CARY, N.C. -

It’s ubiquitous to the waiting room, whether you’re at the dentist, dry cleaner or dealership.

That TV, serving up cable news or daytime talk shows as background noise — alongside the long-expired People magazines strewn across the coffee table.

The problem with this scene, if you’re a dealer, is not just that your competitor’s advertisement may come up during “The Jerry Springer Show” commercial break.

You’re also missing out on a chance to connect with perhaps the best of prospects, sitting right there in your service department waiting room.

That’s part of the thinking behind the services of Automotive Broadcasting Network, led by former Asbury Automotive Group executive and longtime dealer Jerry Daniels.

One of the many services the company provides is TV programming via CBS for the dealership’s service department waiting room.

The company explains in a video on its website that through research, ABN has found that almost 70 percent of customers in the service department waiting area either are looking to buy a car now or will be within the next six months.

So why not reach out to those customers while they’re sitting there waiting? They’re already in your store, and many (if not most) have purchased from you before or are at least comfortable enough to do business with the store.

“It’s not a hard sell,” Daniels said in a recent phone interview with Auto Remarketing. “These are the dealership’s best prospects.”

As explained in the video, the service aims to keep competitor ads off the set in the showroom, offer stronger programming options for the consumer in the waiting room and improve customer satisfaction and loyalty, all while only showing video material designed to help that specific dealership to boost sales and service — like calls-to-action, vehicle walk-arounds or maintenance tips — instead of the competition’s commercial.

And instead of “Springer,” you get “The Big Bang Theory.”