WSJ starts network for office buildings

Dow Jones & Co. is starting a television network using the Wall Street Journal name for office buildings, according to a story on the Advertising Age web site.

Reporter Nat Ives wrote, “Dow Jones is kicking off the program with a deal with Trizec Properties (terms were undisclosed) to get screens into office buildings in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and Washington. The first monitors will be in place in about 40 buildings by July; the Journal estimates about 100,000 people will see those initial screens every day.

“‘Our strategy is to get our Journal brand and content to people however, whenever and wherever they want to get it,’ said L. Gordon Crovitz, who was promoted in February from head of electronic publishing to exec VP, Dow Jones; president, Dow Jones Consumer Media Group; and publisher, Wall Street Journal Franchise. ‘As a publisher across print and digital and other media, the opportunity to reach people while they’re in the office buildings was a great opportunity from us.’

“The Journal hopes working without elevators will prove advantageous in some ways. ‘We do think of this as a differentiated product,’ said Matthew Goldberg, VP-franchise development and partnership, Dow Jones. ‘It will be in high-traffic high-rise and low-rise buildings,’ he said, arguing that low-rise buildings are less attractive for elevator advertising.

Read more here.