Chicago stations WMAQ and WFLD have new partnerships with the Illinois Tollway to offer viewers access to the highway authority's traffic cameras in exchange for advertising and promotional support. WMAQ is an NBC owned station and WFLD is owned by Chicago.
The Illinois Tollway operates 286 miles of interstate tollways in northern Illinois. The agreements give the stations access to 75 cameras along the highway system, for live video on air and online.
WMAQ has partnered with Illinois Tollway in the past, while WFLD's pact is new.
"We're always looking for creative ways to leverage the Tollway's existing assets and these partnerships are a great example of that," said Illinois Tollway Executive Director Kristi Lafleur in a statement. "The Tollway has no budget for advertising and we depend on these advertising and promotional opportunities to help keep our customers informed."
The Tollway will receive an estimated $4.2 million in advertising and promotional opportunities from both stations, including: 10- and 15-second on-air advertisements, co-branding opportunities, on-air talent at Tollway events and Tollway messages in traffic and breaking news e-mail alerts.
"These new partnerships will help us enhance customer service and keep our customers in the loop about new and existing initiatives," said Lafleur. "We're excited to work with NBC and Fox and look forward to new ways we can promote what we're doing at the Tollway."
