Westinghouse Digital speeds up rollout of PumpTop TV network

Westinghouse Digital looks to be giving the fledgling PumpTop TV network a big shot in the arm, joining with PumpTop purveyor AdtekMedia to significantly speed up the roll-out of the network to gas stations across the United States. All told, Westinghouse plans to bring the service to some 75,000 gas station pumps, which it says would make it one of the largest out-of-home digital media networks in the U.S. The service itself delivers news, weather, and other programming in easily-digestible five minute chunks, with an ample supply of advertising thrown in for good measure, of course. Drivers in Los Angeles will apparently be the first to get the added distraction as they fill up their vehicles, with those in the the Bay Area, Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto, San Diego, Phoenix, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Houston set to get their fix follow shortly thereafter

[Via Gearlog]

[heyguy @ Apr 23rd 2007 1:10PM]

There are plenty of gas stations around here (Dallas area) that have audio advertisements at the pump. They drive me crazy and I've boycotted those particular gas stations.

[R @ Apr 23rd 2007 1:11PM]

This will never work.

#1 They'll be stolen within the first 24 hours.

#2 People who are really THAT addicted to media content can get it on their mobile phones/PDAs/Crackberry-type devices, so there's no demand for this.

[synthaxx @ Apr 23rd 2007 1:14PM]

"Hello little shee-- consumer, please watch this blinkey thing with all the pictures.
Don't worry about all the gas going into your tank, don't stop to think, "hey maybe i need to take it easy, this is a lot of money".
Just keep pumping, and watching... pumping ... and watching"

Seriously, why do you think they're speeding up putting these in?

[Joseph @ Apr 23rd 2007 1:19PM]

These are so freaking loud and annoying. I am trying to pump gas and the damn comercials yell at you.

I wouldnt be surprised if this was a major source of vandalism.

They are not stolen, there are tons near me. I live in Orange County.

[Joseph @ Apr 23rd 2007 1:20PM]

secondly, If the content is good, people will not be quick to leave to clear the space for more customers, if the content is horrible, then it is just damn annoying.

No win here.

[Kevin @ Apr 23rd 2007 1:25PM]

now if only they had those jay leno pump TVs...then it'd be great

[biomi @ Apr 23rd 2007 1:27PM]

The cold winter months will play havoc on those LCDs.

[Rob @ Apr 23rd 2007 1:59PM]

Living with these units in Canada for a couple of years, they (unfortunately) survive the winter just fine. I make a point of avoiding stations with these ad machines. It's not about delivering content that anyone would want to watch. It's about delivering ads, in-store promotions, "public service announcements" from your friendly police and the like.

One wonders how long it will take for them to throttle down the speed of the pumps to make sure you get to see the entire 5 minute loop.

[Derek @ Apr 23rd 2007 2:36PM]

There was alittle company trying this in md and they died a horiable death.. lcds worked good, even with snow on the ground

[KC @ Apr 23rd 2007 2:49PM]

What? This is going to add to the operational costs of selling gas. The consumers will be paying for this via some price hike or another. No thank you.

[steve @ Apr 23rd 2007 2:52PM]

Yeah cause you really need distractions when dealing with a flammable liquid!

[pagercam @ Apr 23rd 2007 2:52PM]

Seems like they are working against their own best interests. Wouldn't it be better to get the cars through faster so another paying customer can pull up rather than siting there watching TV?

[david @ Apr 23rd 2007 4:39PM]

Actually, I don't think so. Assuming that the screen shuts off the instant you stop pumping gas (which has been my experience), if you think about the extreme, each person taking 5 seconds to fill up, that means they only buy 5sec of gas and then spend 2-3 min paying, replacing the gas cap etc... The best deal for the gas station is when the pumps are running merrily along. They would love it if everyone stood there watching Andy Griffith reruns until their tank was topped off, no matter how long the line was behind them.

[pagercam @ Apr 23rd 2007 2:53PM]

The LCDs work just fine in cold weather, just need a heater behind the screen.

[Louv @ Apr 23rd 2007 2:57PM]

These are Evil. They have the volume up high enough that you can hear them over the traffic nearby, which means you are getting blasted by commercials.

The gas companies are rolling in profit. This is just adding insult to the injury of our $3.60/gallon gas prices.

Oh, and you know that the commercials shown to you are linked to YOUR CREDIT CARD. They know you as a customer. And they are feeding that data back into the system that feeds you personalized commercials.

Boycott the stations that install these. Better yet, call the gas companies and tell them what you think. Then go elsewhere.

[Mark S. @ Apr 23rd 2007 3:30PM]

So... I can't use my cell phone, but they can fire up a TV while I'm pumping gas?

Besides, if they show The View I might have to douse the screen in gasoline and toss a match as I pull away.

[steve @ Apr 23rd 2007 3:31PM]

3.60 USD = 1.79 GBP


we pay about 4 GBP per gallon which is nearer 8 dollars so quit your whining

[Joseph @ Apr 23rd 2007 4:01PM]

im pretty sure you are on an island.

[steve @ Apr 23rd 2007 4:09PM]

what does that have to do with anything, 75% of the price is tax

[invictive @ Apr 23rd 2007 4:41PM]

We've had these in Canada for a couple of years now. They are LAME! It's usually a small news clip, followed by an ad, followed by some other small clip, followed by an ad.

I think there is more time spent playing ads than actual content.

Also, the volume is LOUD, its not something you can ignore when pumping gas...

I try to avoid these gas stations at all costs. Unfortunately for you guys it looks like they are going to be installing them everywhere they can.

[Devin Lussier @ Apr 23rd 2007 5:59PM]

The Shell station that I've been going to for years just added these and I'll never go back. Not only are they incredibly annoying but they've actually slowed the flow rate of gasoline so that you are forced to watch TV for longer. It took 7 minutes to fill my little Elantra with 8 gallons, which is about three times longer than it takes me at a normal pump. I thought I was going crazy, or that the pump I was using was broken, but after talking with the other customers around me it was clear that they had deliberately forced us to spend more time watching their ads.

[KitKat @ Apr 23rd 2007 6:04PM]

Oh, great. Now vehicles will have to be built even bigger to make sure you spend more time in front of the ads.

[t-bone @ Apr 23rd 2007 6:31PM]

A Wal-mart near me has a system like this. I hit the mute button as soon as I can. The only thing stopping me from destroying the screen is vandalism charges and the fact I usually only fill up to go out of town.

[Kyle @ Apr 23rd 2007 9:38PM]

We have these in Canada at most Petro Canada stations. They are not so bad. Sometimes I see somthing I missed in the news.

[Adamwho @ Apr 23rd 2007 10:18PM]

I have seen similar technology 5+ years ago in IL. They were comedy content mixed with ads.

[estephanovich @ Apr 24th 2007 3:37AM]

I remember we had these a LOOOOOOOONNNNGG time ago, maybe like 1996-7 in Livermore California, that was when color LCD displays were new things. They were playing National Geographic, and CNN, then all of a sudden a few months later, they were gone, I always have wondered what happened to them.

[Galley @ Apr 24th 2007 9:29AM]

They had these here in Greenville, SC at least five years ago. They were annoying more than anything.

[Mister Nemesis @ Apr 25th 2007 4:37AM]

This really worked for me at a pump in Florida where the guy started talking to me, asking me how my day was going and where I was going, basically none of his business, and I didn't want my thoughts interrupted by casual moronic conversation anyway... so I asked him if the display was gasoline-proof, because petroleum products usually damage most polymers, and he said something like "Oh I dunno I suppose it would be" then I told him WELL THEN I GUESS AFTER I SPRAY THE GAS ON IT I'LL HAVE TO LIGHT IT. He bid me a good day and flipped off the display/conversation.