Borders adds TVs to its bookstores

ANN ARBOR, Mich. Borders is implementing a new concept that will show customers that its stores are not just about books.

The company has been installing 37-inch flat-screen televisions to show original programming, advertisements, news and weather.

Borders' partner in the venture is Ripple, a company that provides information to televisions installed in public places.

George L. Jones, the cfo of the Borders Group, said each store would have two screens.

The broadcast service, called Borders TV, is present in nearly 60 stores already and is scheduled to roll out in 250 additional stores by the end of February.

“[The screens are] not designed to be intrusive,” Mr. Jones said; rather, they are “part of a master plan to create content that will do several things for us,” like directing traffic to the Borders website and paving the way to more cross-promotional deals with large media companies.