribution platforms—including broadcast television, print, digital and video—to provide consumers with content they desire and to deliver the messages of its advertising and marketing partners. Meredith's National Media Group reaches more than 190 million unduplicated American consumers every month, including nearly 95 percent of U.S. women.  Meredith's Local Media Group includes 17 television stations, reaching 11 percent of U.S. households. Meredith's stations produce more than 745 hours of local news and entertainment content each week, and operate leading local digital destinations. Meredith also owns MNI Targeted Media, which delivers targeted advertising solutions to more than 1,200 clients on a local, regional and national level.

About KOIN and KRCW-TV – Nexstar

KOIN and KRCW-TV are leading television stations in Portland, OR, owned and operated by Nexstar Broadcasting, a wholly owned subsidiary of Nexstar Media Group (NASDAQ: NXST).  Nexstar is the nation's largest operator of local television stations and a leading diversified media company that leverages localism to bring new services and value to consumers and advertisers through its broadcasting, digital and mobile media platforms.  KOIN is affiliated with the CBS network and KRCW-TV is affiliated with the CW Network. 

About KATU - Sinclair

KATU is a leading Portland television station owned and operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: SBGI), a diversified media company and leading provider of local sports and news.  KATU is affiliated with the ABC Network.  Sinclair owns and/or operates 23 regional sports network brands; owns, operates and/or provides services to 191 television stations in 89 markets; is a leading local news provider in the country; owns multiple national networks; and has TV stations affiliated with all the major broadcast networks. For more information, please visit katu.com and sbgi.net.

About KGW – TEGNA

KGW is TEGNA's NBC affiliate in Portland, Oregon serving Oregon and Southwest Washington. TEGNA Inc. (NYSE: TGNA) is an innovative media company that serves the greater good of our communities. Across platforms, TEGNA tells empowering stories, conducts impactful investigations and delivers innovative marketing solutions. With 62 television stations in 51 markets, TEGNA is the largest owner of top 4 affiliates in the top 25 markets among independent station groups, reaching approximately 39 percent of all television households nationwide. TEGNA also owns leading multicast networks True Crime Network and Quest. TEGNA Marketing Solutions (TMS) offers innovative solutions to help businesses reach consumers across television, email, social and over-the-top (OTT) platforms, including Premion, TEGNA's OTT advertising service. For more information, visit www.TEGNA.com.

About OPB

OPB is a nationally recognized leader in public media, providing news, information and entertainment to the Northwest. With award-winning journalists and original series, OPB illuminates the people, places and issues of the region and puts stories into context. OPB creates content and programming that can be accessed anywhere, at any time — on OPB Radio, OPB TV, at opb.org and on social media. For more information, visit www.opb.org. 

SOURCE Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc.

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