The NBC Universal Television Stations group is partnering with Los Angeles-based VST Media Network to bring customized local news, weather, sports and entertainment information to gas stations in NBC owned-and-operated station markets across the country. A program loop of three minutes’ duration, which is the average time spent filling a gas tank, is triggered when a motorist lifts the fuel nozzle to dispense gas.

The programming will be broadcast on a daylight-viewable 17-inch screen with stereo speakers, one installed per pump. VST’s screens already are available at 17 Shell gas stations in Los Angeles. The plan is to roll out to as many as 500 stations in Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego by the end of the year. Over the coming year VST also plans to add video screens at additional participating gas stations across the country in the other 11 NBC O&O markets.

In addition to local news, motorists will be able to view a daily roster of top headlines, sports, weather and entertainment news that is updated twice a day. Programming will be drawn from local newscasts at the NBC television stations and will be coordinated and updated through a central location at KNTV-TV, NBC’s O&O in San Francisco.

The program loop allows for both video and billboard advertisements that can be hyper-localized by advertisers. According to the announcement Monday, each participating gas station averages a minimum of 20,000 pump visits per month, guaranteeing a captive audience and a high level of exposure for advertisers. State Farm Insurance and Tropicana have signed on as initial advertisers for the project.