We will have to await the outcome of the negotiations between the Government and the BBC over the corporation’s future licence fee before the Government will announce details of theTargeted Help Scheme for digital switchover.

Meanwhile a PR campaign, funded by DCMS, is being planned to re-assure older and disabled people that they will receive help to switch to digital television. The DCMS has appointed Harrison Cowley PR Agency through the Central Office of Information to manage a carefully targeted PR campaign about the Help Scheme.

The six-month campaign will target older and disabled people to explain what digital switchover is and to give information about the Help Scheme. The Government intends this campaign as a starting point to fill the current information gap for this audience until the Help Scheme is up and running.

The Agency will specifically target older and disabled people, as well as raise awareness and understanding of the scheme to those who have influence over them such as their relatives and carers.

DCMS will be producing a leaflet about the scheme to support the campaign.

The campaign will have two major components:
1. Targeting specific national and consumer media read by the target audience and their influencers through various in tactics.
2. Forging close partnerships with key charities to develop relevant communication activities to their specific audiences, as well as generating information within key marketing material across the sector.

An important part of this campaign will be to highlight the issues that older and disabled people face when switching to digital and to reassure them that help will be provided for those that need it most.