Noncoms Get Bucks To Digitize Programming Library

By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 6/22/2007 8:51:00 AM

The Association of Public Television Stations was celebrating Friday after the Senate Appropriations Committee agreed to let noncommercial stations spend some of their digital conversion subsidy to convert their programming libraries to digital.

According to APTS, the committee said it "intends that CPB may spend a portion of the digital conversion funds to develop a digital public broadcasting archive."

CPB got $29.7 million for digital infrastructure conversion.

APTS President John Lawson said the decision "will enable us to preserve, digitize and make available for the American public a huge library of priceless video and audio content. The American Archive will be a powerful resource for education and will extend the role of Public Television and Radio stations as cultural heritage institutions.”