• by David Goetzl , December 12, 2008

With Nielsen figures showing that a still-sizable portion of the Hispanic audience is not prepared for February's digital transition, Telemundo is launching an awareness campaign Monday. Some of the network's stars will appear in prime-time PSAs, while the NBC Universal channel will also air a separate half-hour special.

Telemundo said the commercial-free special will air Saturday, Dec. 20 at 6:30 p.m. The campaign runs through Dec. 21.

Network stars, including Aylin Mujica, Jencarlos Canela, Penelope Menchaca, Monica Noguera and Maria Celeste, will deliver DTV messages during the popular prime-time novelas. Messages will also appear during feature films over the weekend, including "Cheaper by the Dozen" and "Just Married."

The Saturday special, per the network, will "provide detailed information to help viewers understand every step to make a flawless and effortless transition to digital television."

Hispanic broadcasters--including Telemundo competitor Univision--have a concern that some viewers may not be ready for the switchover, which could cause their ratings to drop, at least in the short term.

In November, Nielsen data showed that 12.4% of Hispanic homes were not prepared for the switch, down from 14.4% in May. Presumably, that number has dropped even more in the almost two months since the data was released.

The 12.4% figure was higher than the 7.7% of all U.S. homes that were unprepared, when the figures came out in early November.

In order to avoid interruption in reception, people who only receive over-the-air TV can purchase a converter box (government coupons are available) or sign up for a pay service, either satellite, cable or telco TV.

Networks have been running campaigns such as Telemundo's for some time, alerting viewers to the upcoming digital transition.