Cincinnati-based station group E.W. Scripps is launching a $20 million marketing campaign to educate consumers about all the free programming they can access via broadcast television by simply using an over-the-air TV antenna. Scripps has launched a website that lets users input a ZIP code to return a list of free channels available in their area. For instance, in Los Angeles, there are more than 160 free broadcast channels available to antenna users. At a time when inflation is driving households to look for ways to cut costs, Scripps feels the campaign is timely.

“Free is an incredibly compelling consumer proposition,” Scripps CEO Adam Symson said in an interview with the Los Angeles Times, underscoring that “the only place cord-cutters and cord-nevers can watch live sports for free is going to be on over-the-air television.”

In a world of soaring prices, broadcast remains a bargain, it’s price unchanged in the more than 70 years since “RCA chairman David Sarnoff flipped the switch on the first commercial TV station at the 1939 New York World’s Fair: free,” LA Times writes.

But after 30-plus years of cable, there are many Americans today who are unaware of the existence of over-the-air TV and how it works. Today’s mix of streaming sticks and the phalanx of remote controls that operate any number of interconnected devices has only added to the confusion. Scripps is using the TheFreeTVProject.org website to explain how broadcast TV works and also what type of antennas may work best, based on geographic location.

“Not every antenna works in every area, and the one-time cost can range from $20 for an indoor antenna to $149 for outdoor models that require installation on a rooftop,” LA Times writes. Cheeky TV spots have begun running in the markets where Scripps owns its 61 TV stations. The campaign will also feature social media ads, outdoor billboards and promote across streaming platforms, “hoping to reach the cord-cutters or cord-nevers who don’t use an antenna.”

TV Technology notes that Scripps “has been active in the rollout of ATSC 3.0 (aka NextGen TV), which the website also promotes. It also has a robust ‘diginet’ (DTV auxiliary channels) portfolio,” and owns the 24-hour news channel Newsy.

The Consumer Technology Association reports 32 percent of U.S. households now own a TV antenna, compared to 26 percent in 2019. That number is expected to reach 50 million by 2025 as more consumers opt to cut the cord with paid subscription TV services.