Watchfire Installs Its 6th Digital Billboard in Alabama

Already 65 Percent Sold, the Billboard is Situated at a Prime Location in Troy, Ala.

INDIANAPOLIS and DANVILLE, Ill. – (June 17, 2008), Troy, Ala.-based Grace Media Management, LLC has installed its first digital billboard, which was manufactured by Watchfire Digital Outdoor ( http://www.watchfiredigitaloutdoor.com). It’s the sixth Watchfire digital billboard in the state.  Grace’s 10’ x 30’ billboard is at the main entrance of the Super Wal-Mart on US 231, a five-lane highway that runs from Montgomery, Ala., through the center of Troy, and continues onto the Florida panhandle into Panama City, Fla.

Grace Media selected a Watchfire second-generation LED billboard, which features 768 LEDs per sq. ft., a super-vivid 7,500 nit daytime setting (with field adjustment), and a color palette of 281 trillion colors.  The combination of the densely packed LEDs, the vivid daytime setting, and the deepest color palette in the industry results in the best looking LED billboards available.

With more than 15 years experience in the billboard industry, Rodney Hull knew the pros and cons of both vinyl and digital when opening the doors of his new company, Grace Media, with his wife and co-owner, Teresa Hull. “With a digital billboard, I only deal with one land-owner, one energy bill, and one permit process,” said Hull. “And even though I have only one sign, my digital billboard allows me to sign up to eight different advertisers, which greatly increases my return on investment.”

The billboard, which began operating in April, is already 65 percent sold and includes advertisers from a variety of industries, including a bank, restaurant, tanning salon, insurance agent, doctor’s office, ladies boutique, car dealership, coffee shop and a sporting goods supply company.  According to Hull, advertisers are drawn to the flexibility of digital, as their messages now can be changed instantly and at minimal cost compared to vinyl.  Additionally, Hull credits the attention-getting feature of the sign.  “When you’re in a parking lot or stopped at an intersection, you’re going to see this sign.  Not only are the graphics interesting, but it’s providing new and timely information.”

“I am pleased to have Watchfire as my partner, and look forward to working with them as I plan to add more digital billboards to the Grace Media portfolio,” said Hull.  “I bought what I believe is the best digital billboard on the market from the company that provides me the best customer service.”

“We at Watchfire are proud to work with Grace Media,” said Darrin Friskney.  “They have experienced tremendous interest in their digital billboard and we are committed to working with them to help grow their company by providing the best product available and then support that product with unmatched service.”

Watchfire Digital Outdoor produces the industry’s only 19mm pixel pitch billboard­which packs 768 LEDs into every sq. ft.­and is capable of producing 281 trillion colors, the most in the industry. It is the only manufacturer that fully encapsulates the LED module in a thick bed of silicone gel, which enables the LED boards to operate in extreme conditions: 180+ days completely submerged in water, 60 days in a salt-spray chamber, and temperatures ranging from -40° F to 120° F.  In areas like Alabama, where heat and humidity are both high, the silicone gel encapsulation protects the boards from humidity and moisture, greatly improving projected reliability. All Watchfire boards feature unique cabinetry and streamlined electronics design that improve operation and simplify maintenance. Watchfire’s warranty, lead-times, customer support, and no-fee software are considered to be the best in the industry. Watchfire boards comply with the 2006 International Building Code.

For a free copy of “10 Critical Facts You Need to Know Before Buying,” go to www.watchfiredigitaloutdoor.com/freetips10.

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About Watchfire Digital Outdoor

Watchfire Digital Outdoor engineers and manufactures the best looking and most durable digital billboards available anywhere. The company is the digital billboard division of Watchfire by Time-O-Matic, which has been manufacturing outdoor electric signs for more than 75 years, has been manufacturing LED signs for 10 years, and has more than 12,000 outdoor LED signs in daily operation throughout North America. Watchfire Digital Outdoor is located in Danville, Ill. with marketing and sales operations in Indianapolis. For more information, go to http://www.watchfiredigitaloutdoor.com.