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Abstract Terrestrial Broadcasters Strategies in the Age of Digital Broadcasting Wha-Jin Lee The purpose of this research is firstly to investigate the current strategies which terrestrial broadcasters work on to obtain the digital contents which will be a critical factor in the diffusion of DTV, and secondly to discuss the flaws of their strategies and make suggestions for the communication policies. DTV was primarily introduced by the interests of hardware equipment companies, not by the strategic intention of analog broadcasters. But, digitalization of the media will bring the ecological revolution in the broadcasting environments including terrestrial, cable, satellite, telephone, and internet means of communication. Newly established digital broadcasting system must combine the best technologies available at the present time in order to take full advantages of the late starter. However, existing terrestrial broadcasters do not fully realize the competition between old and new media. Furthermore, they are not likely to question the maintenance of their current status in the future. With respect to this issue, this paper compared the technology systems and the programming models of foreign broadcasters with Korean terrestrial counterparts focusing on the ecological model of DTV. This research produces the following results: terrestrial broadcasters should make their strategies to acquire and maintain long-term competitive powers in the impending multimedia and multi-channel environment. However, the less possibilities to make profits lead to their conservatism in gathering DTV contents. Broadcasting companies could obtain HDTV contents, interactive contents including data services, and other hybrid contents in the way of reforming the process of program making, managerial structure of information in the era of digitalization, and making coalitions with the foreign broadcaster. In
government part, the KBC should develop more flexible and comprehensive regulatory structure in order to effectively respond to the challenges posed by the media convergence and help new market be emerged. Fair competitive market environment is also needed.