• Variety, Tuesday, October 21, 2008 9:15 AM

Amid media clutter, everyone has to get innovative, even government regulators. To get the word out about the switch to all-digital TV, the Federal Communications Commission is buying space on NASCAR driver's David Gilliland's car.

For a reported $350,000, which is about $100,000 less than the going rate, the FCC gets to put its DTV message on the car's hood for three races.

FCC chairman Kevin Martin is originally from North Carolina, where NASCAR is huge. "NASCAR fans' awareness and responsiveness to race sponsors are exceptionally high," says Martin. "This is an extremely effective way to raise awareness about DTV among people of all ages and income levels across the U.S."

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