This is historical material, "frozen in time." The web site is no longer updated and links to external web sites and some internal pages will not work.

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release June 30, 1997

                   PRESIDENT NAMES NORMAN J. ORNSTEIN AND
                     LESLIE MOONVES AS CO-CHAIRS OF THE
                   ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC INTEREST
              OBLIGATIONS OF DIGITAL TELEVISION BROADCASTERS

On Saturday the President announced his intent to appoint Norman J. Ornstein and Leslie Moonves as Co-Chairs of the Advisory Committee on Public Interest Obligations of Digital Television Broadcasters.

Mr. Ornstein, of Washington, D.C., is a Resident Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research, which sponsors original research on government policy, the economy, and American politics. In addition, Mr. Ornstein is an election analyst for CBS, writes regularly for USA Today as a Member of its Board of Contributors, and writes a column called "Congress Inside Out" for Roll Call newspaper. Mr. Ornstein is currently leading a coalition of scholars and others in an effort to reform the campaign finance system.

Mr. Moonves of Los Angeles, California is the President of CBS Entertainment where he is responsible for developing, producing and programming television series and projects. Mr. Moonves is the former President of Warner Brothers Television and the former President of Lorimar Television. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Entertainment Industries Council and the Motion Picture Association of America's Executive Committee on Television Violence, and the Board of Governors, UCLA Center for Communications Policy. He is a trustee of the National Council for Families and Television and is past President of the Hollywood Radio and Television Society.

The Advisory Committee on Public Interest Obligations of Digital Television Broadcasters was created by Executive Order on March 11, 1997, to study and make recommendations on the public interest responsibilities accompanying broadcasters' receipt of digital television licenses. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 authorizes the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to issue licenses for digital television services under the conditions that the broadcasters remain subject to public interest obligations as deemed appropriate by the FCC, and the return of the analog spectrum used for broadcasting television signals. The Committee is expected to submit a report to the Vice President regarding their findings on or before June 1998.

-30-30-30-