In what could look like an immediate response to the prodding of Gary Shapiro, ABC again stepped up with a new first in HDTV programming._Dale Cripps

ABC NEWS TO BROADCAST "GOOD MORNING AMERICA" & THE WEEKEND EDITION OF "GOOD MORNING AMERICA" IN HIGH DEFINITION

First Regularly Scheduled Commercial Network News Programs Broadcast in HDTV

ABC News will broadcast "Good Morning America" in high definition seven days a week starting this early fall, ABC News President David Westin announced today. The HDTV launch of "Good Morning America" and the Weekend Edition of "Good Morning America" marks the first time ever that regularly scheduled commercial network news programming will be broadcast in high definition.

"Anyone who has experienced high definition television has been captivated by the quality and clarity of the images and sound," said Mr. Westin. "HDTV will help us showcase the best and brightest team in morning television and deliver the very best experience to our audience."

ABC News has led the industry in broadcasting news programming in high definition, most recently using groundbreaking HD technology to enhance live coverage of the 2005 presidential inaugural and a special 3-hour, live broadcast of "Good Morning America" on Inauguration Day, the 2005 State of the Union address, and "Peter Jennings Reporting: UFO - Seeing is Believing." In 2004 ABC News provided the HDTV pool feed of the 2004 State of the Union address for the first ever HDTV network coverage of the event.

"This significant increase of HD programming in the morning complements our existing line-up of primetime and sports programming broadcast for HDTV throughout the day," said Preston Davis, president of broadcast operations and engineering for ABC. "Our goal is to provide the highest quality viewing experience for our audience."

Season to date ABC has broadcast 441 hours of programming in high definition. During the 2003-2004 season the network broadcast more than 800 hours of HDTV content. All of ABC's HDTV programming is broadcast in 720p High Definition, including 5.1-channel surround sound. ABC was the first major network to begin broadcasting regularly-scheduled, high definition television, beginning on November 1, 1998 with the theatrical presentation of "The Wonderful World of Disney: 101 Dalmatians." Since then ABC has broadcast many other theatricals in HDTV, as well as numerous sporting events. Those broadcasts include the first live, regularly scheduled HDTV sporting event in primetime, the 1999-2000 season of "Monday Night Football." In September 2001 ABC made a major commitment to HDTV programming when it began broadcasting the majority of its primetime schedule in HDTV, including all of its primetime comedy and drama series, as well as all theatrical movies.

Currently, 130 of ABC's owned and affiliated stations are broadcasting digital TV, covering 82% of the nation, with 102 of those stations broadcasting in HDTV.

Posted by Dale Cripps, May 16, 2005 7:53 AM