Drive up, fill up, look up, tune in

Expect to see something new to hold your attention at the gas pump ? TVs.

Orange County content delivery firm Adtek Media has launched an initiative introducing televisions to gas stations. Participating stations like the Plaza Chevron at the corner of Baker and Bristol streets are being adorned with flat-screen televisions that broadcast news, traffic reports and plenty of advertisements for customers to watch as they fill up their cars.

The concept is nothing new ? large building and hotel lobbies have employed the practice for years, while grocery stores and banks have developed their systems to alleviate boredom for customers standing in line. The concept is simple, company Vice President Roy Reeves said: Give people stimulation when they’re doing something that is typically considered boring.

“The idea is that you’re providing something for people who would otherwise be sitting there, pumping their gas, bored to tears and fretting about the price they’re paying for gas,” he said.

Adtek Media has televisions installed in 28 stations in the greater Los Angeles area and has contracts to install another 30 sets. By the end of the year, the firm hopes to have televisions in 250 gas stations in Southern California.

Part of the appeal to station owners is that they get paid to host the televisions, and they are offered a short reoccurring commercial to advertise automotive services or deals at the convenience store.

“It’s a win-win situation for me,” Plaza Chevron owner Marylou Mendez said. “I knew it was coming, it seemed inevitable, and now I get nothing but positive feedback from my customers.”

Adtek Media was founded by Mitchell Pham, an Orange County businessman who successfully launched a digital surveillance system for gas stations. The television program uses similar technology to the surveillance system, tapping into a proprietary network developed by Pham that is linked to a central computer system that disperses the content.

Reeves said the system is set up in a way that advertisers can pick and chose which gas stations they want to promote their business ? creating the opportunity for local businesses to offer targeted messages, while larger firms can blanket entire markets.

Daily news content comes from the KTLA television station (like the Daily Pilot, KTLA is owned by the Tribune Co.). The five-minute content loops includes a minute-and-half of local, entertainment and business news, coupled with a 30-second spot from firm Iteris. The screens also show lottery numbers, sports scores and banner headlines.

“Right now our primary concern is to make a great viewing experience for the user,” Reeves said. “Once that is accomplished, we feel the advertising will come.”