Houston's KHCW-TV Launches Free Mobile Phone Cam Service Enabling Drivers To Avoid Traffic Headaches

HOUSTON, Dec. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Tis' the season to imagine driving home or to the office without sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic. One local television station here is doing its part to make that dream come true by introducing the KHCW Traffic Jam Cell Cams -- a free mobile traffic service helping local drivers to spot and avoid highway tie-ups.

KHCW-TV channel 39, the local CW network affiliate in Houston, is launching the new advertising-supported service targeting the more than 2,000,000 daily commuters in the region. Commuters will now be able to view traffic tie-ups on their mobile devices before leaving their home, office or school, to help them plan the quickest and safest route.

"This is something that isn't dependent on having a morning news show to offer traffic to commuters," said Roger Bare, vice president and general manager of KHCW-TV, Tribune Broadcasting Company, Houston. "This service gives people real-time traffic information anytime, anywhere and should prove to be popular with local commuters."

The service relies on more than 600 traffic cameras operated by Houston TranStar. Houston TranStar is a collaboration between four government agencies responsible for providing transportation management and emergency management services to the greater Houston area.

Cameras are mounted along freeways, tollways and some major county arterials in the region, which includes Harris, Galveston, Montgomery Fort Bend, Brazoria and Waller counties. This area, with an estimated population of 5.16 million inhabitants and 4.3 million registered vehicles, encompasses 5,948 square miles. Each day, local vehicles travel more than 83.3 million miles within the area.

"This new service supports our mission of enhancing transportation services to taxpayers throughout the region," said Dinah Massie Martinez, public information officer, Houston TranStar. "Drivers will be able to plan the most time and fuel-efficient route to wherever they are going before ever setting foot in their vehicles."

3rd Dimension Inc., a New York-based mobile marketing and application company developed the system technology. "Cell phones are incredibly useful and personal," said Bruce Laskin, chief operating officer of 3rd Dimension. "We hope that we have added to that utility with an application providing individualized video information whenever it is needed."

The KHCW Traffic Jam Cell Cams application is compatible with data enabled phones on the Sprint, Verizon Wireless, AT&T and T-Mobile networks, and including popular smart phones such as the BlackBerry, Palm Treo and the Motorola Q.

To download the video application, commuters have the option to call 888-990-CW39 (888-990-2939) from their cell phone, go to the http://www.khcw.com/ website and request the service by entering their mobile phone number, or typing http://www.3tcam.com/houston on their cell phone's web browser.

Once the application is downloaded, drivers can choose to view near real-time traffic images from any of the cameras along their route and can even program keys on their phone to quickly access their favorites.

Houston is the second market in the country to launch the innovative mobile traffic service. The first was launched in early 2007 in collaboration with WCBS Newsradio 880 in New York City. 3rd Dimension plans to roll out additional markets across the country in 2008, creating a national mobile advertising network.

About Tribune Broadcasting Company

TRIBUNE is one of the country's top media companies, operating businesses in publishing, interactive and broadcasting. It reaches more than 80 percent of U.S. households and is the only media organization with newspapers, television stations and websites in the nation's top three markets. In publishing, Tribune's leading daily newspapers include the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Newsday (Long Island, N.Y.), The Sun (Baltimore), South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Orlando Sentinel and Hartford Courant. The company's broadcasting group operates 23 television stations, Superstation WGN on national cable, Chicago's WGN-AM and the Chicago Cubs baseball team. Popular news and information websites complement Tribune's print and broadcast properties and extend the company's nationwide audience.

About Houston TranStar

Houston TranStar is a collaboration between four government agencies that coordinate and enhance transportation and emergency management services, responding to incidents and emergencies in Harris County and beyond. Sharing their resources to serve area residents, the agencies are the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), Harris County, Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (Metro) and the City of Houston.

About 3rd Dimension Inc.

3rd Dimension (http://www.3rddimensiontech.com/) is a mobile marketing and application company that creates and distributes innovative real-time video content to consumers through their mobile devices. Its mobile applications are designed to attract targeted niche audiences making its solutions attractive to advertisers and marketers.

All trade names are the property of their respective owners. This release is available on the KCSA Worldwide Web site at http://www.kcsa.com/. CONTACT: Noah Milman / Anne Donohoe KCSA Worldwide (646) 287-0433 / (212) 896-1261 nmilman@kcsa.com / adonohoe@kcsa.com