TV Network Aims at a Moving Target

Think of the Cable News Network. Then think of 18-wheelers and CB radios. Now put the two together. What you get is the American Trucking Television Network, or ATTN, the world’s first TV network for professional truck drivers.

The network is scheduled to be launched from Washington on Oct. 18 to more than 50 truck stops in the United States and Canada. Broadcasting from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. PDT, Sunday through Thursday, ATTN plans to provide the latest in news, weather, general information and entertainment. “Everything we do will be for and about truck drivers,” said Tom Hauff, ATTN’s executive producer and a former truck driver.

Programming will be carried by satellite to small receivers atop truck stops, a delivery known as direct broadcasting. ATTN will appear on special television monitors in lounges, restaurants and fuel stations.

An estimated 3.2 million truckers spend $25 billion a year at U.S. truck stops. One industry survey found that truckers spend an average $25 a day on food, clothing and phone calls home. Among advertisers who have expressed interest in the new network: AT&T.;