Will television soon disappear from MTA buses?
(UPDATED, 3:55 p.m. Monday with comment below from Transit TV officials)
If you've ever had the pleasure of riding a bus in Los Angeles County for a long distance in the last few years, you probably know about the phenomenon called "Transit TV." Here's how it works: The bus rider sits (or stands) on the bus while one or two well-positioned television monitors blast advertisements and transit news at said rider.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority signed a deal with Transit TV that began in 2005. For the MTA, it was a chance to make some ad revenue -- about $132,000 in the best year -- by putting televisions on most of its fleet of buses. For Transit TV, it was a way -- as their website still boasts -- to reach a "truly captive audience."
But now it appears that the plug may soon be pulled on the experiment. Torstar Corporation, the Canadian firm that owns Transit TV, announced Thursday that it planned to close Transit TV. At the same time, Transit TV also filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in U.S. Bankruptcy Court.
MTA spokesman Marc Littman said that the agency received word on Friday that Transit TV's Florida offices had been closed and that the operation would be shut down. The televisions will continue to run with fresh content until that runs out and then revert to "lifestyle" type programming that was previously stored in the computers that control the monitors, said Lorenzo Demarchi, a vice president of corporate development for Torstar. Whether the televisions are left on the buses or are taken away is ultimately up to a trustee appointed by the bankruptcy court, Demarchi added.
If the televisions disappear, the question remains whether passengers would clamor to have TV service resumed -- or whether those who were weary of having their auditory and visual landscapes intruded upon will resist future attempts to bring the boob tube back to the bus.
What I love about the Transit TVs are the GPS fed maps especially if I'm in a neighborhood of which I am unfamiliar. That part of the service makes the bus more accessible but unfortunately it also is another constant reminder of how slow you are going to your destination
Posted by: Mattapoisett in LA | February 09, 2009 at 03:55 PM
Thank goodness - I sure hope that goes away. It was almost impossible to ignore but I got car sick if I looked at it. Having people watch something while riding a moving vehicle seems rather cruel to me.
Posted by: h.w. | February 09, 2009 at 03:56 PM
Thank God. Those tvs were an earsore. They were always blasting and there is no way to get away from them. They make you not want to take the bus unless you absolutely have to.
Posted by: Hayley | February 09, 2009 at 04:07 PM
I'm nostalgic already. Until a few months ago, the newscasts could have been from the day before and were never dated. When did this thing happen, I could wonder. Is it going to rain today or tomorrow?
The news stories were ripped from the wires with only the lede printed. Many lede's were intriguing but not informative so I had the fun of imagining the news ... my imagination ran amok. "Kangaroos infest Australian town"...until the Mayor played "Waltzing Matilda" on the accordian, I silently added.
And the ads requesting we sign up for stock brokerage accounts or advertising mansions were very fun and diverting. Wow, I have $150,000 to invest, but I'll just ride the bus!
The sound cuts out when the bus's announcing system needs to announce the next street, so even the poetry came out garbled...if it wasn't supposed to be that way already.
Hard to imagine how such a well-conceived and executed plan went awry.
Posted by: Dave Atkins | February 09, 2009 at 04:21 PM
Too bad that Metro won't just turn them off. I bet another vendor comes out to use the infrastructure for the same thing. But the revenue for Metro was not worth the annoyance to its riders. Seal headphones became a must on Metro buses.
Posted by: microe | February 09, 2009 at 04:28 PM
I hate it.
Posted by: JC | February 09, 2009 at 04:41 PM
I would like them to keep the TVs, but not show any more of the annoying content they've been showing up to now. I think the map feature and TV news are worth keeping, but would like the sound to be muted and closed captioning used instead.
Posted by: February | February 09, 2009 at 05:05 PM
Transit TV is a disgrace. Many of the advertisements are scams aimed at taking money from the wallets of already impoverished people. Case in point: SMC. Specialty Merchandise Corporation. I know so many people who were suckered in by this company.
The other ads are for text messaging and music services that cost money. 3/4 of the programming content (other than commercials) is broadcast in Spanish with no English subtitles.
The volume is usually set way too loud on the damned TV sets and never once have I learned anything valuable from any of the programming. When bus passengers would like to talk to each other, they raise their voices to be heard over the din coming from the TV set speakers.
Posted by: Emma Goldman | February 09, 2009 at 05:35 PM
The service was mostly awful. How many times can you ask me what folk tune Stephan Foster wrote (A: Camptown Races) or show a profile of a Boston dance troupe? The news was fun, especially when it was 2 to 4 days out of date.
Hire someone to keep the maps going - better yet, automate them to show the position of buses on lines that cross your bus' path. Otherwise, get rid of them.
I do admit, I did like the Spanish language ads for the Snuggie!
Posted by: Marty C | February 09, 2009 at 06:08 PM
Thank God. Good riddance. Get rid of them. They're the reason I always had to listen to my iPod instead of reading a book.
Posted by: Paul | February 09, 2009 at 08:18 PM
Keep them just for the GPS maps, rather than just flashing to the map every 5 to 10 minutes, usually right after I just missed the stop I needed.
Posted by: deanna b | February 09, 2009 at 11:24 PM
The ads for Blue Hippo and the other credit scams made me angry. The short little French stop-motion films using vegetables to look like animals were kind of cute.
I find it hard to believe that Metro only made $132,000 a year selling ad space on these things. Does that even cover installation and maintenance? They couldn't find a way to squeeze more money out of this system?
Posted by: Alex | February 10, 2009 at 06:27 AM
I never understood the sound. Those horrible ads I couldn't escape unless I was listening to my own music. Why does Transit TV get to annoy you in the same way a inconsiderate rider with a radio does? Plenty of top tier mass transit systems have digital maps, information, and advertising. Only Metro has the 3rd world equivalent with Transit TV. It makes riding the bus even less appealing. Good riddance.
Posted by: Steve C. | February 10, 2009 at 09:38 AM
I would be happy if the Transit TV NEVER came back. Mostly annoying commercials anyway. There are bigger fish to fry. Use the screen for Metro info (scheduled delays, GPS, etc)
I'd rather have busses that actually run on schedule. Nothing ruins a trip as bad as a late bus.
Posted by: Steve K. | February 10, 2009 at 11:35 AM
I hope they don't remove the TV's. They could be used for the map feature, or for some other informative feature. For instance, sometimes it could show the map, and other times it could show a list of upcoming bus stops, with connecting lines listed for each stop. That would make riding the bus much friendlier for newbies, as sometimes you don't know what the surroundings will look like near your desired stop. Other MTA announcements could be shown as well, telling people about upcoming service changes, how to use TAP, etc.
As for the Transit TV content, apparently it was not profitable as the company is now bankrupt, but I'll say I really didn't mind it. The news tidbits and puzzles were good. I was able to ignore most of the commercials. The weird animal plays made of stop-motion vegetables were odd but interesting. Volume varied from bus to bus, so sometimes I couldn't hear the TV at all, other times it was clearly audible even in the back. Meh.
Posted by: David Galvan | February 10, 2009 at 12:02 PM
Huzzah! Those TV's are the bane of my existence. One of the nicest things about riding the bus is the ability to get lost in one's thoughts. Transit TV is far too distracting and loud to allow this. RIP OUT THE TVS!
Posted by: Tommy H. | February 10, 2009 at 12:51 PM
Without the TVs, we will be left only with the sounds of:
STOP REQUESTED - PLEASE USE REAR EXIT!! every minute of the ride.
GPS Maps, Weather, and even transit connection information without the blaring commercials would be useful to the riders.
Posted by: Steve | February 10, 2009 at 03:28 PM
Hooray! I actually took time off from work to attend a Board meeting some years ago to plead with them not to approve the contract with transit TV. That we already have to cope with the "stop requested" announcements plus often endure people's loud conversation on cell phones. Please don't assault our ears just for some additional ad revenue. Of course they ignored me.
The ongoing parade of sleazy/laughable scam ads that mostly dominated it just left me speechless. THE GPS map was OK. Some of the informational segments were OK but often hard to hear. The sentence fragment headlines and brief KNBC news bits repeated too often. And the Pat Sajak "puzzles" were lame.
I say yank the TVs off the buses and leave us in peace!
Posted by: Dana Gabbard | February 10, 2009 at 05:51 PM
I was never that crazy about Transit TV either. The news stories were often day-old (especially on the weekends), the sound was often annoyingly loud, and most of the ads seemed to be by sharks preying on the poor (payday loans, credit repair, and other dubious products and services)
Let's repurpose the screens into something that is useful for transit riders, with maps, transfer points, and limited sound (nothing beyond what is absolutely necessary for the visually impaired). Of course, a few tasteful ads to help support the system wouldn't hurt, but no blasting audio and no schlock!
Posted by: cph | February 11, 2009 at 07:58 AM
I want my Transit TV!
Posted by: Stu | February 12, 2009 at 04:32 AM
I want Transit TV!! I love every last ridiculous cash scam, book trailer, out of date newscast, 5 second GPS update, random cooking show and all the Latin TV updates!
HOW ELSE WILL I GET MY BILLY MAYS FIX?!
Im sorry, I have such a soft spot for the abysmal programming Transit TV offers, it'll be like ripping the heart out of the Metro, returning it to the cold, unwelcoming Public Transport hell it really is, i'll have to go get a snuggie to keep me happy..
Posted by: Dan | February 12, 2009 at 11:57 AM
I love having to look at the mta -los angeles transit tv in the bus while I am in commute. It feels like a great luxury to me. I like watching the news and other food programs on the transit tv.
Posted by: MTA TRANSIT TV A GREAT LUXURY | September 23, 2009 at 10:11 AM
I hate them with a passion. It so annoying. Especially the News. It so frigging loud and it repeat over and over and over. When i didn't have my music with me, it was torturing for me and for my ears. Thanks god now i have my music to block out the noise. Please take it away. At least take the News away please.
I hate the News.
Posted by: Stephanie | January 25, 2010 at 07:09 PM
Transit Tv has good points the trivia Questions and World History are very stimulating for the brian. for the other commercial advertisement for companies thats trying to get your last money or little money you have to survey with scam companies..
Posted by: Kenjadai | March 16, 2010 at 12:13 AM
keep the TVs & use for GPS at least. Transit TV wasn't SO bad- i liked the games/trivia & the veggie movies. ads weren't great, but tolerable. Alot of the volume was already OFF on alot of buses I took. would be a waste (environmentally & financially) to rip out the screens! FIND ANOTHER (silent) SERVICE for interesting TIME-WASTERS! funny facts about TTVLA- http://www.transitv.com/Arbitron_recall_study_Los_Angeles_transit_tv.html
Posted by: MTA rider | March 19, 2010 at 11:29 AM