It's A Gas -- ESPN At The Pump

(From The USA Today -- By Michael Hiestand)

Finally, motorists pumping gas will get an alternative to just watching how much they're about to pay.

Starting Monday, some people will be able to watch ESPN highlights.

The idea -- put 20-inch high-def TV sets on gas pumps that constantly replay sports news and are updated throughout the day to keep up with the news.

GAS STATION TV, based in Oak Park, Michigan, has already mounted 1,000 screens in Atlanta, Dallas and Houston and plans to expand to New York, Chicago and Los Angeles next month.

GSTV will add more cities and hopes to have 6,000 screens up this year.

Anybody filling up SUVs might see a repeat because the programming at the pumps lasts only 4.5 minutes.

The programming will include content from ABC NEWS as well as ESPN.

And for now anyway, star SPORTSCENTER anchors don't have to be worried about being consigned to hanging around gas stations all day -- the programming will be done by ESPNEWS announcers.

GSTV, which gets ad revenue, doesn't charge stations for the screens and lets them create their own customized ads meant to lure consumers who might otherwise just pay at the pumps and leave to come inside and spend more money.

ESPN gets a licensing fee and a cut of ad sales.

This is only the latest ESPN effort to reach viewers in places they haven't watched TV. Bathrooms in ESPN's sports bars have TV sets -- picking your stall means choosing whether you want to watch ESPN or ESPN2 -- and ESPN has a 24-hour channel distributed on the smallest of screens -- cellphones.

ESPN will not get viewers hanging around for long, but at least it doesn't have to worry about them channel-surfing to other stations.

What competition for eyeballs exists, ESPN's MIKE SOLTYS says, shouldn't be daunting -- "This will be a lot more fun than just standing there washing your windshield."