NAB Introduces Innovative Television News Technology Lab for the Advancement of Local News Journalism

The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) has announced the launch of the NextGen TV News Technology Lab, a three-year initiative aimed at helping local stations harness the power of NextGen TV (ATSC 3.0) for locally focused journalism.

The NextGen TV News Technology Lab, funded by a $2.5 million grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, will offer resources at NAB's Technology Lab in Washington, D.C., for implementation testing and verification prior to over-the-air deployment in project markets.

The project comes at a time when broadcasters are trying to move beyond simply simulcasting existing content. With NextGen TV broadcasts, opportunities for interactivity, advanced alerts, and other capabilities not possible with the legacy ATSC 1.0 standard are now within reach.

Each participating station will receive resources and hands-on support for experimenting with new services such as advanced emergency alerting, hyper-local news and weather, community sports broadcasting, integrations with BEST channels and FAST platforms, and delivering real-time local updates without internet access during emergencies.

The lab will work directly with multiple television stations and broadcast groups to design, test, and integrate new ATSC 3.0-based projects in the newsroom. Some of the television stations involved include WRAL-TV in Raleigh, North Carolina, WTMJ-TV in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and WJW in Cleveland, Ohio.

The NextGen TV News Technology Lab is designed to offer services that highlight the unique features of NextGen TV broadcasts. The program will publicly document project findings to benefit the entire broadcast industry.

The NAB is pushing the FCC to allow broadcasters to sunset 1.0 broadcasts and exclusively offer 3.0 feeds beginning in Feb. 2028 in the 55 largest markets, and cut off 1.0 broadcasts in every market by Feb. 2030. The goal is to ultimately help broadcasters better engage with their communities.

The NextGen TV News Technology Lab is the world's first and only IP based broadcast standard that supports broadcast and broadband delivery of content. It is expected to enable broadcasters to build and experiment with new and innovative services, contributing to a more interactive and engaging broadcast experience for viewers.

NAB Introduces Innovative Television News Technology Lab for the Advancement of Local News Journalism