Philadelphia's Independence Visitor Center Joins Forces with Local CBS Affiliate in the Launch of the Visitor Center Network

PHILADELPHIA, May 25 /PRNewswire/ -- The Independence Visitor Center Corporation (IVCC), the City of Philadelphia's most visited venue with nearly three million visitors annually, will join CBS Always On, Philadelphia's Digital News Network this Tuesday, May 25 at 11 a.m. just in time to keep the City's summer tourists and residents up to date with the latest news, weather, traffic, sports and information about local attractions.

IVCC President and CEO James J. Cuorato will push the ceremonial "On" button on the remote to launch the Visitor Center Network, eight 50-inch HD screens that will provide visitors with an ongoing loop of news video and a news crawl provided by the CBS stations locally.  The service is the latest addition to the CBS Always On network launched in November, 2009 by Center City Direct and the seven CBS stations throughout the City.  The addition of the Independence Visitor Center Network brings the system, which now includes other sites, to 64 screens locally, with additional locations expected throughout the year.  "We are thrilled about this new partnership with CBS and Center City Direct.  We are now able to give our nearly 3 million visitors even better information, helping them to be as informed as possible when visiting the Greater Philadelphia region," Cuorato says. "As we gear up for a summer season that is projected to be the busiest season we've had yet, the new content from CBS is just in time."

"We're pleased to be able to continue to expand our news service to provide information to the public wherever they happen to be," says CBS 3 and The CW Philly President and General Manager Jon Hitchcock. "Whether the medium is a TV set, a computer or cell phone, we want CBS to be the news source locally."

"The news gathering power of our two television stations and five radio stations cover all bases and reach the largest audience of any news organization in the region," adds Marc Rayfield, Senior Vice President and Market Manager for the CBS Radio Stations in Philadelphia. "This is a perfect opportunity to further establish the respected CBS news brand."  

"The Independence Visitor Center is the gateway to Philadelphia's history, restaurants, attractions and shopping and this network is the most powerful way to let tourists and visitors know about the exciting things the City has to offer," says Phong Phan, President and CEO of Center City Direct.

The Independence Visitor Center, located at 6th & Market Streets, across from the Liberty Bell, provides the region's best event and attraction information to visitors and locals alike about Independence National Historical Park, the City of Philadelphia and the countryside. Open daily at 8:30 a.m. seven days a week (with the exception of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day). For information, visit www.independencevisitorcenter.com or call 800-537-7676.

Center City Direct, a division of Alternative Media Holdings, LLC, is a Philadelphia-based marketing and technology company.  Center City Direct uses its proprietary, web-enabled, closed-circuit TV technology to broadcast content to digital monitors installed in retailers, office buildings, public spaces and on the street. Center City Direct customizes the content for each of its networks depending on the venue including broadcasting in multiple languages.  

CBS Always On is powered by CBS Philly, the seven CBS-owned stations in the market.  CBS 3 (KYW-TV) and The CW Philly 57 (WPSG-TV) are part of CBS Television Stations, a division of CBS Corporation.  KYW Newsradio 1060, 98.1 WOGL, 94 WYSP, SportsRadio 610 WIP and The Big Talker 1210AM WPHT are owned and operated by CBS Radio.

SOURCE Independence Visitor Center Corporation