Digital Billboards

Flashy billboards get mixed reviews

2007-09-18T11:37:00.000-04:00

Richland County is considering allowing new signs

An electronic billboard displays its message near the intersection of Huger and Blossom streets in Columbia.
About 50 people showed up for a debate Thursday on the latest technology in billboards — screens that change messages every six seconds and stay lit 24 hours a day.
The forum featured dueling studies, statistics, psychology and a video of Interstate 26, doctored to demonstrate how it would look with a cascade of flashing signs.
While much of the talk was about the potential hazards for drivers, Columbia resident Basil Garzia wasn’t swayed by the data.
“It’s gaudy,” he said.
“And my gut says that there’s a safety issue, too.”
Already, billboard companies have been allowed to erect the electric signs in Columbia and Lexington County. Now, they are seeking permission to expand to unincorporated Richland County.
A public hearing has been set for 7 p.m. Sept. 25 by the County Council.
The tension is heightened for a couple of reasons:
• Richland County has banned new billboards since 2001. And while allowing digital billboards wouldn’t add new sites, it would extend the life of the signs.
County law is designed to phase out signs over time as they age.
Lamar Advertising’s Scott Shockley said the company has 180 billboards in the county.
• Lamar has put up five digital billboards along city streets in the past year, allowing people to judge for themselves whether they’re attractive or distracting.
Most who attended the forum, held at the library and sponsored by the Richland County Appearance Commission, seemed anti-billboard.
“It’s about high time for us to realize that we have a law on the books, and here come businesses that want to circumvent just because of new technology,” city resident Henry Hopkins said.
Added Virginia Washington, who lives in Lower Richland: “Having lived in New York City and having visited Times Square, it’s mind-boggling. So imagine that here in Columbia.”
John Hardee, a former state highway commissioner who works for Lamar Advertising, said he was surprised at the turnout.
“Shows to me there’s not a lot of concern,” he said.
A new traffic study done for the billboard industry shows the digital billboards don’t affect accident rates, said Michael W. Tantala, an engineer with a consulting firm in Philadelphia.
Jerry A. Wachtel, who has studied driver safety for 30 years, said the jury’s still out. But, digital billboards make drivers look away from the road for unsafe periods of time, he said.
Wachtel said driver distraction is the single greatest factor in car crashes.
Van Kornegay, with Citizens for Scenic South Carolina, said the issue is that billboards are the only advertising people simply can’t avoid.
“We cannot change the channel. We cannot turn the volume down. We cannot cancel our subscriptions. We have to watch.”

Source: The State --By DAWN HINSHAW

Compromise could solve city billboard lawsuit

2007-09-18T11:33:00.000-04:00

Not that it should back down on enforcing city laws, but Murfreesboro needs to revisit its sign ordinance regarding electronic messaging signs.
We believe the City Council can find a way to allow the technology of today's billboards without letting the city turn into another Las Vegas.

Lamar Advertising of Tennessee filed suit against Murfreesboro Aug. 22 claiming the city wrongfully revoked its permit for the Old Fort Parkway billboard that changes advertisements every eight seconds.
Murfreesboro has an ordinance passed this year prohibiting all electronic messaging signs and a long-standing law that prohibits flashing signs for commercial purposes.
We fail to see, though, how the billboard near DoubleTree Hotel and Starbucks injures the city of Murfreesboro and its residents. The technology is here and the signs enable more than one company to advertise at once. Whether the sign looks good is typically in the eye of the beholder, but make no mistake, this is the type of sign that is being seen across the country.
So why is it being rejected in Murfreesboro? Because the sign ordinance is too rigid. The city also revoked the sign permits of two convenience stores that were using lighted signs to advertise the price of gas, even though they didn't flash, blink or change every eight seconds. The sign stayed up at one of those stores after the Board of Zoning Appeals allowed it on a technicality.
The BZA rejected Lamar's arguments, however, and now the city is in the midst of another lawsuit over its sign ordinance. In the 1990s, Murfreesboro lost a court battle when it exempted American flags from size restrictions. Eventually, the courts found that all flags should be restricted and the city forced Goo-Goo car wash to remove a huge flag from its new business last month.
The City Council, however, is considering allowing larger flag displays of 150 square feet on 50-foot poles. If the city can bend on that part of the ordinance, why not on the flashing billboard section?
Officials made the right move when they heard the cries of residents who wanted a larger display for U.S. flags. They should also compromise on these types of electronic messaging signs, possibly by writing the ordinance so that messages could change only every 15 seconds, in order not to distract motorists.
Lamar's argument will be difficult to beat in court because the company claims it had a valid permit approved by a city sign inspector in November 2006 after the sign went up.
Of course, it's impossible to predict how the courts will rule. Who would have thought the U.S. flag could be categorized as a sign?
But if the city of Murfreesboro can limit the size of a flag, then make changes based on public opinion, it can find a way to meet the business world half-way on flashing signs, without allow the landscape to look like a strip of casinos.

Source: The Daily News Journal

Unfair Lawsuit in Lafayette, La.

2007-09-18T11:30:00.000-04:00

In other business Tuesday, the council is scheduled to go into executive session to discuss a lawsuit brought against the city-parish by a billboard company.
Bass Ltd., is arguing that the city unfairly approved permits that allowed Lamar Advertising to convert several billboards to digital format.
When Bass made a similar request, the Department of Planning, Zoning and Codes did not approve the application, saying it had decided to take a look at the ordinance that governs billboards.
The issue was set for a hearing Oct. 8 before 15th Judicial District Judge Kristian Earles, although attorneys for Bass have said they’ll request an earlier hearing.
The council meets at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday in City Hall on University Avenue.

Source: Advocate Acadiana bureau Lafayette, La.

S.A. board's vote to regulate digital billboards at odds with Clear Channel's plan

2007-09-18T11:26:00.000-04:00

Clear Channel Outdoor's effort to change state and city codes to regulate digital billboards has hit a snag.
San Antonio's electrical supervisory board agreed Monday to recommend a city ordinance to regulate the light-emitting diode signs, or LEDs, but suggested capping permits to 10 for the first year and banning their use on older billboards that are exempt from current restrictions.

That could crimp Clear Channel's plan to put up 150 of the digital signs and, based on a trade-out requirement in the proposed city rules, take down 600 older billboards that are mostly in neighborhoods inside Loop 410.
That's because many of the most lucrative billboards are on sections of major roads and freeways designated as scenic corridors, which forbid new signs that aren't part of a business. So the existing signs in those prime areas are grandfathered and therefore exempt from the rules.
Size, height and spacing requirements also affect what's grandfathered, but city and Clear Channel officials say the rules are murky.
Attorney Frank Burney, representing Clear Channel, warned the electrical board that lawyers could end up haggling, billboard by billboard, on just what is grandfathered.
"I'll tell you, if you go with that, it'll be a retirement fund for lawyers," he said.
The board disagreed, and its recommendation now heads to the City Council. Staff officials said they don't know when the council will consider the proposed ordinance.
The billboard industry's draw to digital signs includes the ability to remotely switch messages half a dozen times a minute or thousands of times a day.
The electrical board recommended that images not move, be displayed at least 10 seconds each and be switched within a second. There would also be limits on brightness and a trade-out to take down three to 19 old billboards for each digital sign.
Burney and three Clear Channel officials were among 17 people who spoke at a public hearing before the board vote.
Ten speakers opposed the ordinance, saying the lighted signs would clutter the highways and distract drivers.
"A message that changes every eight seconds is designed to distract you," said Larry Clark of the River Road Neighborhood Association, one of several people speaking for neighborhood groups.
Marcie Ince of the San Antonio Conservation Society and Kathleen Trenchard of Scenic San Antonio asked the board to wait until a Federal Highway Administration study is finished to determine what risks digital signs could pose to drivers.
The study is scheduled to start next year and finish by the end of 2009, administration spokesman Doug Hecox said.
Meanwhile, the Texas Transportation Commission proposed similar rules last month for state roads within cities and will hold a hearing Nov. 28.
Last year, the Texas Department of Transportation began an effort to rework a federal-state agreement to allow the digital signs. The TxDOT attorney overseeing the initiative, Timothy Anderson, has since joined Clear Channel and spoke at Monday's hearing.

Source: Patrick Driscoll -Express-News

Digital images on billboards catch driver's attention

2007-09-18T11:21:00.000-04:00

A new billboard in Peoria may have caught your eye recently.
The L.E.D. digital billboard is on the corner of War Memorial Drive and University Street in Peoria.
It switches through different images and ads.
That movement is what's catching people's eyes and that's bringing in dollars for advertisers.
“From an advertising standpoint it's been a huge impact. We've had calls from the very first day from some of the advertisers that signed up saying they've got a ton of calls in saying what are you doing I've seen your billboard,” said Paul Zacovic of Adams Outdoor Advertising.
The billboard also adapts to light conditions.
Its been in Peoria for about a month.
There is a similar smaller billboard near University and Glen and at least one in the Twin Cities

Source: Heart of Illinois- By Laura Michels

New Braunfels puts hold on billboards

2007-09-18T11:19:00.000-04:00

NEW BRAUNFELS — The City Council here unanimously imposed a 180-day moratorium on digital billboards in the city.

Council members said they want an ordinance to regulate them before the city is hit with a wave of permit applications.
State officials are considering allowing the new, light-up billboards, which can flash a new message every few seconds, along highways. New Braunfels already has one application for such a billboard, which will be considered by the city because it came before the moratorium.
The council decided late Monday to reconvene a committee that disbanded this year after making recommendations for a sign ordinance. The panel will consider whether the city should allow digital billboards and, if so, how bright they can be, the number of messages they can display and how quickly the messages can change.
Opponents of the billboards complain that they cause light pollution and distract drivers. Industry representatives say their studies show no increase in accidents.

Source: Express-News

Flashing billboards won't be distracting GR drivers

2007-09-18T11:14:00.000-04:00

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

GRAND RAPIDS -- City motorists will not be distracted by videos or flashing messages on local billboards anytime soon, thanks to a three-month moratorium imposed by city commissioners Tuesday.
The ban came at the request of City Planning Director Suzanne Schulz, who warned that the city's 1969 zoning ordinance was powerless to stop billboard companies from installing high-tech billboards that could distract motorists by projecting high-quality video images.

The moratorium gives city commissioners time to adopt a zoning ordinance that will restrict the video billboards, Schulz said.
The city has no video billboards along its streets and highways now, but Schulz said they are showing up elsewhere in Michigan, including smaller cities such as Traverse City.
Schulz said the ban was not designed to limit free speech. Instead, it is meant to balance the public's right to be free of signs that distract drivers and pedestrians and cause confusion.
Ban only for 'off-premise' signs
The latest ban affects only "off-premise" signs, such as billboards. Last year, the City Commission adopted an ordinance governing electronic "on-premise" business signs.
Though the automated signs are banned in residential neighborhoods, churches and schools are allowed to install them if they get Planning Commission approval.

Source: By Jim Harger -The Grand Rapids Press

Electronic Billboard Safety Debate

2007-09-18T11:12:00.000-04:00

A pair of electronic billboards that some drivers call, "a distraction" can stay put for now.
The bright, flashing billboards are on both sides of I-75 at the 12th Street exit in Covington.
Covington's Code Enforcement Board said it will allow the billboards if their owner gets the proper state permits.
However, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet wants the electronic billboards removed. It says the law does not allow them, and they could be unsafe.
Covington's Code Enforcement Board said the signs are not a distraction. The owner of the billboards has until December 31st to get the permits.

Source: Local12.com

Watchfire Digital Outdoor Announces Sales of 16 LED Billboards

2007-09-12T12:27:00.000-04:00

Press Release

DANVILLE, Ill. and INDIANAPOLIS, (September 12, 2007) --

Watchfire Digital Outdoor manufacturer of the industry’s best looking and most reliable digital billboards, announced the sale of 16 digital billboards to independent outdoor operators. All of the billboards are 19mm pixel pitch, which pack 768 LEDs into every sq. ft. and are capable of producing 281 trillion colors, the most in the industry.

The 16 new digital billboards were sold to six companies, including:

· JR Promotions, Columbus, Ind.: will install central Indiana’s first two 14’ x 48’ digital billboards in September.
· BASS, Ltd., Lafayette, La.: purchased six LED billboards including two 12’ x 40’ digital billboards and four 10’ x 35’ digital billboards.
· Oliver Real Estate, Pittsburgh: acquired five urban sized digital billboards ranging from 5’ x 12’ to 10’ x 21’.
· Zalla Companies, Covington, Ky.: purchased one 13’ x 37’ digital billboard for the Cincinnati market.
· A Bloomington, Ill. outdoor operator purchased one 12’ x 24’ digital billboard.
· A Burlington, N.C. outdoor operator purchased one 14’ x 48’ digital billboard.

“Watchfire is well-established in this business. We’ve been in business for 75 years, we’ve been building LED signs for 10 years and we’ll build nearly 5,000 LED faces in our Danville, Ill. factory this year,” said Darrin Friskney, director of Watchfire Digital Outdoor. ”All that experience is making us an attractive option for outdoor operators. The market is hot for digital billboards and companies like buying from Watchfire because we build a product that looks great, is very durable and reduces energy requirements. What’s more, we continue to deliver faster than anyone in the industry.”

Watchfire Digital Outdoor produces the industry’s only 19mm pixel pitch billboard, which features 11 percent more pixels per sq. ft. than comparable models in the industry. Watchfire Digital Outdoor boards produce 281 trillion colors, a palette 64 times deeper than other billboards.

Watchfire’s Ignite™ software provides a link to 24/7 monitoring of sign schedules and performance via a live web cam, automated sign diagnostics that provide real-time monitoring and reporting on comprehensive sign “health,” automatic sign dimming to assure appropriate brightness and optimal viewability, printable proof-of-performance advertiser reports, and intuitive programming of complex advertising schedules.

Source: Digital Watchfire Press Release

New Braunfels to vote on digital billboards

2007-09-11T09:12:00.000-04:00

Web Posted: 09/08/2007 10:03 PM CDT

NEW BRAUNFELS — The City Council will consider a moratorium on digital billboards when it meets Monday.
The state is considering rules that would allow the new high-tech advertising signs, which light up and can change every eight seconds. The Texas Transportation Commission is expected to vote on whether to allow the signs after a public comment period that ends Dec. 6.

The billboards would be allowed only in and around cities, and cities would have to approve each one. No flashing lights or moving images would be allowed.
"I'm concerned about whether they should or shouldn't be allowed," said New Braunfels Councilman Pat Wiggins.
Wiggins said the moratorium may be needed so the city can consider whether to permit the digital billboards or under what conditions, and to put rules in place before it starts receiving applications for them.
He said he doesn't want to see a repeat of what happened a couple of years ago, when brightly colored portable signs started appearing around town and were "grandfathered" by the time the city implemented rules for them.
Lee Vela, president of the Outdoor Advertising Association of Texas, said he believes New Braunfels is the first city in the state to address the issue.
The signs have been criticized by Scenic America, a group that fights the billboard industry. Scenic America contends the digital signs are unsightly, a distraction to drivers and a cause of "light pollution."
The Outdoor Advertising Association countered with two studies of its own, one showing no increase in accidents in the Cleveland area after the signs were installed and the showing drivers do not look at the signs any longer than they look at traditional billboards.
"Any issue we look at, it seems like there's two sides and both sides can pull up a study to support their position," said Councilwoman Gale Pospisil. "It obviously looks like there are some considerations and concerns. It's probably a good idea to talk about it."
The council will meet with its attorney in executive session on the proposed moratorium Monday night and is to take action in the public session after that.

Source: Roger CroteauExpress-News

Ban on Bright Billboards

2007-09-11T09:07:00.000-04:00

September 7, 2007 - 8:56PM

GRAND RAPIDS (NEWSCHANNEL 3) Many companies who own the boards want to put in huge LCD screens that rapidly flash multiple advertisements. Some are already in place throughout the Midwest. City leaders worry the bright billboards are a dangerous distraction for drivers who may be multi-tasking behind the wheel. Companies putting up the signs say the real distractions are inside the car. Roy Nordstrom a professional driver says, “at 70 miles per hour, I always tell people that's a 105 feet per second, so you can't take your eyes off the road very long. Otherwise you've gone the length of the football field in just three seconds.” On Tuesday, the Grand Rapids city commission will vote to put a 3-month hold on any type of electronic billboard with moving text or pictures to make sure it can regulate the signs.

Source: WWMT News Channel 3

CBS Enters Growing Business: Buys SignStorey

2007-09-11T09:04:00.000-04:00

September 6, 2007 10:46 AM

Yesterday, we chided CBS for resorting to financial engineering to pump up its stock price("returning capital to shareholders" by borrowing from lenders and boosting equity dividends). Today, however, the company has actually added business value--by using its cash flow to buy a growing digital advertising business.
The $72 million all-cash SignStorey acquisition--to be renamed "CBS Outernet"--will boost CBS's presence in the rapidly growing "place-based advertising" industry (a.k.a., video billboards). SignStorey operates digital video displays in more than 1,400 grocery stores in major markets across the United States. Ads can be customized by region and by daypart, and the company's satellite-delivery system enables immediate, customized programming to each individual system. SignStorey has long-term exclusive contracts with SuperValu (Acme, Albertsons, Jewel and Shaw's), Pathmark, ShopRite and Price Chopper, among others, and currently blares video ads in the vicinity of more than 72 million consumers every month. Revenue more than doubled in 2006.
As noted here, the video-billboard industry has become a real business: $6.8 billion a year. Billboards as a whole are also one of the only traditional media businesses that is growing. (See Google Sucks The Life Out of Traditional Media.

Source: Silicon Valley Insider

Positive sign: Video billboard ban

2007-09-11T09:00:00.000-04:00

The Gilbert Town Council proved its worth as caretakers of the town’s seven miles of freeway frontage Tuesday, when it refused to cave in to pressure for allowing flashy electronic signs along the Loop 202.We hope this will provide an occasion for leaders of other East Valley cities to more closely examine one of the great questions of our young century: Can drivers take any more distraction, especially at 70 mph? Many cities have been willing to gamble that in today’s information-saturated age, people are able to gaze at and ignore flashing lights, words and video images at will, welcoming huge digital displays after shunning old-school billboards for decades. So far, most examples of this new breed function as on-site advertising, including the JumboTron-style signs just down the Santan Freeway for Chandler’s auto mall and the more modest digital displays at Mesa Riverview. Tempe Marketplace’s digital billboards go even further into the past, located next to a major center but not necessarily hawking anything available at that center. These don’t incorporate any animation, but the ads change every eight seconds. These displays are getting noticed across America as well, as cities debate these signs’ costs and benefits, using either Times Square or the Las Vegas Strip as a reference point, depending on geography. The list of studies proving the dangers of distracted driving is longer than most cell phone bills. Yet no large, definitive study has determined whether electronic billboards in particular cause accidents, allowing their backers and detractors to argue ad nauseam. The Federal Highway Administration, which released its most recent noncommittal overview of the issue on Sept. 11, 2001, has agreed to step back into the fray with a more comprehensive study. But the results may not be in until 2009, according to a March article in the Christian Science Monitor. This research may or may not settle the issue, but we are hopeful that local officials will use due caution — more than most have up to this point — when someone applies for a permit to build one of these things next to a freeway. We don’t usually appreciate it when government tells individuals what they can or can’t build on their property, or what an advertisement can or can’t say. But government’s proper function is to ensure public safety, and it would seem that one way to accomplish that might be not to allow private interests to install what amounts to giant TV sets next to freeways.

Source: East Valley Tribune

Business files lawsuit to try to keep electronic sign up in Murfreesboro

2007-09-11T08:56:00.000-04:00

Wednesday, 09/05/07

MURFREESBORO — The owner of a digital billboard on Old Fort Parkway is suing to keep the sign flashing.
Lamar Advertising of Tennessee filed suit Aug. 22 in Rutherford County Chancery Court, naming the city of Murfreesboro and the Board of Zoning Appeals as defendants for trying to remove the company's electronic billboard at 1804 Old Fort Parkway near the DoubleTree Hotel and Starbucks.

The Murfreesboro Building and Codes Department revoked a permit for the sign in March, shortly after it was put up, saying it violates the city's moratorium on electronic messaging signs and a long-standing law that prohibits such signs for commercial purposes.
In the lawsuit, Lamar argues that the city's revocation of the permit and the Board of Zoning Appeals' denial of an appeal were "arbitrary, capricious and illegal."
Murfreesboro spokesman Chris Shofner said city officials do not comment on pending litigation.
No court date has been set; the city has not answered the claims made in the suit.
The suit says other digital signs were allowed to stay up, making it unfair to require Lamar to take its sign down.
In May, the appeals board granted an appeal by Affordable Signs regarding its sign at Exxon On the Run at 2464 New Salem Highway, which had been cited for a similar violation. That sign was allowed to remain because of a loophole in the city ordinance, which defined electronic messaging signs as those used for "non-commercial" purposes.
The suit claims:
• The same loophole that applied to Exxon On the Run should apply to the Lamar sign.
• The Lamar sign is not a "flashing sign" as some board members had suggested because its pictures stay static for eight seconds.
• The sign had a valid permit because it was inspected and approved by a city sign inspector after its erection. Lamar was issued the permit in November.
• No public hearing was allowed at Lamar's appeal.
Mike O'Conner, who drives by the sign almost every day, said he thinks the city made the right decision.
Kate Hollow, a recent MTSU graduate, said she doesn't see what the problem with the sign is.
"So it's a big screen. It's hardly the biggest distraction on the road," she said.

Source: Gannett Tennessee By TURNER HUTCHENS

Digital billboard debate to continue next month

2007-09-11T08:45:00.000-04:00

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

A local planning board decided Tuesday that an ordinance to allow digital billboards needed more tweaking, and voted unanimously to table consideration until its next meeting.
The Chatham County-Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission was considering a text amendment that would allow digital billboards in the city limits, but commissioners felt certain requirements were unclear, such as whether the 5,000-foot minimum distance between signs was linear or as the crow flies.
Commissioners also wanted the sign company that prompted the ordinance, Lamar Outdoor Advertising, to take down more non-digital billboards to compensate for the digital ones the company wanted.
Lamar representatives had offered to take down 24 non-digital billboards, but several commissioners pushed for even more to come down, specifically "non-conforming" billboards, which do not meet ordinance requirements.
City Manager Michael Brown, who sits on the commission, likened it to wetlands mitigation, where a developer must replace wetlands he plans to destroy.
"What we're saying is right now we do not allow digital billboards as a matter of right," Brown said. "We're going to allow them as a matter of right. What we're saying is if someone wants to put in a digital billboard, they can go buy a regular billboard and take it out of service and put in a digital billboard."
Some commissioners said the requirement should be stipulated in the ordinance.
Attorney Harold Yellin, representing Lamar, argued that being forced by ordinance to take down non-conforming signs was essentially a deal breaker.
"Non-confirming could be a sign that when we put it up was perfectly legal, and then a school came in next to us," he said.
Yellin also objected to any stipulations in the ordinance that Lamar remove signs, saying that other companies that don't have signs in Savannah would not have to meet such a requirement.
"I don't think you can require something of Lamar that you can't require of everybody," Yellin said. "You're creating an ordinance that is not universal. It's probably not constitutional."
Some commissioners also wanted the 24 signs Lamar had volunteered to take down stipulated in the ordinance.
"How would there be an assurance that these other signs come down without there being an item in the ordinance?" Commission Chairman Stephen Lufburrow asked.
Yellin said Lamar would sign a contract agreeing to take down the 24 signs.
In the end, the commissioners decided they needed to iron out the details before voting, and tabled the item until their Sept. 18 meeting.

Source: Savannah Morning News

Judge allows billboards to go electronic

2007-09-11T05:44:00.000-04:00

A ruling issued Friday in Platte County Circuit Court will allow Lamar Advertising to proceed with conversion of more than a dozen Kansas City billboards into electronic billboards.
First up — a sign near Interstate 29 and Northwest 64th Street.
Lamar went to court seeking an injunction against a Kansas City moratorium that in effect has prevented construction of new billboards since March 2006.
Next week the city is to consider an ordinance that would prohibit construction of new billboards along city streets.
Carol Winterowd, a south Kansas City resident who has led the charge against what she termed “billboard blight,” called the ruling “a sad day for the visual beauty of Kansas City. Digitals are the worst of them all.”
Digital signs are becoming more popular.
“The industry loves digital signs because they can get more money off those,” she said. “And they can change those signs in the office with the flick of a switch. It’s a real efficiency move for the industry.”
Although the city cannot appeal the injunction, assistant city attorney Maggie Moran said she found another issue to pursue.
She said the planned digital Northland billboard was illegal because it was built too close to housing.
“We just found that out this week,” Moran said. “We’re going to start an enforcement action.”

Source: The Kansas City Star By KAREN UHLENHUTH

Coming to Your Highway: Digital Billboards

2007-09-11T05:43:00.000-04:00

By Ryan Fuhrmann, CFA May 15, 2007

Ever wondered who owns and operates the advertising billboards plastered across American highways? There are three key players that control most of the industry. And after years of modest organic sales gains, digital billboards could inject the space with big-time growth opportunities.
The pure-play operator is Lamar Advertising (Nasdaq: LAMR), and it appears to be taking a measured pace. During its first-quarter earnings release last Thursday, the company reported total sales growth of 8.6% and a sizeable earnings increase, after taking into account a gain from the sale of a private-company interest. Analysts are calling for an almost 17% earnings increase for the full year, but going forward, digital has the most potential to boost results.
Lamar reported "428 digital displays in 107 markets." That's clearly a small percentage of its total billboards, but demonstrates the extent to which digital could end up altering the competitive landscape. Digital could boost sales and profitability metrics for all players in the industry, but Lamar might soon be the only pure-play option for investors to capitalize on the new technology.
The other two key players are Clear Channel Outdoor (NYSE: CCO) and CBS Outdoor, a division of CBS (NYSE: CBS). Together they control an estimated 85% of the billboards in the United States, according to Value Investor Insight. All are similar in size, but Lamar mostly concentrates its 150,000 billboards in smaller, more regional markets. Clear Channel and CBS, on the other hand, chase larger, national advertisers to pursue synergies with their radio and other advertising platforms.
Digital billboards are slowly starting to replace traditional billboards, and could revolutionize the industry. If ads could be updated quickly and cost-effectively by electronic means, billboard operators could rotate ads throughout the day with multiple advertisers per unit.
Digital currently has appealing economics, with five to 10 times higher revenue per unit based on my calculations. Of course, installing these digital billboards can be costly, so build-out expenses may be substantial as well. But with the company looking to reach more than 600 units by the end of this year, clearly it is placing its dollars on digital and not looking back.

Source : Motley Fool

Las Vegas Allows Brothels to Advertise

2007-09-11T05:37:00.000-04:00

Sunday, September 2, 2007

Las Vegas residents and visitors were surprised to see a moving billboard, basically a large truck with a digital billboard attached, driving through the streets of Las Vegas advertising the brothels from nearby towns. While prostitution is actually technically illegal in Clark County, including in the Las Vegas area, there has still been some considerable amount of illegal prostitution that still continues to occur in the Vegas area, taking advantage of all the traffic into the famous gambling mecca in the desert, as people come to attend shows and view Las Vegas attractions. This lifting of the ban on advertising for prostitution allows legal prostitution networks from out of town establishments to provide services to the Las Vegas area, including transportation to and from the brothels. This focus on allowing legal prostitution to flourish is considered a good way to reduce the amount of illegal prostitution in the Clark County area and provide protection for legal workers.Oddly enough, the advertising chosen and presented on the moving billboard did not actually feature any women of any kind, as the proprietors chose to be as tasteful and sensitive as possible. Instead, the advertising shows only a profile of the brothel itself from the outside front, showing zero racy content and simply offering a phone number and location information for the brothel. Locals expect the amount of advertising to increase in the future, as more and more legal prostitution establishments come on board and begin strengthening their advertising and marketing programs in the same manner. While the moving billboard might not be the choice for everyone, any type of advertising and marketing is generally considered an effective tool for the prostitution industry and provides a monstrous amount of incoming traffic and paying customers. Naturally, without this influx of new traffic and visitors, no establishment can continue to earn money and remain solvent for very long. As more and more companies focus on advertising for prostitution and legal brothels in the Las Vegas area, it remains to be seen what impact these types of advertising will have on the Las Vegas area over all.Nearby counties that can legally support prostitution expect to experience a tremendous amount of new business, as the strategic combination of advertising and transportation allows legal brothels to attract visitors and users from the swarming and extremely busy Las Vegas area.

Electronic reader boards called a safety hazard

2007-09-11T05:32:00.000-04:00

Dominic Cuccia can flash some catchy digital images and text messages across the sign outside his drive-through car wash/Italian eatery business on North Oak Trafficway.
One shows a car getting showered with water and then brushed. Seconds later, the sign reads “Dominic’s Mom is back in the Kitchen.” On another day, the sign reminds passersby that the car wash will be open on Labor Day.
“The things I can do with this reader board are unlimited,” Cuccia said, “and there is no more going outside and putting up a (manual) display board in bad weather.”
Cuccia is among a growing number of business owners who are advertising their products through outdoor electronic, or LED, reader boards.
Once found in only a handful of places, reader boards — described by a sign industry Web site as “the town crier of the modern age”— are popping up in large number, at least in cities where they are allowed.
Businesses like to use reader boards because they can flash several different messages in a minute’s time and their LED technology has become cheaper in the past decade.
“I am guessing that there are probably 10 times more reader boards out there than there used to be 10 years ago,” said Mark Bourgart, president of Infinity Sign Systems, which installs reader boards.
But officials in some cities want nothing to do the phenomenon. They contend that the electronic message boards are not only unattractive but also a dangerous distraction to drivers.
They cite studies by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that concluded that taking one’s eyes off the road for more than two seconds significantly increases the chances of having an accident.
“They are ugly, offensive and even more in-your-face than billboards,” said Tom Nelson, a local architect who serves on the board of Scenic America, a national nonprofit group that opposes outdoor advertising.
Digital displays are allowed in most commercial areas of Kansas City, except for specially planned areas such as Zona Rosa.
Leaders in Gladstone, where Cuccia’s business is located, have similar concerns and have formed a committee to review the city’s sign ordinance.
On the 3.5-mile stretch of North Oak Trafficway that runs through Gladstone, there are 10 electronic message boards.
“I don’t want Gladstone looking like Times Square,” said Councilman Mark Revenaugh said. “We are trying very hard to keep Gladstone from having the appearance of an aging community. These reader boards detract from our effort to move this city forward.”
Several cities in the metropolitan area either prohibit electronic signs or impose heavy restrictions on them.
Independence, for instance, prohibits such signs in its growing retail district near Interstate 70 and Missouri 291 but allows it elsewhere, said Stuart Borders, a senior planner for the city.
Borders estimated that there are about a dozen electronic reader boards on Noland Road. But like other cities, Independence has regulations, he said.
Bourgart, whose sign company has been installing digital reader monuments for several CVS drug stores in the area, said businesses have found that reader boards are an effective advertising medium.
“Because so many people have TiVo or satellite radio at home, they don’t have to watch or listen to commercials, so companies have to find new ways to get the message out to their clientele,” he said.
Bourgart added that when CVS puts in a message board at one of its stores, retail sales at that location rise from 17 percent to 40 percent. That, in turn, increases sales tax revenue for the city.
Cuccia, who spent $30,000 on his electronic reader board sign, agreed that they help draw business.
He said he thinks the sign is tasteful and also disputed claims that such signs distract motorists.
“Anything can distract a driver,” he said.
But Nelson of Scenic America said he was awaiting a study by the Federal Highway Administration that will examine the safety issues related to electronic signs.
“One of these days, someone will die because of these reader boards,” he said. “I hope it doesn’t happen, but I fear that it could.”

Source: The Kansas City Star By MIKE RICE

Clear Channel expands digital billboard network

2007-09-11T05:30:00.000-04:00

August 20, 2007

Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings Inc.. is expanding the reach of its digital billboard network into some of the nation's largest designated market areas (DMA), including Chicago and Philadelphia. The company is also launching a second phase in Los Angeles where the network was first introduced in May.
The company has now deployed 76 digital billboards since the first of the year and by the end of August it will be operating 16 digital billboard networks in the following 14 DMAs: Akron, Ohio; Albuquerque, N.M.; Chicago; Cleveland; Columbus, Ohio; El Paso, Texas; Memphis, Tenn.; Milwaukee; Minneapolis/St. Paul; Orlando, Fla.; Tampa Bay, Fla.; Wichita, Kan. and two networks in both Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

"After successful programs in a number of smaller markets, we are now experiencing strong market demand for digital billboards in our larger markets, including the top 10 DMAs," says Paul Meyer, president and chief operating officer of Clear Channel Outdoor. "The popularity of this new and exciting medium is the result of its unique responsiveness to advertisers' desires to vary their messages as many times and as frequently as their campaign needs dictate."
Digital billboards display static messages that resemble standard printed billboards when viewed, but also allow advertisers to remotely and instantaneously change messages.

Source: San Antonio Business Journal

Electronic billboard drawing strong reactions

2007-09-11T05:29:00.001-04:00

Wednesday August 29, 2007

CHAMPAIGN – A new electronic billboard along Kirby Avenue is drawing strong reactions from city residents.
"I'm hearing about it, from a couple of people who don't like it," said council member Michael La Due. "I think the city council might want to revisit it. I don't know that we want Champaign to look like downtown Tokoyo."

Source: The News Gazette By Mike Monson

Firm fights for digital billboards

2007-09-11T05:22:00.000-04:00

LAFAYETTE — A local outdoor advertising company is going to court in an effort to force city-parish government to approve a conversion to digital billboards.
Bass Ltd., which has dozens of billboards along Interstate 49, Interstate 10 and U.S. 90, argues unfair treatment because permits for digital billboards were approved for competitor Lamar Advertising, a national outdoor advertising company based in Baton Rouge.
“What we’re talking about here is giving permits to one company and not giving permits to another without reason,” Bass attorney Alan Breaud said.
The attorney said that Bass has been trying to secure permits to convert billboards to digital since Lamar was granted similar permits in December 2005.
“He’s being kept out of the market,” Breaud said.
City-parish ordinances already prohibit new billboards in Lafayette Parish.
What’s at issue in the Bass lawsuit is whether the company may convert five of its billboards to digital — four of those near the high-traffic area at I-49 and I-10.
Digital billboards are similar in size and appearance to conventional billboards but can scroll through several digital advertisements each minute.
The lawsuit comes as the City-Parish Council is mulling a proposed sign ordinance that would restrict the size and appearance of business signs and allow conventional billboards to be converted to digital only if existing billboards are taken down in exchange.
The Lafayette Planning and Zoning Commission has responded to Bass that no digital billboard conversions will be approved while discussions are pending on the ordinance, which aims to reduce the clutter of signs common in some areas of the parish.
But the lawsuit questions why city-parish officials allowed Lamar Advertising to convert existing billboards to digital but has not allowed Bass to do the same.
“We cannot comment on pending litigation, but hopefully we’ll be able to work this out,” City-Parish Chief Administrative Officer Dee Stanley said.
The issue is set for a hearing on Oct. 8 before 15th Judicial District Judge Kristian Earles.
Breaud said he will request to schedule the hearing sooner, because Bass is competing at a disadvantage every day the company cannot offer digital billboards to clients while its competitor can.
The attorney said the city-parish’s position is tantamount to telling Bass: “You just stay out of business while we contemplate on this.”
Breaud said that in addition to allowing Lamar to convert existing billboards to digital, city-parish government has also approved other digital signs for businesses.
“Everybody has digital,” Breaud said, comparing conventional signs to “a car without air conditioning.”

Source: By RICHARD BURGESS Advocate Acadiana bureau Published: Aug 28, 2007

Billboard approved by the Boston Redevelopment Authority

2007-09-11T05:20:00.000-04:00

WGBH 1,350 sq ft "digital mural" Set to Go Live September 17th

Visible for up to 2 Miles

"The digital mural will not feature text or images that are overtly promotional. Rather, the slowly changing images will evoke the science, history, public affairs and children’s programming produced inside the building and for which WGBH is renowned. Examples of digital mural images might be a DNA strand that calls to mind Nova’s science programming, or an early photo of the Wright Brothers that reflects the history content of American Experience. The digital mural will operate from 6:30am to 7pm, with the day’s image replaced by a night sky “screensaver” in the evening." - email from WGBHThe newest light emitting diode (LED) sign on the Mass Pike is a 1,350 square-foot screen on the exterior of the new office of WGBH. The screen is set to go live on September 17th 2007 - the day that the building is set to be dedicated. The LED sign is visible to eastbound commuters on the Mass Pike up to two miles away.This is the first actual electronic billboard to be approved by the Boston Redevelopment Authority, under their new initiative for digital signage. The sign will display "slowly changing images that evoke WGBH's award-winning science, history, public affairs, lifestyle, drama and childrens programming."

Electronic billboards could light up Texas highways

2007-09-11T05:15:00.000-04:00

Aesthetic, economic impacts debated as public comment sought

Billboards along urban stretches of major highways could soon be converted to digital signs that are able to flash vivid new color images every eight seconds.
The Texas Transportation Commission approved proposed rules Thursday that are designed to end Texas' decades-long ban on digital billboards along interstates and other major roads. The signs would still be banned in rural areas.
No final action will be taken until after a 90-day period for public comment. But billboard opponents already have decried the proposal as unsafe, ugly and – given the recent death of Lady Bird Johnson – in poor taste.

In addition, a public hearing will be at 9 a.m. Nov. 28 in Austin.
Mrs. Johnson's efforts as first lady led to the passage of the Highway Beautification Act in 1965. That law, though weakened over the years, requires states to enforce federal laws limiting the number and type of billboards along major highways.
"We've had a wonderful woman die recently in our state and she tried very hard to do something about this problem in 1965," said Margaret Lloyd, policy director for Scenic Texas, a nonprofit group that opposes what it calls the "visual blight" of billboards.
Still, the Texas Transportation Commission voted 4-0 in favor of publishing the new rules at its meeting Thursday. Chairman Ric Williamson argued that the views of the outdoor advertising industry – representing "tax-paying businesses" – should be heard as well.
"The billboard industry appeared before the commission last year and asked us to post rules so the public could be allowed to comment on the issue and see where everybody is," Mr. Williamson said in an interview Wednesday. "We've been thinking about that for almost a year, and we have now decided to let everybody air their positions out."
Commissioner Ned Holmes of Houston abstained.

Source: By MICHAEL A. LINDENBERGER / The Dallas Morning News

Billboard catches IDOT's eye

2007-08-26T11:26:00.000-04:00

New advertisement still needs permit, will be reviewed to ensure it's not too distracting

Thursday, August 23, 2007

- It's the latest craze to hit advertising and is designed to capture your attention at busy intersections, such as War Memorial Drive and University Street.
For westbound War Memorial Drive motorists, it's almost impossible to miss: The multiple messages illuminated from a billboard that digitally switches advertisers every 10 seconds.
While visually impressing motorists, the new billboard structure has caught the attention of the state's Department of Transportation, which is in charge of reviewing permits to allow these structures to be constructed.
Problem is, there is no permit. IDOT has yet to get one from the billboard's owners, Adams Outdoor Advertising, which legally allows the billboard to operate.
The lighted billboard could soon go dark and stay that way until a city permit is received, reviewed and approved by IDOT.
"We'll have to turn it off," Eric Therkildsen, program development engineer with IDOT's Peoria district, said Wednesday. "It'll be in the next day or two and we'll go from there."
Adams' general manager Skip Holmes describes the lack of having a permit to operate the 14-foot-tall, 48-foot-wide billboard as an oversight that will soon be corrected. A similar, but smaller, billboard at University and Glen Avenue was unveiled in mid-June and it has been permitted by the city, Holmes added.
"We have a good working relationship with IDOT," he said. "It's not like we were out there pulling a fast one on them."
Therkildsen agrees, calling the situation a "gray area," in that the company was probably unaware of the need to purchase a new permit to operate a billboard they already own.
He said Adams had a state permit to utilize the structure for constant advertising on what was previously a regular, nondigital billboard.
"We view this as a change in the overall value of a billboard," Therkildsen said. "It's like going from a black-and-white TV to a 42-inch plasma. It's still a TV, but the permits have a value to them. (Adams) needs to upgrade."
While IDOT has the authority to decline a permit's application, Holmes does not foresee that happening. He anticipates the billboard will operate successfully at the corner for some time to come.
"We're able to take a location with one static advertiser and convert it to six advertisers and generate significantly more revenue from it," Holmes said, predicting a few more digital billboards will be constructed in the Peoria area even though they are considerably more expensive. Holmes said it costs about $400,000 to construct and operate a digital billboard, whereas a normal two-faced structure costs only about $40,000 to $50,000 to build.
Too distracting?
Referred to as an electronic multiple message sign by City Hall, the billboard at War Memorial and University will be reviewed to see if its appearance distracts motorists at an intersection that was, about five years ago, the most crash-prone intersection in the city.
"It'll be interesting to see if anything changes on the accident rates," said Terry Beachler, owner of a service station located in front of the billboard's location, who calls it "effective" advertising. "It's like a cell phone distraction. It might jump up and bite someone."
Therkildsen said motorist distraction is one thing that will be considered when the permit is reviewed for approval. Holmes said there should be no cause for concern.
"No doubt, (the billboard) is there and is designed to attract a motorist's attention regardless what the message is," he said, but added, "People are probably a whole lot more dangerous on the road talking on their cell phones than looking at a billboard."
Even if the billboard might cause some motorists to gaze for a few seconds, Therkildsen said the state simply cannot pull Adams' permit.
"We have to have cause not to give one," he said, saying a study would have to be conducted showing the billboard's dangers. "As it stands, (the digital billboard) fits all the regulations."
Digital restrictions
Digital billboards were not allowed in areas outside Downtown Peoria until earlier this year after the City Council voted to allow them as long as its messages changed every 10 seconds. Also, city requirements prohibit the signs from flashing or featuring any movement, such as a commercial or scrolling message.
Only in Downtown Peoria, where the area is labeled as an entertainment district, can flashy signs be displayed, said Pat Landes, director of the city's Planning and Growth Department.
"Flashing and running lights creates a different atmosphere and, quite honestly, we haven't had much demand for it," she said

Source: By John Sharp of the Journal Star PEORIA

Digital billboard plan stirs debate Some say the signs would be driver distraction

2007-08-26T11:18:00.000-04:00

More from Texas

AUSTIN — The prospect of digital billboards proliferating along highways pitted outdoor advertisers against scenery defenders Thursday at the Texas Transportation Commission, which proposed rules for public comment that would allow the technology.
The proposal, which can be commented on until Dec. 6 and would require another commission vote before it could take effect, would allow the electronic, changeable billboards on highways — with numerous restrictions.
The billboards would be allowed only within municipalities or their surrounding areas. Cities would have to approve each billboard.
The signs would be subject to restrictions including a requirement for each message to be displayed at least eight seconds. A change of message would have to happen within two seconds. Only static messages would be allowed, with no movement of images or flashing lights.
Backers of the technology, including the Outdoor Advertising Association of Texas and outdoor advertising giant Clear Channel Outdoor, said it would give businesses a fresh way to sell themselves through a long-used avenue.
"This new technology is just another way for them to present their business services to the traveling public. That stimulates the local economy, and that's good for Texas overall," said Lee Vela, president of the Outdoor Advertising Association of Texas.
Emphasizing that the proposal would leave the decision with cities, Vela said, "This action gives the cities the right to control their own destiny. That is local control. We think that's a good policy."
Opponents said it's no such thing and that the billboards would pose a new distraction that could not only be unattractive but threaten driver safety by drawing too much attention.
Advocates of the signs contend they pose no new safety hazard and could be used for public-service data.
"The powerful interests lobbying to legitimize electronic billboards want you to change course and drive headlong into their alternative world. This is the same world where drinking makes you cool, smoking makes you macho and credit cards are the key to prosperity and priceless memories of quality time with your children," said Neal Rackleff, board member of the North Houston Association.
"In this alternative universe, somebody actually thinks this visual blight is attractive," Rackleff said, noting that drivers already are confronted with giant inflated gorillas atop car dealerships. "Folks who are in Houston subjected to those gorillas ... would like to not have additional visual blight."
Terral Smith, representing Scenic Texas, said, "Why? Why do we even discuss LED (light emitting diode) signs, or signs that light up?"
Blake Custer, president of the San Antonio division of Clear Channel Outdoor, told the commission that his company is "ecstatic" about the opportunity to use LED displays but, if allowed, would move forward "on a sensitive and balanced basis."
Digital billboards already are allowed on business premises, which fall under different regulations, and municipalities can regulate whether they are allowed off of business premises along city streets, as opposed to state and interstate highways.
In Houston, a longstanding ordinance has prevented new signs off of business premises since 1980, said senior assistant city attorney Larry Schenk. He said he doesn't anticipate that changing in the near future.
Houston officials, in a position statement, said they're satisfied with the current law that prohibits such signs "and we frankly see no reason for the change," Schenk said.
The commission voted 4-0 to publish the rules, with Ned S. Holmes abstaining.
A public hearing is scheduled for Nov. 28. Written comments may be submitted to John Campbell, Director, Right of Way Division, Texas Department of Transportation, 125 11th St., Austin, Texas 78701-2483.

Source: Houston Chronicle Austin Bureau By PEGGY FIKAC

TxDOT to consider allowing cities to permit electronic billboards

2007-08-26T11:11:00.000-04:00

AUSTIN — Electronic billboards with changeable advertising could be allowed in Texas under rules being considered by the state transportation commissioner.
The rules being given preliminary review Thursday would still require home-rule cities to allow the billboards and would not permit them on rural highways. Cities would have the final say whether the signs would be allowed.
Any signs that are allowed could not have moveable images, such as constantly scrolling pictures. The image on the billboard could not change more than once every eight seconds and the switch to the new message would have to occur within two seconds.
"Movement is the thing we want to prohibit," said John Campbell, the state Transportation Department's right of way division director. "Movement is the bigger safety concern than anything else. You want to minimize that distractive effect."
Preliminary approval would start a 90-day public comment period, including a public hearing, before a final vote.
Despite the limitations of the proposed rule change, Margaret Lloyd, policy director for Scenic Texas, said her organization will oppose it.
"We think this is very premature," Lloyd said. "The jury's still out on safety; the jury's still out on cost; the jury's still out on public will."
Lloyd contends that the Federal Highway Administration, in a 2006 exchange of letters with the state Transportation Department, said that electronic billboards were not legal under a 1972 contract between the federal agency and the state.
Campbell said that is not the department's interpretation of the agreement, made under the auspices of the 1965 Highway Beautification Act

Source: Houston Chronicle

Network CN Inc. Adds Mega-Size Digital Video Billboard in Wuhan to Its Media Network

2007-08-26T11:08:00.000-04:00

Network CN Inc. , a Chinese travel and media network company headquartered in Hong Kong, today announced that it has entered into a business cooperation agreement with Wuhan Weiao Advertising Company Ltd. Under terms of the agreement, Network CN, through its subsidiary, Shanghai Quo Advertising Company Ltd., is authorized to install and operate a 200-square- meter digital video billboard at Wuhan Gongyi Tower on Zhongshan Road in Wuhan, China. Network CN's rights to operate this mega-size video billboard for advertising extend for a period of five years.
"As of June 30, 2007, our media network had grown to comprise rights to install and operate 677 roadside LED panels and 4 mega-size digital video billboards," Godfrey Hui, Chief Executive Officer of Network CN, commented. "We are proud to extend our media network with this additional prominently placed mega-size digital video billboard in Wuhan. As our Media network continues to expand, our advertisers will benefit from our reach, fulfilling our growth strategy and building shareholder value for our investors."
Wuhan, the capital of Hubei Province, is among the largest cities along the Yangtze River, with a population of eight million. It is a hub for economic and cultural activity in Central China. Wuhan's Gongyi Tower is in the city's central commercial district, which attracts over 450,000 people a day.

Digital Billboards Could Be Coming to Savannah

2007-08-26T11:06:00.000-04:00

Savannah, Ga

It is the newest wave in advertising and it may be coming soon to a community near you. Digital billboards offer brighter, cleaner looking images than paper ones and they can be changed almost instantaneously.
But are they too distracting for drivers? That's what the Chatham County Metropolitan Planning Commission wants to find out. They're holding a public workshop on Thursday night before taking up the issue again at their meeting next month.
Digital billboards are popping up in cities like Richmond, Virginia as well as Georgia cities like Atlanta, Albany and Brunswick. The images change easily, allowing multiple advertisers to use the same billboard.
"I'm all for it," said Todd Moyer of Savannah. "I work for a technology company and that looks very tech savvy. I would say that would be a very good appearance for the city."
Lamar Outdoor Advertising has more than 550 digital billboards around the country, including 21 in Georgia. Now, they want to bring them to Savannah.
"People say it's going to be like Vegas and Times Square and it's not," said Lamar Outdoor Advertising vice president Chris Di Silvestro. "The digital billboard looks just like any other billboard."
Billboards, especially digital billboards, are highly regulated. They're designed to adjust according to the available lighting. The billboards automatically dim at night, since they don't need to be as bright to be seen. In most states, they also can't contain any moving or flashing lights. That's because officials want to make sure they don't cause distractions on the road.
"We leave open the question about safety for people who are driving and viewing them," said Chatham County MPC executive director Tom Thomson. "That's why we only allow the change, six images per minute, with the idea that would not distract drivers."
The images can be changed almost instantly, remotely by computer. Di Silvestro says that immediacy can also help the community.
"In Minneapolis, 15 minutes after the bridge collapse, all digital billboards in the city were alerting drivers that they needed to detour their paths because of that disaster," he said.
The signs can also alert drivers to missing children. They were used in Brunswick when 6-year-old Christopher Barrios was abducted.
"One hour after we got approval from the sheriff's department, we posted the alert on all the digital billboards in Georgia," he said. "We had a picture up, a description and the information to contact the Glynn County Sheriff's Department."
Many residents, like LaJoy Brown, want to see that feature in more communities.
"That's great," Brown said. "Because then you will be able to find kids if someone's got them in like the grocery store and you pass by and say, 'hey I saw that kid.'"
Still, even if advertisers get the go-ahead, don't expect to see digital billboards everywhere. Georgia law states they have to be at least 5,000 feet apart. They also cost $250,000 to $400,000 each. Di Silvestro said if his company does get approval, they'll look for high volume traffic areas.
"You're best bet is probably Abercorn, due to the volume of traffic and exposure. It's a highly commercial corridor," he said.
The Chatham County MPC says no billboards will be allowed in the historic district or close to residential communities. They're holding a public workshop on the issue Thursday night, August 23 at 6pm in the MPC Boardroom. The Metropolitan Planning Commission is located at 112 East State Street, Savannah.

Source: WTOC

Police Chief Takes Time Out From Fighting Crime To Bash Cartoon Praise New Billboards

2007-08-26T11:01:00.000-04:00

Hey, everybody: Your favorite company is at it again! Yes, that's right, my and your favorite American corporation, Clear Channel, is about to install video billboards in the Philadelphia area.
Now, Clear Channel, being the great benevolent corporation that they are, knew people might get a little upset about LED billboards that rotate every 8 seconds, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, 1000 years a millennium. And so the great Clear Channel was way ahead of you there.
Kauker recruited two local law-enforcement officials - Philadelphia Police Commissioner Sylvester Johnson and Fred Harran, director of public safety in Bensalem Township, Bucks County - to endorse the video billboard.
Johnson was quoted in a ClearChannel statement as saying digital billboards were in the "community's best interests because they have the capability to deliver important emergency information, such as Amber Alerts or disaster-preparedness bulletins."
Ahh, so nice when the head of the police force whores himself out to a major corporation. Maybe Clear Channel can spend 8 seconds a day encouraging citizens to snitch.

Source: Philadelphia will do

Allentown using LED billboard as 'wanted' poster

2007-08-26T10:58:00.000-04:00

The digital billboard perched about 60 feet up on a building at Seventh and Hamilton streets in Allentown advertises a place to dine, places to go and services provided by local companies, including a bail bondsman.Now, tucked amid the constantly changing ads for local businesses, is a modern-day "wanted" poster for a man police believe is one of the city's most dangerous criminals -- he allegedly forced another man to lie on the floor, then coldly shot him in the head and robbed him.The digital billboard, erected in March at Monument Plaza, 645 Hamilton St., is being used to combat crime by displaying information provided by the Allentown police, Amber Alerts for missing children and upcoming community events.
"It's reminiscent of the old wanted posters with the infusion of new technology," Assistant Chief Joe Hanna said.While new to Allentown, digital billboards have been used in cities across the country to try to find missing children, nab criminals and alert the public about dangers.Billboard Connection, the outdoor advertising company that runs the messages on the digital billboard in Allentown, is donating the space to the city and its Police Department."Countless people have the ability to view this display," Hanna said. "The nice part is that you have a continuous display of important information and it remains fresh, fresh and timely, which is something that is really critical in our law enforcement strategy."After receiving approval from the city's Zoning Hearing Board in late July, the billboard began displaying the image of Kendall C. Richardson, who is "considered armed and dangerous" and is wanted in the June 18 killing of Alfredo Suarez Jr. in Suarez's apartment at 1303 1/2 Wayne St., Allentown.The display gives the phone number for the Police Department's tip line, 610-439-5911.The wanted poster is one of several ads currently displayed on the billboard.The others include the Allentown Art Museum, Gerry's New City Cafe and Lehigh Valley Arts Box Office.The ads are made using LED displays and change every six seconds.City officials thought of using the billboard as a crime-fighting tool after learning about a Massachusetts case in which an alleged serial rapist fled the state after constantly seeing a sketch of his face on the billboards, according to city spokesman Mike Moore.The man was arrested last month in New Jersey during a routine traffic stop.Doug Reed, the senior media consultant for Billboard Connection, said the sign is the first in a downtown in the Lehigh Valley.Two other digital billboards in the Valley are along highways."This is technically a digital display message center," Reed said. "We are proud to do our part to try to reduce crime in Allentown."The city has had 11 homicides this year, six of which remain unsolved.Reed said there are about 500 digital billboards throughout the country. Allentown's billboard is owned by HiMark LLC.Billboard owners lease a space on the building.Mayor Ed Pawlowski, in a prepared release, called the billboard the newest tool in "Allentown's crime-fighting arsenal."Sitting on a bench near Seventh and Hamilton streets, 60-year-old Rose Sherman read the changing message and said, "That is a smart idea. A lot of people drive by this area. If enough people see his face, they'll remember him."

Source: By Manuel Gamiz Jr. Of The Morning Call August 21, 2007

Crossroads digital sign: big, bright and finally legal

2007-08-26T10:55:00.000-04:00

The digital billboard looms over motorists along Interstate 80 at the Crossroads Travel Center in Bartonsville.

The sign is legal.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has issued a permit for the Crossroads digital billboard in Bartonsville.

The sign, located at the Crossroads Travel Center adjacent to Interstate 80, had been operating without a permit since 2006 by JP Ertle Development LP.
PennDOT initiated an investigation in March when it learned it never issued a permit for the sign.
The department later determined that the sign, if permitted, could only display on-premise advertising. At the time, the sign carried messages from several off-premise advertisers.
At one point PennDOT said it wanted the billboard torn down.
Ertle appealed PennDOT's ruling, and when the Travel Center was sold in 2007, the sign's display changed to only on-premise advertising.
The owners of the billboard will not be fined for either building and operating the sign without a permit or displaying off-premise advertising, according to Ron Young, District 5 press officer for PennDOT.
This, Young said, is because Ertle became compliant within the statutory time frame of notice.
The statutory time frame includes a 30-day notice, Young said, although it's unclear which of several 30-day notices he was referring to. Once Ertle responded with a challenge to the PennDOT notice, the statutory time frame was extended until a ruling might have been rendered or the owner became compliant. And when Ertle complied with the conditions of the permit, it ended the legal action.
Ertle is no longer contesting PennDOT's findings limiting the advertising to on-premise businesses.
The giant animated billboard flashes messages at eastbound and westbound drivers on Interstate 80. The sign was converted to a digital display last year without a PennDOT permit.
It's not clear why no permit application was made when the sign was upgraded amid much fanfare. Ertle hosted a "grand opening" party when the sign was lit and touted its value for displaying public safety messages such as Amber Alerts.
Opponents of the sign say it is an unsafe distraction for drivers.
The Crossroads billboard is one of about 400 such digital signs across the country.

Source: By HOWARD FRANK Pocono Record Writer August 22, 2007

ET Billboard to Help Police Solve Crimes

2007-08-26T10:52:00.000-04:00

Allentown, Pa.

An outdoor advertising agency says it will be using a new electronic billboard in downtown Allentown to help the city fight crime. Billboard Connection says the 12-foot by 24-foot sign at 645 Hamilton Street will be able to display Amber Alerts and Crime Stoppers information. "We are proud to do our part to try to reduce crime in Allentown," says Doug Reed, senior media consultant for Billboard Connection. Mayor Ed Pawlowski says putting the faces of the criminals in bright lights sends a message that making arrests of wanted people is a top priority. "We welcome this new tool in Allentown's crime-fighting arsenal," says Pawlowski. "We are also moving closer to installing surveillance cameras in areas of the city."

Source:WFMZ TV

Rule change would allow electronic billboards

2007-08-26T10:49:00.000-04:00

Cities, however, would retain final say, and electronic billboards would remain illegal on rural roads.

The Texas Transportation Commission on Thursday will consider rules that for the first time would allow billboards in Texas to have electronic, changeable advertising.
However, contrary to the worst fears of those who oppose the proliferation of billboards, the proposed regulations would allow such signs only in home-rule cities and the surrounding territories under city control, not on rural highways. Cities would retain the final say over whether such signs would be allowed in their jurisdictions.

And any such signs permitted by cities could not have movable images, such as the constantly scrolling messages on a huge sign advertising a business on Texas 71 between Austin and Bastrop. That sign, on the property of the business it advertises, is an "on-premise" sign and thus exempt from regulation by the Texas Department of Transportation.
Under the proposed rules, which won't come up for final approval until at least December, the electronic image on a billboard could not change more than once every eight seconds, and the switch to the next image would have to occur within two seconds.
"Movement is the thing we want to prohibit," said John Campbell, the state Transportation Department's right of way division director. "Movement is the bigger safety concern than anything else. You want to minimize that distractive effect."
Despite the limitations of the proposed rule change, Margaret Lloyd, policy director for Scenic Texas, said her organization will oppose it.
"We think this is very premature," Lloyd said Monday. "The jury's still out on safety; the jury's still out on cost; the jury's still out on public will."
Lloyd contends that the Federal Highway Administration, in a 2006 exchange of letters with the state Transportation Department, said that electronic billboards were not legal under a 1972 contract between the federal agency and the state.
Campbell said that is not the department's interpretation of the agreement, made under the auspices of the 1965 Highway Beautification Act
"At this time, I don't think it's going to require a change in our federal agreement," Campbell said.
So why make the rule change? "I would say this is a recognition that this is what is going to occur in the industry," Campbell said.
Some years ago, after billboard companies installed a handful of signs that change images mechanically with rotating panels, Austin passed an ordinance saying that no billboard can be altered to a rotating or electronic sign, said Jessica King, a principal planner in the city's zoning review department. The rules are different for on-premise signs, and electronic messages are in use across the city.
The transportation commission's vote Thursday would initiate a 90-day public comment period on the rules, which would include a public hearing Nov. 28. A final vote could not occur until after the public comment period ends in December.

Source: By Ben Wear -AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Police praise them. Conservationists and driver-safety groups oppose them.

2007-08-26T10:46:00.000-04:00

Video billboards coming this way

One of ClearChannel's digital billboards in the Cleveland area. The outdoor-advertising company said an engineer it hired studied traffic for 18 months before and after the billboards' installation and found no link to highway accidents.
Praised by police, criticized by scenic conservationists and driver-safety groups, and hugely profitable for their owners, digital billboards are about to enter the Philadelphia area.
ClearChannel Outdoor, the largest outdoor advertising company, announced that it would have eight 14-by-48-foot video billboards - with images or ad messages that change every eight seconds - on major highways this year from Bucks County through the city and south into Delaware County.
ClearChannel did not waste time. It tried to activate two billboards yesterday - one on Interstate 95 facing south about 3,000 feet north of Keystone Street in Upper Chichester Township, and the other on Admiral Wilson Boulevard in Camden, facing east, about 0.4 miles from the Benjamin Franklin Bridge - only to be foiled by steady rain.
George Kauker, president of ClearChannel Outdoor's Philadelphia Division, focused on what he called the public-service aspect of "digital technology." He would not say what it costs to advertise on the giant screens.
"The instantaneous public-safety-messaging aspect of this technology can literally help avert disaster and save lives," Kauker said.
He said digital billboards recently helped advise motorists in Minneapolis and St. Paul about the collapse of the Interstate 35W Bridge and alternate routes. On Feb. 12, Kauker said, a missing Minneapolis girl was found a day after digital billboards were used in an Amber Alert.
Kauker recruited two local law-enforcement officials - Philadelphia Police Commissioner Sylvester Johnson and Fred Harran, director of public safety in Bensalem Township, Bucks County - to endorse the video billboard.
Johnson was quoted in a ClearChannel statement as saying digital billboards were in the "community's best interests because they have the capability to deliver important emergency information, such as Amber Alerts or disaster-preparedness bulletins."
Harran said video billboards "will certainly help us improve public-safety issues. . . . We'll be able to make [people] aware of things that are happening."
Not everyone is sold on the technology's benefits.
Mary Tracy, executive director of SCRUB, or Society Created to Reduce Urban Blight, which has fought ClearChannel and other billboard firms in court and out, called digital billboards a "plum to the outdoor-advertising industry at the expense of Philadelphia's visual environment and driver safety."
Scenic America, the Washington-based scenic conservation lobby, has called digital billboards "unsafe and unsightly at any speed."
The organization also questioned why outdoor-ad companies were pushing digital billboards so hard when there were questions about whether the bright, constantly changing messages contribute to highway accidents.
No independent study of the question has been done, although the Federal Highway Administration will commission one in the next few months and will have results no later than the end of 2009, spokesman Doug Hecox said.
"The challenge is that this technology is so new that some existing billboard regulations don't really apply to them," Hecox said.
Kauker, however, insisted that the technology does not distract drivers.
He said ClearChannel hired an engineer when it installed digital billboards in Cleveland. The engineer studied traffic for 18 months before and after the billboards' installation, and found no link to highway accidents.
Kauker also noted that the images were "static" and did not move or scroll like a film or animated billboards in New York City. He said ClearChannel would sell eight eight-second segments that repeat during the day.
Besides the two digital billboards that were to be activated yesterday, ClearChannel Outdoor released the locations of the six others: I-95, facing south, 0.4 miles north of Street Road, Bensalem Township; I-95, facing south, 2,000 feet east of Broad Street, South Philadelphia; I-95, facing north, 20 feet south of Third Street, in South Philadelphia near the stadiums; I-76, facing east, Walt Whitman Bridge, 50 feet east of Front Street, South Philadelphia; I-95, facing north, 550 feet north of Ashburner Street, Holmesburg; and Route 1, facing south, 0.6 miles south of Street Road in Bensalem Township.
Kauker said each digital billboard replaced a conventional one. In the city, the sites had to be at least 500 feet from any residence, and the face had to be 1,500 feet away from any residence.
The brightness of the billboards' LED display will be adjusted after sunset to avoid distracting drivers or residents.
Source Philly.com -staff writer Joseph A. Slobodzian .

Signs seen in a harsh light

2007-08-26T10:44:00.000-04:00

Clear Channel is doubling its digital billboards in L.A. Critics call the signs distracting and an eyesore.

Now receiving prime billing in Los Angeles: digital billboards that advertisers see as a way to break through the marketing clutter.But the bright lights of these signs make many people cringe. Critics say they are a driving distraction and a neighborhood eyesore that should be forbidden.

But, in fact, digital signs are multiplying. Clear Channel Communications, which owns 10 such billboards throughout the city, is announcing plans today to double that number by the end of the month, making Los Angeles a prime growth area for these signs. The company also is expanding its network of digital signs in Chicago and Philadelphia, but its largest crop by September will be in Los Angeles."The more congested the area is, the more effective outdoor advertising can be," said Paul Meyer, president and chief operating officer of Clear Channel Outdoor.Advertisers like the signs because they're finding it difficult to reach consumers through traditional channels such as television and newspapers. But even fickle viewers go outside -- and in Southern California they're often stuck in traffic when they do so -- so billboards are harder to avoid. The digital signs allow marketers the flexibility to change their messages quickly, advertising daily promotions or special deals, Meyer said.They pay for the opportunity. A four-week campaign on a digital billboard, which flashes a different message every 8 seconds, costs $85,000, Meyer said. A campaign on 10 static billboards for a month costs half of that.Clear Channel isn't the only billboard company expanding its digital capabilities. There are more than 500 digital displays throughout the country, and analysts expect to see more of the country's 450,000 billboards converted in the next few years.Clear Channel's announcement comes six months after the company settled a lawsuit with the city. The suit came after Clear Channel and CBS Outdoor sued over a proposed ordinance that would have instituted an annual billboard inspection fee.The settlement levied an annual fee on billboards while allowing the companies to modernize their signs. The deal also gave Clear Channel and CBS Outdoor amnesty on billboards that lacked permits and allowed them to replace old static signs with flashy digital ones.Then, the community group Coalition to Ban Billboard Blight accused the City Council and city attorney of caving to the billboard company, but a judge prevented the group from filing a motion to stop the settlement. Now, representatives aren't surprised to hear that new digital signs are sprouting up."It's regrettable and a sellout of the aesthetic interests of every Los Angeles resident," said Gerald Silver, vice president of the community group.Some L.A. residents who live near the signs agree."My kitchen glows alternatively red, blue and orange," said Sarah Lagrotteria, a chef who moved into a new apartment near the Beverly Center only to discover that a digital sign had just been installed the next street over. The light flickers into her kitchen, she said, and sometimes she's driven to escape it by going into her bedroom and shutting the door.Her neighbor, Dora Davis, is not as fortunate. The billboard, which on a recent weeknight was flashing ads for the Hotel Bel Air, the movie "3:10 to Yuma" and a Wired magazine festival, shines into Davis' second-floor apartment, which is at the end of the building. The light reaches her bedroom, living room, kitchen and bathroom. Davis is having new blinds installed, but her windows for now are bare, allowing the lights to flicker in her rooms unabated."It came on at 5 a.m. and it was like someone slapping your face with red," she said. Davis' son called the company to complain, and Davis said the lights were slightly dimmed. But she still doesn't like the bright lights in her room and said she would prefer a regular billboard."But I'm stuck," she said. "There's nothing I can do about it."A man knocked on her door a few weeks ago with a petition to get rid of the sign, but Davis said she never heard from him again.Kevin Fry, the president of advocacy organization Scenic America, said the signs aren't just annoying but also dangerous. His group says that the billboards distract drivers and that signs on federal highways violate the Highway Beautification Act, which bans flashing and intermittent lights."State legislatures are passing laws left and right that regulate these signs," he said. "We think it's a tragic mistake."A bill introduced into the California Assembly this year by Fiona Ma (D-San Francisco) would have permitted companies to replace highway billboards with digital displays. The bill passed the Assembly, but Ma's spokesman said it was pulled from the Senate after Bay Area residents began complaining about the brightness of a digital display on I-80 heading toward Oakland.Fry said that opposition from Scenic America and other advocacy groups might also have played a role. In a letter to the California Senate Committee on Transportation and Housing, Scenic America pointed to a federal study that showed that anything distracting drivers for more than two seconds was dangerous."The brightest object in the driver's field of vision containing frequently changing, complex messages is often going to distract drivers for more than two seconds," Fry wrote.The billboard industry has sponsored two safety studies of its own, conducted by engineering consultants Tantala Associates and researchers at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute. The studies conclude that drivers generally look at digital displays for less than a second, and that digital billboards neither cause nor prevent accidents.The industry says the signs can also be useful during an emergency, diverting travelers to different routes and putting out the word about missing children.Stephen Freitas, chief marketing officer for the Outdoor Advertising Assn. of America, said that the digital signs are no more distracting than regular billboards. Digital billboards are outfitted with sensors that dim light at night and on cloudy and overcast days, he said, and on sunny days are as bright as a static sign.Plus, he said, advertisers are demanding them.Jim Richardson, associate publisher of marketing for Wired magazine, said the signs were a good way to convey a lot of information without too much clutter.Wired also bought online ads and regular billboard space, but Richardson wanted to try out the newest outdoor advertising technique in one of the country's best markets for outdoor advertising -- where, he said, people always seem to be stuck in their cars.

Source: By Alana Semuels, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer August 20, 2007

Clear Channel expands network

2007-08-26T10:37:00.000-04:00

Clear Channel Outdoor's rollout of its digital billboard networks has come a long way since it erected the first board two years ago in Cleveland. The outdoor leader is adding digital board networks in two more top 10 markets—Philadelphia and Chicago—and a second net in Los Angeles, which was its first top 10 market in May.In a bid to attract more national advertisers to what primarily has been a local business, the company this year has focused on digital board networks in the top 10 markets."We believe that once we deploy in the major markets, we will have a totally different proposition to offer national advertisers," said Paul Meyer, CCO president and COO.CCO has deployed 76 digital billboards in 14 markets, well on its way to deploying 100 boards in 20 markets by year end. Depending on the market and the board's location, the digital boards increase revenue from five to as much as 10 times. In Albuquerque, N.M., the uptick is close to 15 times.But until May, when CCO built out the digital network in L.A., at least 80 percent of digital inventory was bought by local advertisers. The L.A. network reversed that model. Inventory not only sold out fast, 84 percent of it was bought by national advertisers such as Capitol One, ABC, CBS, NBC and General Motors."It gives national advertisers a lot more options," said Jack Sullivan, senior vp of out-of-home for Starcom. "Some are looking to buy up all the rotations, parceling it out to several brands, or an advertiser can take one brand and tell a story."Outside the top 10 markets, the digital boards remain in high demand among local advertisers, which have shifted budgets to take advantage of the signs' ability to change copy at a moment's notice. Liberty Ford, owner of five dealers in Cleveland, moved $500,000 from other media to buy a year on the network, even picturing CCO's digital sign on its Web site.

Source: MediaWeek

Digital displays on U.S. 52 are one of latest trends

2007-08-26T10:32:00.000-04:00

Saturday, August 18, 2007

Traffic whizzes by the digital billboard near the U.S. 52/Waughtown Street overpass.(Journal Photo by Bruce Chapman)
It’s hard to miss the billboards that look like two big plasma TVs on U.S. 52 between Business 40 and Interstate 40.
The digital billboards are one of the latest trends in outdoor advertising. They are the first of their kind in Forsyth County.
Although some people might consider them one billboard, they are actually independent of each other; two “faces” in one location. The off-premise signs replaced a traditional steel billboard with vinyl ads.
In the United States, there are 450,000 billboards, according to the Outdoor Advertising Association of America Inc., a trade association in Washington. As of the first of the year, about 500 of them were digital, but that number has grown since then.
“We should see several hundred built a year over the next few years,” said Stephen Freitas, a spokesman for the association.
The digital billboards on U.S. 52 are owned by Lamar Advertising, based in Baton Rouge, La.
At 10 feet 6 inches by 36 feet, the signs change spots every 8 seconds for up to six advertisers on each side. An ad is shown every minute, which amounts to about 1,600 times a day for each advertiser.
The signs are operated by computer from the Lamar of Lenoir office.
“Basically it’s a big LED screen that we can operate in real time,” said Jamie Machut, the vice president and general manager of Lamar of Lenoir.
“The billboard is controlled by a high-speed modem connection. I can sit here from my desk and change an ad in a matter of minutes,” Machut said.
All he has to do is send e-mails to the billboards.
Lamar started installing digital billboards in its markets across the United States in January 2006, and now has more than 500. Lamar of Lenoir operates 1,500 billboards, and 11 of them are digital, including four in Greensboro.
“It’s a very small part of our business, but it’s growing,” Machut said.
He said that the biggest advantage of going digital is flexibility.
“It’s not really a billboard anymore,” he said. “It’s more (like) broadcast advertising.”
Machut declined to divulge the cost of Lamar’s billboards, but he said that they can cost up to five times more than traditional billboards.
Industry experts said that costs depend on a variety of things, including location and size, but they estimate construction costs for digital billboards in North Carolina at $250,000 to $300,000.
Experts said that digital billboards are the wave of the future in outdoor advertising.
“It is probably the most exciting thing to come down the pike in a long time in billboards and partly out-of-home media,” said Bill Porter, the owner of Big Shots Advertising in Winston-Salem.
Big Shots handles the digital-billboard ads on U.S. 52 for North Point Chrysler Jeep in Winston-Salem.
“You can continually merchandise the different messages that you want to make,” Porter said. “You can change them every day. About as fast as you can send an e-mail, you can change them.”
Still, experts don’t expect digital billboards to totally replace traditional ones.
“There may be a great billboard spot in the middle of nowhere, but there’s got to be demand built up for it,” Machut said.
The big digital signs are often faced with regulations, and some critics said they present aesthetic issues and safety problems for drivers.
But Freitas of the Outdoor Advertising Association said that two recent independent research studies show that digital billboards do not present any driver-distraction or safety issues.
The Federal Highway Administration hopes to have by 2009 the results of a planned study on the effect of digital billboards on drivers.
Fred Holbrook, a commercial-zoning review officer for the City-County Inspections Department, said he has not received other requests for digital billboards but expects that there will be more.
“It just opens so many more avenues for the advertisers to be able to keep the billboards current,” he said.
Still, Holbrook said that new digital billboards will most likely replace existing billboards because there are not many places left in Forsyth County where people can construct billboards because of space requirements and regulations prohibiting billboards from obscuring the view of areas such as downtown Winston-Salem.
Lamar’s biggest local competitor, Fairway Outdoor Advertising of the Triad in Greensboro, does not have any digital billboards in the Triad.
“It obviously is one of the new technologies that are available to the industry, and it is exciting technology,” said Dan O’Shea, Fairway’s general manager, “but they need to be deployed in the right places.”
O’Shea said that Fairway would first make sure that its digital billboards are a good fit and conform with community ordinances before deciding to put them up.
“It’s not something we’re going to rush into,” he said.

Source: Winston-Salem Journal -By Fran Daniel

Billboard ordinance ready for board

2007-08-16T09:19:00.000-04:00

August 14, 2007 12:35 am

Next month the Stafford Board of Supervisors is expected to vote on an ordinance aimed at making significant changes in what kinds of commercial signs can be put up along the county's highways and byways.
The proposed regulations are the result of questions raised late last year by the Planning Commission when it noticed that three large electronic billboards--large, colorful LED-type signs--had appeared in the county. This new technology took official Stafford by surprise. Two thoughts leapt to the planning commissioners' minds: blots on the landscape and distractions to drivers.
In December, the planners asked the supervisors for directions on what should be done.
In February the board replied that it was a complex issue. There had been no significant changes in sign ordinances in the county in decades. Meanwhile, a rapidly developing Stafford had blossomed with signs.
The supervisors asked the planners to come up with proposals. The Planning Commission turned for advice to the Virginia Department of Transportation, which is in charge of all the public roads in the state.
Through the winter and spring and into the summer, the planning staff, the supervisors and VDOT kicked around a number of ideas, held public hearings and proposed changes. Finally, in mid-July, an ordinance emerged. It goes to the supervisors in September. It pretty much rewrites the old rules.
The principal proposals deal with billboards--those huge signs common along America's highways for nearly a century. But the ordinance also deals with large business signs and, for the first time, model home signs, which have become a growing presence as housing developments spring from fertile former farmland.
First, the billboards.
Erecting new billboards has been forbidden since the 1980s, when beautification was in vogue and legislation to that effect swept the nation. The principal targets on the roadside were the big signs. Stafford and others passed ordinances forbidding new ones.
The laws "grandfathered" existing billboards. They could stay and be kept in repair, but they could not be moved or replaced.
On the matter of keeping the billboards in good repair, there was a limit on the cost of this maintenance. Advertising companies weren't permitted to spend more than 50 percent of the big signs' replacement costs for repairs. Of course, that meant that environmental groups that wanted the signs down had to wait until they fell down.
Then technology entered the picture. In the past few years, more than 100 large electronic billboards have been built across the country. But not as "new" billboards. The advertising companies used existing billboard structures and converted them to LED eye-catchers.
"Wait a minute," the county said. It pointed out that it costs a lot more than 50 percent of the cost of the original sign to convert it into an electronic wonder.
So the new rules simply forbid new large electronic advertisements. The ordinance defines them as: "Signs that have multiple views and objects that digitally or electronically produce color and/or black and white images similar to a television screen and where such [a] sign exceeds six square feet in area." (The only exceptions are the "time and/or temperature" signs.)
The three existing LED boards in Stafford, are on U. S. 1 just north of the Falmouth light; on U.S. 17 a mile west of the GEICO headquarters; on State Route 610, a few miles west of Garrisonville.
The new ordinance also, for the first time, forbids "multisided-vision signs or display device[s] capable of presenting two or more separate images or ad copy sequentially by rotating multisided cylinders."
The county doesn't have any of these, but anyone traveling south on Interstate 95 has seen them.
The second major focus of the ordinance tightens the rules on putting up commercial signs that are not on the business' property. This means one can't put up a sign down the road from what is being advertised. This affects, for example, hotels, motels, businesses and--a new target--model homes.
As developments burgeon and the housing competition increases, more and bigger signs saying "Model Homes This Way" appear. Not any more, says the ordinance. They can be only on the model home's lot itself. No grandfathering here. As the homes are sold, existing signs will naturally disappear.

Source: The Free Lance Star by Hugh Muir

Daktronics Announces Valo™ OT Product, a Revolution in Digital Billboards

2007-08-16T09:09:00.000-04:00

August 15, 2007 02:45 PM Eastern Daylight Time

Daktronics (NASDAQ:DAKT) of Brookings, S.D., announces the release of a new line of digital billboards. The first product in this release is the Valo™ OT (Optimized Technology) digital billboard. The Valo™ OT digital billboard combines several unique features with cutting-edge LED technology.
It is the first product to operate exclusively as a digital billboard, as compared to a video display used for billboard purposes. The Valo™ OT display’s singular purpose has allowed Daktronics to tailor the product specifically for outdoor advertisers.
Daktronics engineered the Valo™ OT display to support the ongoing growth of digital outdoor advertising. “We’re really excited about the potential of digital billboards,” said Jim Morgan, CEO of Daktronics. “This technology is reinventing outdoor advertising.”
With Valo™ OT, Daktronics is well positioned to meet the unique needs of outdoor advertisers. Valo™ OT’s unmatched features and Daktronics’ outstanding history of providing quality products and excellent customer service make Valo™ OT the respected choice for outdoor advertisers.
Several features set the Valo™ OT digital billboard apart from the competition. Each feature carries the name Valo™ and embodies the intelligent innovation expected from Daktronics.
The features are: Valo™Mount, Valo™IQ, Valo™Sight, Valo™Lock, Valo™Play, and Valo™Sense.
Valo™Mount is Daktronics’ patent-pending mounting technology, which, by eliminating the need for horizontal stringers, reduces weight and saves money by decreasing the time it takes to install the Valo™ digital billboard.
Valo™IQ, Daktronics’ intelligent remote device management system, instantly generates comprehensive data about the display’s performance. The system monitors components, temperature, operation, and several other performance indicators.
Valo™Sight provides complete 24/7 system monitoring via live video feeds. Combined with Valo™IQ, Daktronics can connect remotely to resolve issues or, if necessary, dispatch an on-site technician.
Valo™Lock safeguards from vandalism by using advanced motion sensors and remote enclosure entry sensors. This technology instantly alerts users of any unauthorized activity at the billboard site.
Valo™Play, Valo’s content player, limits media to static images and governs the hold time of each advertisement to ensure the billboard content conforms to local regulatory codes. Valo™Play allows the digital billboard to conform to the strict standards set forth by the Outdoor Advertising Association of America.
Valo™Sense automatically detects ambient light levels and adjusts the display’s brightness accordingly.
Both Valo™Sense and Valo™Play help illustrate Daktronics’ commitment to governing bodies and to the communities in which digital billboards reside. “Our digital billboards are positive additions to the community,” said Jeremy Johnson, Billboard Sales Manager. “In addition to providing an affordable and flexible medium to advertisers, we are able to perform several public service functions by facilitating Amber Alerts, weather alerts, and law enforcement alerts. This product focuses on the most important needs of our clients, the outdoor companies, as well as municipalities and consumers.”
In addition to the features that have been added to the Valo™ OT product, this new technology features a cabinet that weighs less and a module design that consumes significantly less power than our traditional LED products.
In July, several clients saw the new display in action at a private screening. Since then, more than 20 orders have been placed for the Valo™ OT digital billboard.
Each Valo™ digital billboard will be built and shipped from Daktronics’ billboard plant in Sioux Falls, S.D. The Sioux Falls plant has promptly filled its high volume of orders from the outdoor industry by utilizing standardized and streamlined manufacturing processes.
The Valo™ OT digital billboard represents another addition to Daktronics’ legacy as an LED display pioneer. Since 2001, Daktronics has installed more than 400 digital billboards nationwide, making Daktronics the industry’s top supplier.

Billboard rules are a good compromise

2007-08-14T08:52:00.000-04:00

Good for the Wichita City Council and the owners of electronic billboards for working together and agreeing to dim the signs at night. The ordinance, which the Council unanimously approved Tuesday, is a good balance between the rights of businesses and those of motorists and neighbors concerned about distracting lights.

Source: Wichita Eagle by Phillip Brownlee

Public input needed on Rockford’s proposed sign law changes

2007-08-14T08:44:00.000-04:00

ROCKFORD, Ill

— The city will hold an open house from 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at Rockford’s downtown public library to gather input from residents and businesspeople on proposed changes to the sign law.The changes, which will be considered by the Code and Regulation Committee in coming weeks, have the potential to alter the appearance of the community, said Todd Cagnoni, planning manager in the Community Development Department.If the proposed law is passed by the council, digital billboards will be allowed in the city for the first time. The billboards, which can feature motion pictures, shimmering effects and ever-changing messages, would be approved on a case-by-case basis, Cagnoni said.Cagnoni said it was important that the community be consulted on the matter because digital billboards are unlike anything Rockford has seen before.“They can often be seen from a half-mile away,” he said in a Friday interview. “In contrast to static billboards, they have the ability to change messages multiple times a minute and can potentially distract drivers. We want to ensure that the new ordinance is something acceptable to our community.”Another major change to the sign ordinance would be a drastically reduced maximum height. The law allows business signs with a maximum height of 30 feet. Under the new law, single-lot businesses could have signs no taller than 8 feet, and shopping centers would be limited to 20 feet.Existing signs would be allowed to stand. The limits would apply only to new signs, Cagnoni said.Cagnoni said there are about 170 billboard “faces,” or sides, in the city. Some billboards have two faces, one pointing in each direction.Lamar Advertising owns or leases 95 percent of the 170 faces, Cagnoni said. In exchange for permitting digital billboards, the company has agreed to remove 27 faces at 15 locations, he said.If permitted to do so, the company has plans to install eight digital billboards at six locations. Two would be double-sided.The ordinance changes are being proposed by Aldermen Joe Sosnowski, R-1, and Carl Wasco, D-4.Sosnowski said the proposed changes would make the community look better, especially in the future when new signs are erected or old signs are updated.“The two major goals of the changes are to reduce the number of billboards and the amount of sign clutter,” he said.He said the digital billboards would not show motion pictures or dazzling light displays.“It would look like a regular billboard except it’s lit up. The signs would only change every 10 to 15 seconds.”Cagnoni said after the open house, he would report the results to the Code Committee, most likely on Aug. 20.

Source: By Bob Schaper ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR

Anderson businesses could help catch a thief

2007-08-14T08:39:00.000-04:00

ANDERSON COUNTY, South Carolina

The electronic signs along Anderson County’s major highways could soon tell you more than the time, temperature and that day’s specials.
Anderson County Emergency Services is asking business owners to use the signs as an emergency alert system that would tell residents about Amber Alerts, evacuations or incoming weather threats, such as tornadoes.
The Billboard Emergency Alert System, or BEAS, actually came about as a suggestion from a resident, said Anita Donley, administrative office manager for the emergency services division.
Ms. Donley, who’s spearheading the project, knows how easy it is to miss an Amber Alert. When a 7-year-old boy was abducted at the Anderson K-Mart in 2004, she was heading out of town on Interstate 85 and didn’t know about the Amber Alert until she saw a sign at Exit 42 in Greenville County.
Anderson County roads are traveled 2 million times a day, Ms. Donley said. The county doesn’t have electronic signs on I-85, but it has at least 70 electronic business signs within a 10-mile radius of downtown Anderson. She counted 23 on Clemson Boulevard from the Spinx gas station on North Main Street to the Cracker Barrel on Interstate Boulevard.
The county would e-mail business owners the message they should post then call, using either an automated system or county staff, to alert them the notice was sent. The business owners would post the message until the emergency has passed.
Not only is the county hoping the signs will help them reach more people, but Ms. Donley said the best place to be looking for a car is driving around in a car.
The Spinx on North Main Street and Tony Long’s Allstate Insurance agency on North Boulevard near Ingles have already volunteered their signs, and other businessmen say they are interested as well.
“I definitely would do that,” said David Fant, owner of Lawrence and Brownlee Insurance on North Main Street. “If it was my kid that was kidnapped, I would want as much help as I could get.”
Businesses are trading advertising space to participate, but in addition to potentially saving a life, it’s good public relations, agreed Jeff Ranta, a partner in Mustard ‘N’ Relish, a public relations firm in Greenville and instructor at the University of South Carolina’s School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
Mr. Ranta said it’s hard to see a downside for companies. They gain a reputation as a good corporate steward by participating. And as technology improves, public safety announcements could one day scroll at the bottom of the signs, similar to the way alerts are shown on television, Mr. Ranta said.
“I think it’s a win-win for everybody,” he said.
Anyone who wants to participate in the Billboard Emergency Alert System should call the emergency services public affairs office at (864) 260-4646.

Source: Independent Mail By Heidi Cenac

Council, planner differ on rezoning for billboard

2007-08-14T08:34:00.000-04:00

The Burlington City Council brushed aside the repeated concerns of the city's chief planner and approved a conditional rezoning that paves the way for another digital billboard along the interstate. The council's unanimous vote on Tuesday came after Planning Di-rector Bob Harkrader said such rezonings could set a precedent, one that might lead to a proliferation of billboards along the city's stretch of Interstate 85/40. Some residents say the corridor already has too many signs. According to a survey by city planners, 84 billboards at 53 loca-tions are scattered along the eight miles of interstate between Maple Avenue and N.C. 61. ¡§If conditional zoning is interpreted as a way to allow for billboards, this number would most certainly increase,¡¨ stated a document Harkrader dis-tributed to the council Monday. Current city ordinances allow double-sided billboards on the interstate no closer together than 500 feet, provided the property is zoned general business, light indus-trial or heavy industrial. The two industrial designations also allow for billboards in other parts of the city, provided there is a 200-foot separation between signs, unless there is an intersecting public right-of-way of at least 40 feet. With such a right of way, signs can stand at all four corners of the intersection. Signs erected before city zoning and ordinance changes enacted in 1971 don't have to adhere to the separation requirements. SDL Properties owns 5.5 acres east of Maple Avenue that are adjacent to the northbound lanes of the interstate. The investment group needed Tuesday¡¦s conditional rezoning from the council so it could put a digital advertising sign on the property's northeastern corner. A ravine on the landlocked property won¡¦t allow for other types of devel-opment, said Charles Bateman, the attorney representing SDL. As part of the rezoning, SDL deeded most of the land to the adjacent United Pentecostal Church. Despite Tuesday¡¦s vote, objec-tions to the proposal have been in place for 3 1/2 months. In April, Bateman brought the request before the city Planning and Zoning Commission, which recommended it to the council by a 3-2 vote. The city council first considered the request in May. The council tabled the request to Monday¡¦s work session. The move came after Councilman David Huffman said signs could proliferate on the inter-state if the city failed to have an overall sign plan. The Rev. Kenny Godair, United Pentecostal¡¦s pastor, said in May that he favored SDL's request. On Tuesday, other church leaders echoed Godair¡¦s affirmation. Harkrader also renewed his ob-jections from the April and May meetings and questioned the wisdom of creating a policy to allow rezonings for the sole purpose of allowing signs. Huffman¡¦s concerns held on Monday but evaporated Tuesday when Bateman said SDL wouldn't build more than a single billboard on the property. The SDL request helped clarify the issue for the council, Harkrader said Thursday. The context of it is probably a little bit different from other properties that might be considered. ¡§There are a number of other prop-erties where it might not be appro-priate. I believe that the council understands that.¡¨ Businesses need to advertise along the interstate; whether there are too many is a matter of personal opinion and a question for the council to decide, Harkrader said. We are fairly well-saturated with billboards,¨ Harkrader said. There is not a whole lot of room for addition signage in the interstate corridor.¡¨

Source : Burlinton Times News by Robert Boye

Billboard company wants to light up Hobart

2007-08-14T08:26:00.000-04:00

A representative of a billboard company said adding a LED billboard along U.S. 30 would help keep up with the times, but at least one commissioner expressed concern that doing so would set a precedent that could eventually turn Hobart into "Las Vegas, Ind."Matt Felder, a representative of View Outdoor advertising, came before the Board of Zoning Appeals on Thursday asking for a variance that would allow him to convert a billboard off the northeast corner of Colorado Street and U.S. 30 to an LED video display. The LED display would be on the east-facing side of the billboard to take advantage of westbound traffic heading for Westfield Southlake Mall and Interstate 65. The billboard currently is a "triface billboard" that rotates to show three separate advertisements.The sign would show a static image for 10 seconds before changing to a new image, Felder said. There would be no motion or flashing on the sign, and the light emanating from the sign would vary based on whether it was daytime or nighttime, Felder said.The LED billboard would allow advertisers to change their advertisements on a daily basis if they wished, Felder said, since everything associated with the sign is computerized.The city currently has no LED billboards, said City Planner Sergio Mendoza, although several businesses have LED signs they use to advertise for their own tenants.But at least one commissioner expressed doubts about the sign."I don't want Hobart to become Las Vegas, Ind.," Greg Lollis said.The board set the issue for public hearing in September. The Plan Commission must also decide whether to approve the sign.

Source: NWI.COM BY CARRIE RODOVICHA

Expect an ugly fight over the state's roadside scenery

2007-08-14T08:24:00.000-04:00

During the legislative session that ended in May, a well-intentioned piece of legislation died violently in a collision of interests.
It was a collision of Texas notions of property rights and Texas notions of preservation of its natural splendor. For as big a tussle as it was, it occurred out of the public view. That's ironic considering a public view of the Texas countryside is really what it was all about.

It's not over yet either, because another skirmish is unfolding, and this time it's gone from the location of static billboards that beg a driver's attention to electronic ones that demand it.
The Texas Transportation Commission is to consider allowing outdoor advertisers to deploy LED (light emitting diode) billboards along interstate routes. In typical bureaucratic obfuscation, the sixth item on the agenda includes this illuminating item:
"Chapter 21 — Right of Way (MO) Amendments to §21.142, Definitions, §21.150, Permits, §21.154, Lighting and Movement of Signs, New §21.163, Electronic Signs (Regulation of Signs Along Interstate and Primary Highways), Amendments to §21.441, Permit for Erection of Off-Premise Sign, and §21.551, Prohibited Signs (Control of Signs Along Rural Roads)"
You wouldn't know from the agenda item just how big a deal this is, but it is big. This move has been in the works since March when a Texas Highway Department administrator asked his federal counterparts whether allowing LED signs violated existing federal-state agreements under the Highway Beautification Act — the one that traces its origins to Lady Bird Johnson. Well, yes, it would violate the existing pact, but the accord could be amended, the feds said.
It might take a a while to get all the sign-off needed before you see your first dancing billboard, but given that outdoor advertisers are patient with a lot at stake and never miss an opportunity to protect that stake.
Rising to challenge the LED billboards is the group Scenic Texas, which as the name implies, wants to preserve the state's scenery.
And that modest goal puts them at odds with outdoor advertisers who, like any other business, vigorously resist what they consider burdensome regulation.
In the session concluded in May, for example, a little bill that would have banned any more billboards on Texas 71, that scenic roadway between here and Brady to the west and here and Columbus to the east, met death by amendment in the Texas Legislature.
Introduced by state Sen. Kirk Watson, D- Austin, who modified the bill to assuage concerns by his colleagues, the bill died in the House when state Rep. Pat Haggerty, R-El Paso, objected that the billboard ban amounted to a "taking." The U.S. Constitution prohibits government from confiscating property without due process. Haggerty argued that the ban would deprive property owners of the full use of their land.
Former state Rep. Terral Smith of Austin, who lobbies for Scenic Texas and other clients, replied quite logically that property rights, like other rights, are not absolute: "You don't determine property rights — you may divide them between people but no one is here to say we have absolute property rights or personal rights or anything else, you are here to decide contests between people when rights clash."
But there was no Jimmy Stewart moment for this Mr. Smith. The bill died anyway, as did one that would ban billboards advertising "gentleman's clubs."
Scenic Texas found the going tough this session, but Margaret Lloyd of Houston is optimistic about one day seeing passage of a scenic highway bill that would conserve Texas highway views.
As the experience last session shows, that's a ways in the future. And right now, Lloyd and her group are suiting up for the fight against those moving billboards.

Source: Arnold Garcia Jr., AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN

Electronic billboards may face moratorium

2007-08-14T08:18:00.000-04:00

The Kenton County Planning Commission is considering a moratorium on the installation and use of electronic billboards and changeable signs through Dec. 31.
Although the installation of a digital billboard in Covington created controversy two months ago when critics argued it was unsightly and a distraction to drivers, that is not what's driving the moratorium, planners say.
Rather, they say the proposed moratorium is to give a consultant time to update Kenton County's outdated sign regulations and address new technology such as electronic billboards.

The commission will consider the moratorium at its regular meeting Thursday.
Kenton County's sign regulations were updated about 15 years ago, said Mike Schwartz, deputy director of current planning for the Northern Kentucky Area Planning Commission.
Since then, he says, the laws have changed dramatically.
There also have been a number of federal cases involving signage issues, including what signs are allowable for commercial and noncommercial speech, and what is and isn't appropriate as far as the placement of electronic signs.
"This (proposed moratorium) is not a reaction to any problem that currently exists or could exist," Schwartz said.
"We just wanted to give the consultant a chance to finish his work. He knows what's been done nationally and in other areas that he's worked with," he added.
Rather than trying to figure out what every city has now, the consultant is advising that a moratorium be put in place "because he feels the question of electronic and changeable signage is the area that's going to be most changed by the regulations he comes up with," Schwartz said.
The consultant is expected to finish his work in three to four months, Schwartz said. After the planning commission reviews the new sign regulations, each of the county's 16 cities will decide whether to adopt them for their areas. Kenton County Fiscal Court would have the final say on new sign regulations for unincorporated areas.

Source: NKY.Com BY CINDY SCHROEDER

Judge OKs Cressona billboard

2007-08-14T08:10:00.000-04:00

Cressona, PA must allow a Reading company to construct an advertising billboard in the borough, a Schuylkill County judge ruled Tuesday.

The borough zoning hearing board both exceeded its powers and acted improperly in barring Lamar Advertising of Penn LLC from building the billboard at 14 Pottsville St., Judge John E. Domalakes ruled in a five-page opinion and order.“The (board) exceeded the scope of its authority in denying (Lamar) its special permit when (Lamar) proved, to the satisfaction of the (board), that its proposed use complied with all relevant regulations,” Domalakes wrote.Domalakes’ ruling means Lamar can construct the 247-square-foot billboard at the property it is renting from Jean Biertempfel.It also overturns the board’s Aug. 25, 2005, decision denying Lamar’s application for a special use permit to allow it to put up the billboard.Lamar’s proposed billboard complies with all regulations in Cressona’s zoning ordinance, since it is not within an R-1 or R-3 residential zone, is less than 300 square feet, is more than 60 feet from another billboard and is more than 75 feet from a residential zone, Domalakes wrote. The judge wrote that the board concluded the proposed billboard would comply with all borough regulations, but it still denied the permit. Under state law, that constitutes an abuse of discretion by the board, since its decision lacks any support from the evidence, Domalakes wrote.“A permit to construct a billboard should not be denied if it complies with all relevant regulations,” Domalakes wrote.Additionally, the board improperly usurped the power of the borough zoning officer in making the original decision of whether to grant the permit, Domalakes wrote. State law gives the board jurisdiction in certain zoning matters, but Lamar’s application for a special permit did not come under any of those, according to the judge.

Source: Replublican & Herald BY PETER E. BORTNER

Panel votes no on sign freeze

2007-08-14T08:08:00.000-04:00

The Kenton County Planning Commission on Tuesday voted against recommending that Kenton County governing bodies put a moratorium on new electronic billboards in the county until the end of the year, when the county expects to adopt new sign regulations.
"This is just a recommendation," said Planning Commission Deputy Director Mike Schwartz. "It is now up to each legislative body whether they want to adopt the planning commission recommendation, or whether they want to impose their own moratorium."
The commission voted 6 to 3 against recommending a moratorium, with the chairman, Alex Weldon, abstaining because she was not present at a public hearing on the issue, Schwartz said.
Schwartz said if the new regulations do not allow electronic signs, any sign legally erected or converted before the regulation would be allowed to stay as a non-conforming use, which means it was there before the regulations changed.
"We don't know what the new regulations will say," Schwartz said. "They could outlaw electronic signs or put limits on them, or they could find that electronic signs cause no problem whatsoever."
He said the commission hopes to have the new regulations completed by the end of the year.
More billboard companies have been converting traditional billboards to electronic billboards. State law already prohibits electronic billboards on interstate highways.
The Kenton County Planning Commission has hired a consultant to help develop new regulations for billboards and signs in the county and had considered the moratorium to keep new electronic signs from being installed while the regulations are being upgraded.
Two static billboards were converted to electronic billboards in Covington since last winter. City officials got a wave of resident complaints when the newest one was converted in May. Covington code enforcement officials have discussed possible action to stop conversions to electronic signs.
The two billboards that were converted had been static, traditional billboards and were considered a non-conforming use, grandfathered in because the billboards were in place before the zoning regulations prohibited them in those locations. The question is whether converting them to electronic billboards changes the use and makes the billboards subject to the current zoning regulations. A decision on that is expected in September.
The proposed planning commission moratorium would have said no additional electronic signs could be erected in the county until a final decision is made about their legality. It would have applied to message boards, changeable copy signs, electronic message boards and tri-vision signs. It also would prohibit owners of a current non-electronic board from converting one.
Schwartz said in order to pass a moratorium, it must be well defined, be set for a reasonable time, and must further the government interest, which could include public safety or land use issues, said Schwartz.
"In the opinion of the majority of the commission, the moratorium does not outweigh the government interest," he said.
The recommendation against setting a moratorium now goes to city and county governments, which can use the recommendation in making their decisions.
Electronic billboards are legal in Ohio but with restrictions: Screen changes must be no quicker than every eight seconds and fade in and out so as to not create a vision distraction.

Source: The Cincinnati Post

Planning Commission also is recommending amendments to the county’s sign regulations.

2007-08-14T08:04:00.000-04:00

Cleveland, Tennesse

The Planning Commission also is recommending amendments to the county’s sign regulations.
Electronic display screens will be described as a sign or portion of a sign that displays an electronic image or video, which may or may not include text. This definition includes television screens, plasma screens, digital screens, flat screens, LED screens, video boards and holographic displays.
Electronic display screens are prohibited within FAR zoning, or within 200 feet of Residential 1 or Residential 2 zoning districts and must adhere to the following standards:
1. Each image displayed must be static or depicted for a minimum of six seconds (shortened from 10 seconds);
2. Animated images and images which move or give the appearance of movement are prohibited. This restriction shall not prohibit the dissolving or replacing of one image with another image or reader boards (scrolling messages); and;
3. No freestanding electronic display screen shall exceed 25 percent of the total allowable sign face area for any on-premise or off-premise sign.

Jackson’s big thing

2007-08-14T08:01:00.000-04:00

Jackson Township, Ohio

Three-quarters of a million dollars in unexpected government revenue is nothing to sneeze at, even in Jackson Township. But Jackson officials have said no to this and other offers from a billboard company. Why? Because they remain determined to stop the spread of commercial growth west of Frank Avenue NW. Because the Board of Zoning Appeals denied a request for a variance Thursday, Smith Outdoor Advertising cannot erect a digital video billboard in a restaurant lot on Portage Street NW just a few feet from township property. Jackson trustees also opposed the variance. Earlier, the township repeatedly rejected Larry Smith’s offer to pay Jackson $360,000 and give it an equivalent amount in advertising if he could lease township land for the billboard. “It’s not a big thing, but I think it would make a difference to the property owner and the township,” Smith said after the vote. What has become a big thing for township officials in recent years is acting consistently on behalf of Jackson residents’ interests, which they did again this week.

Video signs could be outlawed

2007-08-14T07:57:00.000-04:00

Plumber Jim Scardina's video sign along Interstate 97 sparked safety concerns from two county councilmen.
Councilmen introduce bill to eradicate 'Las Vegas' style signsBy ERIN COX Staff Writer
It began with a motorist mesmerized by the motion on a sign beside Interstate 97.
Distracted, the driver swerved, nearly caused an accident, and decided to eradicate the video signs common in New York's Times Square and beginning to crop up around Anne Arundel County.
The motorist was County Councilman Jamie Benoit of Crownsville, and a new bill he introduced last night aims to prohibit all signs featuring moving video, flashing lights, sounds or scrolling text. Co-sponsored by fellow Democrat Josh Cohen of Annapolis, the bill refines the county's sign code and would outlaw the Scardina Plumbing and Heating sign that distracted Mr. Benoit.
At issue for the council is not only whether the handful of video signs in the county present a safety hazard, but also a fear that increasingly digitized, multimedia displays could destroy the aesthetics of Anne Arundel.
"I'm trying to protect the visual quality of life and prevent us from becoming the Las Vegas strip in 10 years," Mr. Cohen said.
The Scardina sign near the New Cut Road exit in Millersville has Santa sending well wishes during the holidays and messages to support the troops on other days. A digital sign at the back of the company's property had solicited customers for seven years, but the company switched to the full color sign in December, owner Jim Scardina said.
If the bill passes later this month, the business would have three months to halt the video images or face a $125 fine.
"It doesn't present a problem," Mr. Scardina said, explaining that he can meet the law's requirements without taking down the sign.
Other signs that could be deemed illegal are mostly in the Annapolis area: beside a hotel on Riva Road, for a storage center off Route 50 or near Westfield Annapolis mall.
"They're like cell phone towers," Mr. Cohen said. "Once you start looking, they're everywhere."
County law already prohibits animated signs and those with text that changes more frequently than every five seconds, but it stops short of specifically outlawing video, signs that flash or scroll text.
"There's a very strong argument that these signs are already illegal," Mr. Benoit said, emphasizing the more precise language would not require businesses to take down the signs and comparing using them to buying a Porsche that tops out at 140 miles per hour.
"Just because it goes that fast, we don't get to drive it that fast," he said. "We can only drive the speed limit."
The tighter rules Mr. Benoit and Mr. Cohen proposed do not affect digital billboards, whose entire image changes every six seconds.
Local law enforcement authorities said they had not heard of the video signs causing accidents.
"I've never heard of that being any type of concern," county Police Department spokesman Cpl. Mark Shawkey said, adding county statistics do not prove or disprove whether the signs cause accidents.
All the better to act now, Mr. Benoit said.
"I think the safety of our residents demands the county make the law clear before motion signs and accidents related to the distraction they cause become commonplace," Mr. Benoit said.
The Federal Highway Administration plans to commission a study on whether video signs are linked to more accidents.
David Hickey with the International Sign Association, a Virginia organization representing the on-premises sign industry, said the market for these signs has grown in recent years and is now a $3 billion-a-year industry. The color, video signs for small businesses begin at $50,000 and allow businesses to give customers time-sensitive information about their services.
Bob Burdon, president and chief executive officer of the Annapolis and Anne Arundel Chamber of Commerce, said he supports a ban on video signs at street level that could distract drivers, but he said he thinks the higher, taller signs should be allowed to stay.
So does Richard Wallace, who works nights in Annapolis and looks forward to glancing at the colorful Scardina sign every time he drives home to north county.
"I really like that sign," said Mr. Wallace. "I find it a pleasant respite to see it."
A public hearing is set for 7 p.m. Sept. 4 in the Arundel Center, 44 Calvert St. in Annapolis before the council votes on the bill.

By J. Henson - The Capital

Stuart OKs large electronic billboards

2007-08-07T09:16:00.000-04:00

Thursday, August 02, 2007

STUART, Fla

—The first electronic billboard in the city could be up and running in about two months.
Lamar Advertising Co. agreed Tuesday to the city's offer to allow one electronic sign now and another to follow in about two years, City Attorney Paul Nicoletti said.

The first sign will go up on city land on the east side of U.S. 1 south of Baker Road, with monthly rent payments of about $2,875 starting Oct. 1, Nicoletti said.
The location of the second sign is to be determined but must fall somewhere south of Indian Street, Nicoletti said.
The contract comes months after city commissioners tried to renege on an agreement that would have allowed Lamar to put up two electronic billboards as soon as it took down all 13 of its existing traditional billboards, each of which has two sides for a total of 26 "faces." That was the settlement reached about a year ago after the company wrongfully repaired several hurricane-damaged signs without a permit.
City commissioners agreed in April to let the electronic signs go up on two city lots: one just north of the Roosevelt Bridge and another near the intersection of Kanner Highway and Monterey Road. However, several residents raised concerns about the signs being eyesores and distracting to drivers, which prompted commissioners in June to ask Nicoletti to try to persuade Lamar to give up the idea of electronic signs.
The company wouldn't agree.
Under the latest agreement, Lamar will take down seven traditional billboards when it turns on the first electronic sign. The rest of the traditional billboards will come down when the company turns on the second electronic sign.
Jim Maskas, vice president and general manager of Lamar Lakeland, the division that would erect the signs in Stuart, could not be reached for comment Wednesday. He has said that once the company and the city agreed on a site, Lamar could have a digital sign installed within two months.
Each sign can measure about 378 square feet and reach a height of 35 feet, according to the agreement. The proposed signs, versions of which exist in other cities, show a different message every eight second

Source: Palm Beach Post by Rachel Simmonsen

Electronic billboards to be discussed at special meeting

2007-08-07T09:13:00.000-04:00

Aug 2, 2007

Bakersfield, CA

The Bakersfield City Council will hold a meeting to discuss the legality of the new electronic billboard signs.
Assistant Planning Director Jim Eggart said current city codes neither allow nor ban such signs.
At Thursday’s meeting, a council committee will discuss how the city will govern such signs.
In addition to this problem, the sign company did not receive building permits prior to installation two weeks ago.
That issue will also be addressed.

Source KGET.com by Brynn Galindo

City should get a grip on digital billboards

2007-08-07T09:10:00.000-04:00

It's nightfall, and you're driving north on the Monterey Bridge when a sign to the northwest grabs your attention like a great beacon in the sky.It's a new electronic billboard installed by Lamar Outdoor Advertising. New messages flash at you every six seconds.The next day, you're driving north on Milton Avenue, and as you approach the Holiday Drive intersection, a flash of green off to the right catches your eye. It's another such digital billboard, one of six installed by Lamar.Technology has leaped ahead of city ordinances.Janesville resident Elizabeth Gall calls them "TV sets in the sky.""Digital display only serves to intensify the eyesore created by these massive outdoor advertising signs," Gall wrote in a letter to the Gazette.As a citizen member of the zoning board of appeals, she understands the workings of city government better than a casual observer."In the past few years, members of the community, city staff and the city council have worked diligently to modify ordinances in order to prohibit blight and create an urban landscape that is consistent with a community that calls itself the 'City of Parks,'" Gall wrote. "Unfortunately, technology has gotten ahead of the sign code."Lamar reviewed ordinances before deciding where to place the billboards. However, in a Gazette story Wednesday, Brad Yarmark, vice president and general manager for Lamar in Janesville, acknowledged the company didn't consult the city before installations.Lamar is offering a valuable city service with the billboards. If a child abduction prompts an Amber Alert, or police need help finding a crime suspect, Lamar could post a sketch or photo on the billboards within minutes of getting it from police.The billboards also promote nonprofit agencies, such as the Rock County Humane Society."Our very limited budget could not hope to afford the advertising offered to us by Lamar," Christina Konetski, shelter executive director, wrote to the Gazette.The billboards don't bother some people. One resident even suggested they're "cool."In yet another letter to the Gazette, Barb M. Smith wrote that they distract drivers no more than talking on cell phones or putting on makeup. Though the billboard lights dim at dusk, they provide free lighting that might make our city safer, she reasoned.Yarmark says Lamar followed existing code, which allows a billboard message to change every six seconds. Of course, that code was written in the era of mechanical billboards with rotating messages."We're definitely concerned about them," Brad Cantrell, community development director, told the Gazette.The city should be. If placed in residential neighborhoods, such signs could bother people trying to get a good night's sleep. If flashing green, yellow or red distracts drivers as they approach traffic signals, the messages could contribute to accidents. Drivers don't need any more distractions as they negotiate the racetrack that is Milton Avenue.Rather than signs, electronic billboards could be deemed "digital message senders" that might face restrictions on locations and brightness.The six billboards already in place probably should be left alone. But city officials must move quickly to catch up with this technology and avoid problems down the road.

Source: Gazette Extra

Battle continues in Murfreesbooro

2007-08-07T09:06:00.000-04:00

Ads are the only change on billboard

It's been more than a month since an appeal to keep the digital billboard along Old Fort Parkway was rejected, but the only things changing on the sign are its ads.
The Murfreesboro Board of Zoning Appeals denied an appeal June 25 by Lamar Advertising to keep its 378-foot electronic billboard at 1804 Old Fort Parkway near the DoubleTree Hotel and

Lamar's attorney, Larry Leibowitz, has said the company will appeal the BZA's decision in court.
Murfreesboro spokesman Chris Shofner said city officials have been in contact with Lamar's representatives to avoid that possibility.
"We're just trying to let the process run its course because if we can come to some kind of agreement and keep it out of court, that'd be the best," Shofner said.
The Murfreesboro Building and Codes Department revoked the sign's permit in March — shortly after it was erected — for violating the city's moratorium on electronic messaging signs as well as a long-standing law that prohibits such signs for commercial purposes.
Lamar has 60 days to file papers with Rutherford County Chancery Court to stop the city from enforcing a take-down order on the sign.
In a letter to Leibowitz, Murfreesboro Building and Codes Director Betts Nixon asked for proof that the sign is not a danger to the public, questioning the weight of the LED screen and the electrical nature.
"If Lamar cannot or will not satisfy the city as to the sign's safety, the sign must come down," Nixon wrote July 12.
Leibowitz replied July 19 that Lamar's sign was erected in accordance with industry specifications, standards and practices and is safe as constructed.
As of Friday, no suits or injunctions had been filed in the case by either Lamar or the city of Murfreesboro.
Source: The Daily News Journal Turner Hutchens

Electronic billboards face freeze

2007-08-07T09:04:00.000-04:00

The Kenton County Planning Commission on Tuesday will review a request calling for a moratorium through the rest of the year on the installation of all electronic message boards in the county.
The measure would apply to the zoning ordinances of all Kenton County jurisdictions.
The amendment comes in response to ongoing questions about the legality of electronic billboards along Northern Kentucky highways, particularly two in Covington. Those billboards, along Interstate 71/75, have been deemed illegal by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet for a very simple reason: state law prohibits them on all highways in the state.
The request for a moratorium came from the planning commission staff, which is upgrading all sign regulations, said Mike Schwartz, the commission's deputy director for current planning.
"We hired an expert consultant to assist us in that effort," he said.
Schwartz said the updated regulations are likely to affect electronic signs, and the moratorium will assure that new signs are erected under new regulations.
Meanwhile, Covington has launched its own challenge to electronic signs in response to a wave of resident complaints when the second electronic billboard in the city lit up near the interstate in May. Last year the first static billboard was converted to an electronic one near the 12th street interchange in Covington.
"Basically, they're a big LCD television. They change every 8 to 10 seconds or so," said City Manager Jay Fossett. He said residents' concerns include the brightness and the danger posed by driver distraction.
The city's prime concern, said Fossett, is a zoning issue.
Static billboards were grandfathered in, which means they were there before the zoning regulations were enacted. "By changing from a static billboard to an electronic one, they are changing the use," Fossett said. "They're a non-conforming use."
The city isn't trying to get rid of the billboards altogether, said Fossett, just return them to their original static signs. "We want to have a hearing and have a judge rule are they conforming or not conforming," Fossett said.
Covington code enforcement officials met July 28 to discuss the issue but said recently no decision would be made until Sept. 12. Until then, the billboards stay up and continue to shine.
The proposed planning commission amendment would stop the debate where it is, meaning no additional electric signs could be erected in the county until a final decision is made about their legality. It would apply to message boards, changeable copy signs, electronic message boards and tri-vision signs. It also would prohibit owners of a current non-electronic board from converting one.
Electronic billboards are legal in Ohio but with restrictions: Screen changes must be no quicker than every eight seconds and fade in and out so as to not create a vision distraction.

Source: The Kentucky Post

Digital Billboards speed growth of outdoor advertising

2007-08-01T09:21:00.000-04:00

Modern urban lifestyles exhibit a tendency towards greater indulgence in outdoor activities, and people are spending a greater portion of their time traveling. The rapidly growing popularity of digital billboards and their ability to air attractive full motion video and visually informative graphic presentations, is helping speed the growth of outdoor advertising.
With such advancements, the world billboard advertising market, the largest mode of outdoor advertising, is expected to increase by $2.85 billion between 2007 and 2010, according to Global Industry Analysts, Inc.
Europe is said to dominate this market with a 31 percent share, while Asia-Pacific turbo charges global growth with a compound annual growth rate of 12.3 percent. The transit advertising market represents the fastest growing mode of outdoor advertising, with the potential to reach $7.14 billion by 2010. The street furniture advertising market in the Middle East and Africa is expected to reach $64.05 million by 2010.
By region, the world outdoor advertising market is dominated by Europe. Growth in Europe is fashioned by the highly lucrative Russian market, which is forecast to grow at a rate of 30.2 percent over the analysis period. Outdoor advertising expenditures in the two other fast growing European markets, Hungary and Norway, together are expected to rise by $119.9 million between 2007 and 2010.
In Asia-Pacific, unbridled growth is forecast to be witnessed in Indonesia, Thailand, and China. Together, these three regional markets are expected to corner close to 65 percent of the total expenditures on outdoor advertising in Asia, by 2010.

Source: Global Industry Analysts, Inc.

Zoom Launches Digital Billboard Initiative

2007-08-01T09:17:00.000-04:00

July 30, 2007 - Zoom Media & Marketing, a targeted out-of-home (OOH) media provider, today announced that it has launched a new coast-to-coast network of digital billboards that will initially be installed in popular bars and restaurants throughout New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles.

Featuring a variety of venue content and advertising messages, the digital billboards will be 36" x 22" LCD panel displays that are networked by a broadband internet connection to Zoom's central advertising server. The digital boards will offer a very flexible advertising schedule, allowing advertisers to place ads by venue or daypart as well as change and customize ads remotely. Additionally, they will show full motion video in high definition and be capable of displaying everything from movie trailers and commercials to animated content that's typically only available via the web.
With digital billboards currently installed in almost a dozen venues, Zoom plans to have twenty-five up and running by the end of August. Over fifty digital boards will be installed by November, with further expansion to follow.
"Our network of restaurants and nightclubs are perfect locations for digital billboards," said Dennis Roche, President & Chief Operating Officer of Zoom. "The venues have high traffic levels, as well as affluent, young, trend-setting consumers that often have long periods of 'dwell time' around the boards. The bottom line is that our digital network will offer an excellent opportunity for clients to extend their integrated programs."

Lights out for Lamar display

2007-08-01T09:14:00.000-04:00

Digital billboard on Nicholasville Road will go dark

The bright lights on a digital billboard along Nicholasville Road will go dark in the next 30 days.
Lamar Advertising says it will pursue a change in the city zoning ordinance that currently prohibits a sign that blinks or flashes. In the meantime, it will turn off the sign.
At the Board of Adjustment meeting last Friday, Lamar was scheduled to ask permission to operate the sign as a non-conforming use. However, at the last minute, company attorney Rena Wiseman requested an indefinite postponement to give the company time to request a text amendment to the current ordinance.
The high-definition sign went up in late April. The city sent a letter to Lamar on May 2, telling the company to remove the billboard that flips to a new ad every eight seconds.
The digital display is in a zone that prohibits this type of sign.
“I’ve always been told the billboards are a distraction, and they feel like it’s a safety issue for the motoring public,” Dewey Crowe, director of the city’s Division of Building Inspection, said.
Signs that flash and blink were outlawed when the city’s sign ordinance was rewritten in 1983, he said.
Brian Ridgway , vice president and general manager for Lamar, said his company will turn the sign off within 30 days.
Approximately 10 advertisers have messages on the Nicholasville Road sign, he said. “We are in the process of working with our advertisers . . . to make new arrangements,” he said. Lamar, a national company, has over 300 other digital displays around the country.
A text amendment means changing the law “to make what they have done legal,” said Chris King, director of the Division of Planning. It’s a lengthy process that starts with a recommendation from the professional planning staff. Any proposed change is reviewed by a subcommittee and goes to the planning commission for a public hearing. The commission makes a recommendation to the Urban County Council.
If approved by council, the text amendment becomes part of the ordinance and can be used “by any other similar business that has the same situation,” Crowe said.
King, an author of the sign ordinance, said digital billboards were prohibited because they were seen as an “assault on the senses, aesthetically, and as a safety issue.” After seeing the blinking billboards around the country, King said those remain legitimate concerns.

Source: Lexington Herald Leader, By Beverly Fortune

Idle sign on I-880 will see new life

2007-08-01T09:11:00.000-04:00

Union City electronic billboard has been broken since last year

UNION CITY — Always eager to bolster revenue, city leaders have teamed up with an Indian company to replace a broken electronic advertising billboard built into one of Union Landing's two marquees along Interstate 880.
A working billboard — not unlike the one that greets motorists at Hayward's Southland Mall — could carry dozens of advertisements and possibly net the city about $200,000 a year, a city official said.
Union City had always intended to make money from the electronic billboard, according to a city report, but somehow it never happened. The city gave Union Landing businesses free advertising on the 8-foot-by-24-foot billboard until it stopped working last year.
It's now a black space on the advertising marquee, between signs for Michaels and OfficeMax.
But that should change by October. InfoSEP Inc., a subsidiary of a billboard manufacturer in Hyderabad, India, has agreed to pay for and install a new electronic board — at a cost of about $480,000. It also will sellthe advertising space.
The city, which still owns the marquee, will pay electricity costs and about $40,000 to remove the old board. They will share advertising revenue, with the city getting 80 percent of revenue after InfoSTEP recoups its initial investment.
If sales are strong, the city could net more than $200,000 a year, Deputy City Manager Tony Acosta told the City Council last week.
InfoSTEP, which broached the deal to city officials, operates similar signs in San Jose, Australia, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates, said Mahesh Pakala, the company's multimedia director.
At least one Fortune 500 company and several stores in Union Landing that aren't on the marquee are interested in buying advertising space, he said.
"We are expecting quite a good amount of revenue," Pakala said.
The city has veto power over the advertisers, which means no ads for massage parlors or cigarettes, Acosta said. Casino ads will be allowed.
In order not to distract drivers, state law requires that the ads be on the screen for at least eight seconds. Videos are prohibited.

By Matthew Artz, STAFF WRITER Inside Bay Area.

Covington Billboards fate still up in air

2007-08-01T09:08:00.000-04:00

Billboards' fate still up in the air City board delays making a decision

Two electronic billboards along Interstate 71/75 in Covington will stay lit, for now.
The city's code enforcement board needs more time to sort out the cases, said Keith Bales, director of code enforcement for Covington. "No decision will be made until Sept. 12," Bales said Friday.
The code enforcement board regulates the city's nuisance codes and zoning violations.
The city cited the owners of the billboard, Lamar Outdoor Advertising and Lewisberg Enterprises, for violation of zoning code, according to Covington City Manager Jay Fossett. The board had a hearing on the Lamar citation July 18 and decided Wednesday that it needed more time to make its decision, Bales said.
If the board upholds the citation, Lamar has the right to appeal to the Kenton District Court. If the board withdraws the citation, the city could also appeal to the district court, Fossett said.
Frank Warnock, Covington's city solicitor, said the continuation means the billboards get to keep on shining. "The signs will remain in operation for the time being," he said.
Lamar converted a static sign, located east of Interstate 75 near 12th Street in Covington, into an electronic billboard in 2006. State officials said the sign violated a state law that bans electronic billboards along highways.
The Lewisberg billboard, near the 600 block of Pike Street in Covington, was converted to an electronic format in May. The code enforcement board has yet to discuss that case.
Warnock said Covington generally does not allow billboards, whether they are electronic or not. "The signs you do see in Covington are grandfathered in," he said.
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet contends the Lamar and Lewisberg billboards are illegal.
"We told them, take them down, turn them off until they can be reverted back to permitted configurations," said Doug Hogan, director of public affairs for the cabinet.
Tom Fahey, vice president and general manager for Lamar in Cincinnati, said the company is working with the state on language that would clarify the law. He said the state is reviewing its regulations and considering updates to its codes to allow the LED billboards.
Ohio allows the electronic billboards, but requires screen changes no quicker than every eight seconds, and that they fade in and fade out. The state prohibits blinking lights or scrolling text.
Warnock said there is a safety concern for those driving past the signs.
Mike Norton, vice president of Norton Outdoor Advertising in Cincinnati, said, however, that two studies commissioned by the Foundation for Outdoor Advertising Research and Education found that traffic accidents are no more likely to happen in the presence of digital billboards than in their absence.

Source: Cincinnati Post By Tom Demeropolis Post staff reporter

Electronic Sign Ordinance Passed in Tyler, Texas

2007-07-26T10:47:00.000-04:00

City Council members approved an electronic sign ordinance to govern the use of scrolling and animated signs this morning.“Recent advances in technology have changed the display capabilities and uses of electronic message signs,” said Planning Director Barbara Holly. “These signs are now capable of being animated.”Prior to the ordinance change, individual signs were allowed to be a maximum of 64 square feet in size and not allowed to be animated in any way.When the trend of animated signs began to sweep through Tyler businesses, several meetings were held between affected business owners and the Planning and Zoning Commission.By bringing together the wishes of business owners, public opinion and the input of the Tyler Historical Board, the ordinance changes are based on the electronic signs already in place, and aim to limit the addition of future signs in specific areas.No electronic message signs currently in place will be in violation of the ordinance. However, the ordinance now requires screens to hold a single message for one second per line of copy displayed, with a three-second minimum.The ordinance will also allow for the total amount of square feet a business can use for signage, to be divided between electronic and traditional signs.City officials said an example would be that most businesses are allowed 164 square feet of signs. The ordinance will therefore allow business owners display a 100 square-foot electronic sign and a 64 square-foot traditional sign, for a total 164 square feet.Finally, the ordinance change now prohibits any new electronic message signs to be built within or face residential or historic districts.

Source: Tyler Morning Telegraph, By ADRIENNE GRAHAM

World outdoor advertising market to reach $30.4 bln by 2010

2007-07-26T10:42:00.000-04:00

Modern urban lifestyles exhibit a tendency towards greater indulgence in outdoor activities. In addition, people spend a greater portion of their time outdoors traveling.

The rapidly growing popularity of digital billboards, and their ability to air attractive full motion video, and visually informative graphic presentations, is helping advertisers communicate effectively with mass audiences. Technology advancements are leading to innovations in signage, and outdoor displays such as Hi-fi displays, plasma screens, magicink, LED, digital displays and electronic kiosks with interactive touch-sensitive-screens. In addition, continuous innovations are also helping expand outdoor advertising spaces.
Marketers today, wield the flexibility to display their outdoor advertisements in a variety of public places like point-of-purchase, newsstands, bus stops, washrooms, airports, subways and public transportation. This is directly translating into a marked increase in out-of-home advertising expenditures and conversely a rise in the number of outdoor advertising contracts signed. Digital printing, on the other hand, has emerged into a major driver propelling growth in outdoor advertising, since it extends advertisers the agility to quickly and cost-efficiently change outdoor ads. All of these factors, among several others, lay a strong foundation for future growth, by strengthening the perceived effectiveness of the reach, frequency, and cost efficiency of outdoor advertising. In terms of modes of outdoor advertising, world billboard advertising market, the largest mode of outdoor advertising, is expected to increase by $2.85 billion between the period 2007 to 2010.
As stated by the recent report published by Global Industry Analysts, Inc., Europe dominates this market with a 31% share, while Asia-Pacific turbo charges global growth with a CAGR of 12.3%. Transit advertising market represents the fastest growing mode of outdoor advertising flaunting the potential to reach $7.14 billion by the year 2010. Street furniture advertising market in Middle East & Africa is expected to reach $64.05 million by the year 2010.
By region, the world outdoor advertising market is dominated by Europe. Growth in Europe is fashioned by the highly lucrative Russian market, which is forecast to grow at a robust double-digit CAGR of 30.2% over the analysis period. Outdoor advertising expenditures in the two other fast growing European markets, Hungary, and Norway together, are expected to rise by $119.9 million between the period 2007 to 2010.
In Asia-Pacific, unbridled growth is forecast to be witnessed in Indonesia, Thailand, and China. Together, these three regional markets are expected to corner close to 65% of the total expenditures on outdoor advertising in Asia, by 2010. In Middle East, UAE, and Turkey are expected to generate the highest growth, with expenditures in both these markets projected to reach $214.03 million by 2010.

Source: Budapest Business Journal

Digital billboards will aid police in Janesville

2007-07-26T10:34:00.000-04:00

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

By Shelly Birkelo Gazette staff

Three siblings, the children of divorced parents, spend the weekend with their father.They are expected to return home Sunday night, but don't.The father, believed to be depressed and suicidal, is suspected of taking the kids out of state.Their mother calls police, and an AMBER Alert is issued.This particular situation is hypothetical, but it happens all too often in real life.Efforts to help rescue children left in this situation were enhanced locally over the weekend as Lamar Outdoor Advertising erected six digital billboards. Along with displaying advertisements, the billboards provide an alternative for police to reach the public quickly.
The billboard along West Court Street in Janesville was installed by Lamar Outdoor Advertising. The screen can cycle through different messages.

"We've made the digital billboard available to the Janesville Police Department in the event they're looking for any type of criminal suspect, missing child or person," said Brad Yarmark, general manager of Lamar in Janesville.Lamar can splash a police artist sketch or even a low-resolution photograph on a digital billboard within minutes of getting an image from police."We can even take a photo from a Web site because the digital billboards have an Internet connection," Yarmark added.Deputy Chief David Moore said Tuesday he intends to share this billboard opportunity with department staff "so if in the event we need help, we can use it."Many of our crimes are solved by tips or clues from citizens, and the more our community is aware of crimes the better chance we have of solving them," he said. "The department is very appreciative that this business has reached out to us and offered their assistance."Lamar, like other state outdoor billboard advertising companies, is tied into and able to participate with AMBER Alerts just like broadcast stations, Yarmark said.Lamar Digital Displays in Janesville are located at the Center Avenue Bridge, Milton Avenue at Holiday Drive, the Memorial Drive Bridge, West Court Street at Crosby Avenue, Highway 14 next to Dunham's Sports and Highway 14 north of where the highway splits with Highway 11.Lamar doesn't plan to put up any more digital billboards in the city at this time, Yarmark said.

Officials debate safety of flashy signs

2007-07-25T08:54:00.000-04:00

By Mallory Panuska-Times West Virginian

FAIRMONT, WV

Drivers heading southbound on Route 250 may have recently noticed a new, flashy addition to the area’s skyline in an unincorporated territory between the boundary lines of Fairmont and White Hall.Known as a Light Emitting Diode (LED) billboard, this brightly colored digital sign displays advertisements for five local businesses in eight second intervals. And while the Department of Highways (DOH) considers this a positive advancement for the advertising industry, other officials have questioned the safety aspect of a flashing distraction along this busy stretch of road. “I would have some concerns about the issue,” said Fairmont City Planner Jay Rogers of the sign. “Drivers can be distracted by the messages. It is kind of compound, where it is located on that road.”And although Rogers said Fairmont’s code does not allow this type of signage within the city’s corporate limits, he said the area where it has been erected, just several feet from Muriale’s Restaurant and just before Wood’s Boathouse, is not considered part of the city.Similarly, the neighboring town of White Hall’s billboard ordinance, which is currently being tweaked to clear up its language for other purposes, also does not allow for this type of display within its boundary lines. “It would be a distraction for drivers. It would be more of a safety issue, especially on a busy stretch of road where there are quite a few accidents anyway,” said White Hall Mayor Jesse Corley of the reasons the town chose to ban this type of signage in its boundaries. In fact, at White Hall’s Monday council meeting, several officials brought up this newly erected sign and said they noticed it clearly while driving along the road recently. “It is eye catching,” said Councilwoman Beverly Owens of the sign. Additionally, Councilman Chad Corley said he almost pulled over off of the road to time how often the pictures changed on the billboard, and noticed other drivers slowing down as well. However, because the area in which this particular billboard stands is between the two corporate boundary lines of Fairmont and White Hall and County Planner Richard Walton said there is no ordinance banning these signs within the county, it is completely legal for this advertisement to be displayed at this location.And according to a representative of Lamar Outdoor Advertising, the company responsible for displaying the billboard, this particular advertisement has been flashing above Route 250 since July 16 with no reports of any accidents. But while Carolyn Ledsome, director of central communications in Marion County, confirmed this fact, she added that this section of Route 250 has been the site of a number of vehicle accidents in the past. The representative from Lamar added that there are similar billboards the company erected in both Clarksburg and Morgantown that have not returned any proof of larger volumes of car accidents, but declined to comment any further on the issue. In 2006, the DOH passed an ordinance allowing these types of signs in West Virginia in an effort to keep up with the advertising practices of other surrounding states, said Bill Light, DOH division chief for outdoor advertising.“(Advertisers in the industry) came and wanted more signage,” said Light. “They wanted the same playing field for advertising in the state of West Virginia that they had in Ohio and other states. So, we wrote the code change.”Introduced first in Wheeling, these types of signs, which carry a list of rules and regulations for safe and proper display, began popping up all over the state, including Beckley, Huntington, Clarksburg and Morgantown.Light added that if a car is driving at 60 or 70 mph by one of these signs, the driver will likely not even see it change. However, he said most of the signs are not displayed on interstate-type roads, but more on city and town roads where there are lower speed limits and more stoplights so the advertisers will receive more exposure.Where the billboard is on Route 250, the speed limit is 45 mph, and traffic is currently stop-and-go with the turn-off for Muriale’s and other roads and businesses within view.In spite of the criticism from some, Light said he has read studies on these LED billboards across the country that have proven they do not pose any harm to drivers, especially with the strict DOH regulations in place.“We put everything in that would relate to any issues or problems that the state would have,” said Light of the regulations. “We haven’t been advised of any major problems or issues that that type of (signage) has caused. It is a good move for the industry and the state of West Virginia.”Light added that the company keeps an eye on the reactions of the viewing public to these billboards for both safety and targeted response reasons with cameras attached to the displays. “Every time you drive by and look at one of those signs, they can see you on a computer watching the billboard,” he said. “There are cameras looking at the face of the billboard to make sure that what it’s supposed to be doing, it’s doing.”He said in the future, these types of signs may also be used for not only advertising, but public notification purposes.“(The advertising industry) does not want a dangerous distraction any more than the state does. They are merely trying to advertise a product for good of service,” said Light in defense of these signs. “With a year behind us, we have no knowledge of any wreck or any complaints of wrecks or any distractions at any of the billboard sites.”

School District loses revenue

2007-07-20T06:12:00.000-04:00

Newport, KY
19 July

While other companies' electronic billboards are blazing away, Norton Outdoor Advertising has been working to build a regular, or "static" one on Newport school district property.
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet said it still violated the 50-foot set-back requirement.
"It's run into a bunch of bureaucratic red tape," said Michael Brandt, Newport superintendent.
He said the sign would have generated $660,000 over 15 years to the school district. But now, the process to get a sign, any sign, has started over.
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet ruled that Norton could not build a LED billboard on the property because it violates state law. Norton and the school districts went back to the drawing board and decided on building a static billboard.
Norton is appealing the cabinet decision on the set-back issue.
"If that doesn't work, then we'll shop for other options," Brandt said.
Mike Norton, vice president of the Columbia Township-based company, said the decision is a burden on the school, the business and the region as a whole. But school would be hurt most.
"Our lease agreement provided for a great deal," Norton said. "They could pay a lot of bills."
Under the original electronic billboard agreement, the schools district would have received $44,000 per year for 15 years, plus 500 free advertisements on the board every day. The value of the free ads would bring the "value" of the deal for Newport schools to about $900,000.
But only $660,000 of it would be actual money, because the district wouldn't have spent that money on the ads had they not been free.
Brandt said missing out on those postings is a painful blow to a school district that could use a medium to show off its good side.
"To be able to show the better side of things, it would have been invaluable," he said.
Under the new agreement, for the one-sided static sign Norton is appealing, the money drops to $16,000 per year.
And no advertisements.
"It's very frustrating," Brandt said. "We're being penalized for trying to do things correctly."
There are two electronic billboards near the proposed site, both owned by Norton competitor Lamar Outdoor Advertising.
"Nobody seems to be able to make the exception, even though the exception is in plain view," Brandt said.
All the school district can do now is wait for Norton to exhaust its appeals, and after that, explore less favorable options. If the appeal fails, Brandt said they may look at placing the sign on a more intrusive location, that is, if Norton still wants to do the deal.
Norton said the electronic billboards are a step forward, but one that must be taken after going through the appropriate steps. "These signs would do nothing but help."

Source: The Cincinnati Post by Tom Demeropolis

Starkville mayor uses veto power to stop billboard reconfiguration

2007-07-20T06:03:00.000-04:00

STARKVILLE , MS

Starkville Mayor Dan Camp kept his veto pen handy Wednesday, and stopped the reconfiguration of a Lamar Advertising billboard on Highway 12 in the Green Oaks shopping center.
It was the second veto the mayor had issued that day. He first stopped - for the second time - the promotion of Starkville Fire Department Battalion Chief David Gaudin to fire chief.
The billboard in question sits on the Green Oaks Phase II shopping center development. An original site plan approved by the board slated it for removal.
“This is a violation of what the planning and zoning commission and the Board of Aldermen originally wanted,” said Camp, citing the original site plan removed the billboard.
“And besides, we're trying to have an attempt at beautifying out city, and I don't see how billboards work into that picture,” the mayor added.
The aldermen voted 4-3 Tuesday night to allow the amended site plan to move forward. Vice Mayor and Ward 6 Alderman Roy A. Perkins, Ward 4 Alderman Richard Corey and Ward 3 Alderman P.C. “Mac” McLaurin Jr. voted against allowing the sign.
In the original site plan, which the aldermen approved some months back, the billboard, which today has a 45 degree cantilevered center mast over Christy's Hamburger, was to be removed. However, last month the site plan came back before the Starkville Planning and Zoning Commission with a request to amend the approved site plan, this time reconfiguring the existing billboard. The commissioners halted, saying they were uncomfortable with the sign since it reflects a non-conforming use according to the city's sign ordinance, which states billboards cannot be closer than 2,640 feet to one another. Lamar has another billboard 500 feet away. And the commissioners tabled the matter for further study.
A month later, at last Tuesday's P&Z meeting, the commissioners heard consultation from board attorney Rodney Faver, who did not believe the sign was in violation, since Lamar has no intention of moving the base, only reconfiguring the sign to straighten the mast-pole and remove the catwalk and lighting. The amended site plan passed the P&Z commissioners 5-2.
“I didn't have any problem with it (the billboard) either way,” said Dan Moreland, owner of the Green Oaks shopping center. Moreland also collects rent on the sign.
“But it could stay up or come down, it didn't matter to me,” Moreland added. “At some point I washed my hands of it and handed it over to Lamar for them to deal with.”
The billboard veto issued Wednesday, was Camp's sixth since he took office two years ago.

Source: The Commercial Dispatch by Skip Descant

Banned highway billboards still lit

2007-07-20T06:00:00.000-04:00

Cincinnati, Ohio

Electronic billboards reach thousands of tri-state drivers with lit-up advertisements every eight seconds.
And even though the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet has said they are illegal, four signs in Northern Kentucky keep on lighting up.
"From our standpoint, they are not in compliance," said Doug Hogan, director of public affairs for the transportation cabinet. "We told them, take them down, turn them off until they can be reverted back to permitted configurations."
The electronic billboards in question are on Interstate 71/75 in Covington and I-471 in Newport. Three of the signs are owned by Lamar Outdoor Advertising. The other, near the 600 block of Pike Street in Covington, is owned by Lewisburg Enterprises. They are illegal along highways in Kentucky, but not Ohio, because they are considered too much of a distraction to drivers.
Local governments also are trying to figure out how to handle the illegal signs. Frank Warnock, Covington's city solicitor, said the city's code enforcement board held a five-hour meeting last week to determine what to do with Lamar's electronic billboard.
The code enforcement board regulates the city's nuisance codes and zoning violations.
Warnock said Lamar brought in a team of lawyers, the company's vice president and a witness to contest that the sign is not in any violation. The board decided it needed time to read through the information presented and come to a decision.
"Next Wednesday night they should render a decision," Warnock said.
Tom Fahey, vice president and general manager for Lamar in Cincinnati, said the company is working with the state of Kentucky on language that would clarify the law. He said the state is reviewing its regulations and considering updates to its codes to allow the LED billboards.
Warnock said many issues come into play on whether or not the signs should stay up.
"It's balancing commercial speech with local government's right to control signage," he said. "Constitutional issues come into play, nuisance laws come into play."
Along with Lamar, Covington's Code Enforcement Board sent Lewisburg a notice of violation for its electronic sign that went up in May. Warnock said a hearing has not been set up for that sign, but he expects it to come up at Wednesday's meeting.
Ohio allows the electronic billboards, but requires screen changes no quicker than every eight seconds, fade-in and fade-out, rather than jarring changes, and prohibits blinking light or scrolling text.
Hogan and Warnock said the signs present a safety issue.
"It's a safety issue as well as a regulatory enforcement-type issue," Hogan said.
"The signs are very bright, eye-catching and a lot of people don't like them," Warnock said.
Lamar and other outdoor advertisers including Cincinnati-based Norton Outdoor Advertising, have been trying to get Kentucky and other states to make the signs legal.
"To change the law, they would need to make it a legislative issue," Hogan said.
The regulations come from the legislative research commission or the general assembly. To change the regulations, it would have to come from one of those bodies.
There is no timeline for changing the current regulations, and Hogan said it would not be easy.
"It's an involved process," he said.

Source: The Cincinnati Post by Tom Demeropolis

Moultonborough residents to decide on sign moratorium

2007-07-20T05:54:00.000-04:00

Moultonborough, NH
19 July

Residents will decide on a special warrant article calling for a moratorium on electronic signs this weekend.The warrant article was generated by a petition signed by 98 residents and was presented to the Board of Selectmen. Because the article has no implications for the town budget, the selectmen had the authority to declare a special town meeting without having to petition the court. New electronic signs have appeared at several local businesses, including several real estate offices and Murphy's Mobil on Route 25. The signs can change lettering and display the time and temperature."Some people find that a disturbance and that it's not keeping with the charm if the town," said Town Administrator Chuck Connell.The article calls for a moratorium on electronic signs until the planning board can meet and decide on a change to the ordinance."Right now, if you submit an application, it meets the provisions of the zoning ordinance, the selectmen can't pick and choose," Connell said.If the article passes, it would "stall any more approvals until it is acted on," which will likely happen at town meeting in 2008.Article 5, Section D of the town zoning ordinance prohibits signs that are "intermittently illuminated" or of a "traveling light type, animated, or flashing" except if the illumination shows the time and temperatures.The amended sign ordinance would prohibit signs with any fixed, video, electronic, floating, or moving text and images created by lights, LEDs, diodes, holographs, liquid crystal, fiber optics, and hologram display. The only signs that would be exempt from the ordinance are signs meant for traffic use.Connell said the issue was initially raised in January, too late for inclusion on the 2007 town warrant. In June, the petition with 98 signatures was presented to the selectmen who authorized a special town meeting.Shortly before Moultonborough's petition was turned in, Meredith announced it would hold a special vote on whether to ban electronic signs. The Meredith decision was prompted by resident concerned about a few new electronic signs appearing in town, as well as a court ruling against Concord's ordinance, allowing the time and temperature as the only electronic messages permitted on signs.The special town meeting will decide on the article and serve as an informational town meeting, especially for summer residents. An informational town meeting was first held in 2006 and will take place again this year with discussion of several topics, including a presentation on the Official Ballot Act, commonly known as SB2.The informational town meeting will take place this Saturday at 9 a.m., with the summer informational meeting being held during the first half. The warrant article will be discussed starting at 10:30 a.m.There will be a public hearing on the article today at 7:15 p.m.

Source: The Citizen of Laconia

By ERIN PLUMMER

Will Clear Channel buyout change Digital Billboard rollout

2007-07-18T09:38:00.000-04:00

July 17, 2007

Clear Channel shareholders will vote on July 27 to consider the latest offer from a private equity group led by Bain Capital Partners and Thomas H. Lee Partners. Their offer of almost $19.5 billion is $39.20 per share.

It will be interesting to see if this deal affects their digital billboard expansion. generally the debt load on buyouts like this prevents or greatly reduces capital expenditures.

Charlotte Council skeptical on varying billboards

2007-07-18T09:32:00.000-04:00

Tue, Jul. 17, 2007

Proposed changes to the city's billboard ordinance fueled debate among Charlotte City Council members during a public hearing Monday night.
The changes, which are backed by the billboard industry, would restrict the size, height and location of electronic billboards to interstates in industrial areas. The proposal also increases the space required between the "tri-vision" billboards, which have slats that flip ads, and electronic billboards, which are like flat-screen televisions.
But it was the frequency of ads changing and concern over driver distraction that generated the most discussion. A key issue is that the proposal would allow the signs to change once every eight seconds.
In 2005, the two largest billboard companies in the area asked for changes to the city's billboard ordinance to address the new digital technology in the sign industry. Planners then formed a group of residents, business owners and billboard companies to suggest ordinance changes.
Billboards along highways are governed by state law but also by the city's ordinance, which isn't as lenient. The city's rules are supposed to take precedence.
But under state rules, electronic billboards can switch ads once every eight seconds, while the city's rules say they can only switch once every 24 hours. During Monday's presentation, planners showed a number of electronic billboards that violate the city's ordinance.
"So they (the billboard companies) are asking us to legalize what they're already doing illegally?" Councilman Michael Barnes said.
A lawyer for Adams argued that the city's ordinance doesn't specify rules for the electronic signs changing. Those rules are only city policy, which is different.
Council members also said they were concerned about electronic signs creating driver distraction and clutter.
"We're not going to eliminate clutter, we're going to add to it?" Councilman Andy Dulin asked.
Electronic-sign backers say studies have shown there is no correlation between electronic billboards and accidents, said Bailie Morlidge, a real-estate manager for Adams Outdoor Advertising.
William Keenan said he doesn't buy it.
A resident member of the planning group, Keenan argued that the group started out balanced but, after some people dropped out, it was heavy on billboard representatives.
He urged the council to study the issue further before voting on the proposal. The proposal will be on the council's agenda in August.
"Think of drivers already distracted by their cell phones, " he said. "... Consider the impact if the next ad is J.Lo in a bikini. It has to be a distraction."

Source: Charlotte Observer by VICTORIA CHERRIE

Charlotte's N.C. plan would alter billboard rules

2007-07-17T05:40:00.000-04:00

July 15 2007

The Charlotte City Council will consider changes to the city's billboard rules after a public hearing Monday.
The proposed changes would allow electronic billboards to switch ads more frequently but would restrict their size, height and location.
Some council members are already riled up about the proposal. They are worried that the current ordinance hasn't been enforced, and that electronic billboards would create clutter and distractions.
"It's too much like Vegas," council member Warren Turner said. "We have enough distractions with people talking on the phone all the time."
There are about 450 billboards in Charlotte, and not all are in compliance with the city's ordinance.
"We've always followed state guidelines," said Bailie Morlidge, a real estate manager for Adams Outdoor Advertising.
Those along highways require state permits, but they also are governed by the city's rules, which aren't as lenient.
For example, the electronic billboards, which look like flat-screen televisions, and the "tri-vision" billboards with slats that flip ads are legal in the city. But under the city's ordinance they are supposed to change ads no more than once every 24 hours. Often they change once every eight seconds, which state law allows, officials said.
There are only a few flat-screen billboards in the city now, said Keith McVean, a Charlotte program zoning manager. Those and tri-vision boards violating the ordinance have been given a violation notice or cited, he said. But zoning administrator Gary Huss couldn't say who received citations or how many. Companies often appeal, which stalls the process, he said. Morlidge said his company, which was cited for its sign, learned it violated the city's ordinance when they started discussing the proposed changes.
Huss acknowledged that the current ordinance has not been consistently enforced.
"I don't have an answer for why," Huss said.
Council member Anthony Foxx said, "This needs to be addressed, whether we change the ordinance or not."

Proposed changes
Adams Outdoor Advertising and Lamar Outdoor Advertising, the two largest billboard companies in the area, sought the ordinance changes in 2005. Planners formed a group of about 35 stakeholders to propose changes.The proposal would allow the electronic and tri-vision billboards to change ads once every eight seconds but would restrict them to industrial zoning along interstates. The changes also limit the height and require more space between billboards.
Charlotte changed its billboard ordinance in 1988 but exempted many existing billboards. If a company wants to put up a new electronic or tri-vision billboard near a billboard that had been grandfathered, it must bring that board into compliance or remove it, McVean said.
Electronic billboards are the future of the industry. Companies are able to promote between four and eight advertisers at a time, officials said. If the changes are approved, Morlidge said, Adams Outdoor would probably increase the number of electronic billboards it has in the city to 12. The company now has one.
Other cities' approaches
"I find the whole medium an invasion, assaulting," said Van Kornegay, a professor of visual communications at the University of South Carolina. "It's ambush advertising."
Columbia officials recently passed a rule that allows companies to put up electronic billboards if they take down old ones. Vornegay, a member of the S.C. Scenic Byway Committee, said Columbia compromised.
"Whenever you come up with these sorts of compromises the industry finds a way to get more up," he said. "The clearest and most effective way to handle (billboards) is to ban them."
Virginia Beach, Va., banned billboards completely in 1986. Since then, billboard companies have been challenging the city's ordinance to allow the new technology, but have lost in court, said Kevin Hershberger, a Virginia Beach zoning inspector.
In Charlotte, council members are most concerned about how the electronic billboards look and how they could affect drivers. Turner and council member Nancy Carter said the flat-screen billboards are distracting.
But a recent study by Virginia Tech's Transportation Institute shows that billboards do not measurably affect driving performance.
"Part of the issue with distractions is your eyes being taken off the road," said Rob Foss of the UNC Highway Safety Research Center. "With billboards, you can at least have peripheral vision on the road."
By allowing the changes to the ordinance, the city could end up with fewer, more effective billboards, council member John Lassiter said.
"We don't prevent people from eating a sausage biscuit, drinking coffee, putting on lipstick and talking on a cell phone, all of which are more distracting than a moveable billboard," he said. "There's a role for outdoor advertising."Plan would alter billboard rules
Source : Charlotte Observer by VICTORIA CHERRIE

Interstate 77 Billboard http://www.charlotteobserver.com/images/video/billboard_77/

Craven commissioners adopt billboard restrictions

2007-07-13T15:48:00.000-04:00

July 12, 2007

New Bern, North Carolina

Craven Commissioners passed an ordinance regulating off-premise signs Thursday, an ordinance outdoor advertisers said spells the ultimate end of billboards in the county. The ordinance became effective with passage. It ends a moratorium on new billboards in effect since Feb. 19, but industry spokesmen said following the meeting that they were disappointed. “The whole purpose of this was supposed to be curtailing the proliferation of billboards,” said Mark O’Dell, vice president of Lamar Advertising. “It morphed into a virtual elimination of billboards. It’s not going to happen in five to 10 years but it will eventually.” “I don’t think they understand the significance of what they’ve done,” said Mark Russell of NextMedia Outdoor Inc., who said the ordinance fails to protect the assets here which are used by local business and generate business and tax revenue. Planning Director Don Baumgardner said the ordinance is not intended to ban billboards. But it has some of the most restrictive rules spacing between new billboards of any in the 46 states which allow them at all. There will have to be 2,500 feet, almost a half mile, between signs. Maine, Vermont, Hawaii and Alaska prohibit billboards. Baumgardner said, however, that 71 of the 100 billboards in Craven County do not conform to the new ordinance. If those signs are damaged, the ordinance prevents them from being repaired if repair costs are more than 50 percent of the sign’s total value. A GPS reading done by county planning staff shows the spacing requirement will prevent additional new signs on the U.S. 70 East corridor, Baumgardner said. Recent proliferation of signs on that corridor is what prompted county officials to consider a billboard ordinance. The ommissioners decided not to ban electronic billboards with changeable copy and non-moving pictures after reviewing a study released by Virginia Tech July 10 provided by outdoor advertisers. It supports thinking that such signs are not driving hazards. The ordinance does ban animated signs and billboards on top of buildings. It allows signs up to 40 feet above the crown of the highway and at least 20 feet from the right-of-way. The signs can be as large as 378 square feet and have an extension of as much as 10 percent, so long as they are at least 200 feet from the radius of a schools, parks forests and bridges. The ordinance is available at planning board and county manager offices.

Source: Sun Journal- by Sue Book

California puts electronic billboard bill on hold

2007-07-12T11:00:00.000-04:00

Sacramento, California

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Legislation that would make it easier for billboard companies to erect large digital advertising displays along highways -- such as one near the Bay Bridge toll plaza that sparked complaints -- will be held until next year, its sponsor said Tuesday.
Assemblywoman Fiona Ma, D-San Francisco, author of the bill, AB830, decided to pull it Tuesday from the Senate Transportation and Housing Committee to hear the concerns of some critics, her chief of staff, Bill Barnes, said.
"We plan to have a stakeholder meeting to discuss (possible changes)," he said.
The bill has been a thorny one for Ma because the billboard near the Bay Bridge in Oakland has resulted in a flood of driver complaints to Caltrans. The sign, owned by CBS Outdoor, reportedly could be seen at night as far as the Oakland hills and across the bay in San Francisco.
Ma's bill would make it easier for companies to install such signs by removing existing restrictions that prohibit turning billboards into digital displays on landscaped highways. She has argued that it's time to take advantage of new technology that includes making the new signs available for emergency announcements such as Amber Alerts.
The bill had passed the state Assembly in a 60-6 vote. Four of the "no" votes came from Bay Area Assembly members -- Loni Hancock, D-Berkeley; Mark Leno, D-San Francisco; Gene Mullin, D-South San Francisco; and Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael.
Friday is the deadline for policy committees in both houses of the Legislature to pass all bills, and Ma wanted to take more time to consider potential amendments, Barnes said.
One potential change in the bill would require billboard companies to connect their new digital signs to the state's emergency announcement systems, Barnes said.
Other possible amendments include giving the California Highway Patrol greater authority to determine whether the signs bother motorists, and the Sierra Club's suggestion that billboard companies be required to use solar power to light the signs, he said.

Source: San Francisco Chronicle by Matthew Yi

Proposal: One billboard now, one later for Stuart

2007-07-09T07:25:00.000-04:00

July 6, 2007

STUART — An advertising company is willing to wait two years to build one of two proposed electronic billboards if the city gives the firm permission to erect the other one now.
Lamar Advertising Co. has offered to delay construction of a sign slated for the southern part of the city, according to a report sent to city commissioners. Meanwhile, the proposed agreement would give the company the permission it has sought to begin erecting the other sign on private property just north of the Roosevelt Bridge.

Under the terms of the proposal, Lamar would choose seven of its existing traditional billboards to tear down within 90 days of the electronic sign's installation. It would clear the other six after the second sign goes up in two years.
In a June 2006 settlement agreement, Lamar agreed to take down all 13 standard billboards in exchange for permission to build the two electronic signs.
City Attorney Paul Nicoletti said the two-year delay for the southern sign would give the city and Lamar time to find a more suitable location for it. The City Commission did not like Lamar's plan to put the sign at the intersection of Kanner Highway and Monterey Road.
The proposal would also give the city 6,000 eight-second spots per month for public service announcements on the proposed billboard near the Roosevelt Bridge.
"It's half a loaf as far as Lamar is concerned, but hopefully, they still find it better than nothing," Nicoletti said. "The city's side of it is it's half of what we intended to obtain out of it immediately as far as getting the signs down."
The City Commission voted 3-2 in April to lease public land for the new signs to Lamar for $1.7 million over 20 years and the ability to post Amber alerts and hurricane warnings.
The commission reconsidered that decision at a June 11 meeting, telling the company it would like to renegotiate the settlement and keep the traditional signs.
In a letter sent two days later to Nicoletti, an attorney representing Lamar said the company intended to stick to the settlement. He added that Lamar expected the city to approve a permit application submitted in May for a digital billboard on private property near the intersection of Wright Boulevard and U.S. 1.

Source: TC Palm News, By JEREMY ASHTON

Meredith / Moultonboro towns may restrict electronic signs

2007-07-09T07:12:00.000-04:00

One eyes moratorium; other to vote on ban

By WALTER ALARKON
Jul 6, 2007

Two Lakes Region towns will vote this month on whether to restrict electronic business signs.
In Meredith, the planning board has proposed a ban on electronic signs, even ones that give just the time and temperature.
In Moultonboro, more than 100 residents, turned off by the colored display of a real estate company, have petitioned for a moratorium on new electronic signs until March, when they hope to pass a permanent measure at town meeting.
Meredith residents will vote July 31 and Moultonboro's will vote July 21.
John Edgar, Meredith's community development director, said a ban would prevent sign clutter in the lakeside town. "We're a resort community," he said. "We have very historic and scenic approaches to the town. . . . There's a consensus that this manner of signage wouldn't be appropriate."
Like Concord's sign ordinance, which passed in August, Meredith's ban would prohibit any new electronic signs.
The town's zoning regulations allow signs with electronic displays of time and temperature. Dover, Exeter and Conway also have electronic sign regulations banning flashing digital displays.
Meredith's proposed ban would allow two signs to remain: one at the Meredith Car Wash and another at the Meredith Village Savings Bank, whose display gives the time, temperature and a short message. The bank is allowed to change the message once per day.
Even if the ban goes through, a sign at a third business could join those at the car wash and bank; Paugus Bay Marina received a permit for an electronic sign before the proposal, Edgar said.
Several residents at a public hearing in May supported the measure. They said it would help preserve the view along Lake Winnipesaukee and thereby protect local businesses, which rely on tourism.
At least one resident thought the ban would hurt businesses. Phil McGowan said stores often benefit from signs, which encourage drivers on busy roads such as Route 3 to stop and come inside.
"We need to help these people survive and stay in business and not be doing whatever we can to put them out of business," McGowan said.
Residents of Moultonboro, a town smaller and more rural than Meredith, said they're worried about the effect of signs similar to those at car dealerships in Tilton and at real estate companies in Manchester.
"When you're trying to sell rural New Hampshire and make it look like a Vegas strip, I think it's an oxymoron," said Mary Ann McRae, a Moultonboro resident for 11 years.
McRae started the petition calling for a moratorium on new signs after Century 21 installed a display showing color images of properties.
She said such signs could hurt, not help, local businesses.
The moratorium will not affect the town's six signs now in place, including Century 21's.
Although McRae supports a ban, she was concerned that few people would discuss the matter before voting this month. She hopes residents pass a permanent ban once the community has had enough time to consider all factors.
Bob Clark, a real estate agent on a Moultonboro committee considering the electronic signs, said he isn't sure a ban is the best solution.
Clark, whose company, Roche Realty, does not have such a sign, said he has few concerns about simple electronic displays that don't flash, scroll or show colors.
"If you're going to allow business, you have to allow them to certainly advertise there," he said.

Source: Concord Monitor

CN Tower no Billboard

2007-07-09T07:08:00.000-04:00

Toronto's CN Tower gets lit up

The CN Tower has dominated Toronto's skyline during daylight hours since it opened 31 years ago; at 1,815 feet, this communications spire is the world's tallest freestanding structure. But at night, the dimly lit giant faded nearly to black. Not anymore. Last week, 1,330 LED fixtures created by Color Kinetics were illuminated for the first time in a dazzling light show.
The programmable mix of 16.7 million colors can be changed to commemorate national holidays and other special events. They can also "simulate a clock which will mark the hours by certain colors, but we won't turn it into a billboard," says Gordon McIvor, a vice-president with Canada Lands Company, which owns the CN Tower. He adds that each LED fixture, roughly the size of a shoebox, uses less than 20 percent of the energy required to light a conventional color changing fixture; overall, the newly lit tower will consume 60 percent less electricity than the old scheme.
Energy efficiency isn't the only benefit to the tower's new LED fixtures. McIvor says that, on a clear night, residents of Rochester, New Yorksome 100 miles distantwill be able to spot the illuminated tower. And that's exactly the idea. Boosters hope the new lighting will "act as a beacon" to the CN Tower's dining and entertainment attractions, helping end Toronto's five-year tourist slump. So while skyscrapers including Burj Dubai are challenging its standing as the world's tallest building, CN Tower can now claim to be the world's tallest illuminated structure.

Source: Business Week

Albert Warson

Craven County Commissioners hear public opinion on billboards

2007-07-04T06:13:00.000-04:00

July 2, 2007

The Craven County Board of Commissioners heard from the public Monday on an ordinance it is considering to regulate billboards. Billboard industry spokesmen said it is excessive. Local residents said it is appropriate. The off-premises ordinance proposed by the Craven County Planning Board would limit billboard size to no greater than 360 square feet, 40 feet high, with at least 2,500 feet between boards on either side of the road. “That is so excessive it will render almost every billboard in Craven County non-conforming,” said Mark Odell of Lamar Advertising, whose territory covers 33 eastern North Carolina counties including Craven. The national company he represents owns 136 billboard signs in Craven County areas potentially affected by the proposed ordinance, including four digital signs, plus others within city limits of several municipalities in the county. “They don’t realize the impact this would have,” Odell said. The most restrictive spacing in other cities and counties in the region is 1,000 feet and Lenoir County requires only 500 feet between signs. He said 1,000 feet would do almost the same thing. Residents such as John Kirkland, feel differently, however. “Anybody who takes a look in the James City area toward Havelock can see it has really become a blight area,” he said. “The 2,500 feet, roughly a half mile, seems reasonable, and restrict the signs so they are not so gigantic.” Other requirements are minimum setbacks of 10 feet for up to 180-square-foot signs and 20 feet for 181- to 360-square-foot signs. The ordinance would ban new digital electronic billboards, preclude double-stacked billboards and regulate content, particularly obscenity as defined by state law. Nonconforming signs could be maintained for the reasonable life of the signs but the proposed ordinance would not allow them to be replaced if damaged and repairs exceeded 50 percent of the actual value. Odell said new studies, including one being made public July 10 by Virginia Tech, show that digital signs do not pose distracting danger to drivers, as some officials and hearing participants suggest. Lamar has an investment of nearly $250,000 per digital sign and “pays a lot of money to Craven County in taxes and to landowners for use of their property,” he said. The Outdoor Advertising Association of America Inc. lists the most common sizes of billboards in this area as 400 square feet and 378 square feet, and the commissioners plan to change to ordinance to conform. A six-month billboard moratorium set Feb. 19 expires in August.

Source: Sun Journal, Sue Book

Mobile Billboards hit streets

2007-07-03T08:51:00.000-04:00

Here is an interesting idea. Perhaps they had some zoning issues for a permenant billboard.

I can't wait for one in my neighborhood.

I am not sure of location or contact info. Will try to find out for those of you that may want one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtN7y2EMgJc

Digital Display at Santa Monica

2007-07-03T08:45:00.000-04:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJO65JaQQkg

Lamar's Digital Billboards video clip

2007-07-03T08:41:00.000-04:00

A recent post on You Tube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-VA54hJTdU

Interactive Billboards

2007-07-03T08:35:00.000-04:00

A few months ago I came across a prototype billboard allowing customer interaction. Fantastic idea…but never heard anything again until now! Swedish scientist are to introduce what might be the future of billboards - interactive paper. While many are already familiar with digital pens, this type of “circuitry” paper is quite different. It is responsive to a human touch - the images displayed can change, or play a sound once a certain area on the surface is pressed. And so, boring sheets of paper can turn into interactive, and therefore, more attractive displays, inviting the user to have a closer look.
The billboards are made almost entirely from paper materials, making them cheap to assemble, and easy to recycle, says Gulliksson. “We’ve used the roll-to-roll methods used by industry to process paper materials.”
To make the paper surfaces interactive, the team screen prints patterns using conductive inks containing particles of silver that overlap, allowing a current to flow.

The researchers behind this project call their invention “Paper Four”. This fourth generation of paper, they say, is the next step in using it after printed books, packaging, and hygiene. Because the smart paper contains three layers - an outer layer with the printed design and text, a middle layer containing the conductive inks, connected to a power supply, and a third one made of thick cardboard material - one can easily replace the middle layer, thus changing the billboard’s functionality, and making it respond differently.

These kinds of responsive, smart-paper billboards can be applied to a number of industries: think about an advertisement to any store, on which you can explore the specific item you are interested in, or billboards for holidays, playing music and repainting themselves once triggered by a human touch.

Check it out on YOU Tube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pcm6ZEC2bbA

Big billboard, big bills in Dyer, Indiana

2007-07-03T08:25:00.000-04:00

Friday, June 29, 2007
Dyer officials have to weigh whether lease is financially wise move for town
DYER

By the numbers, it looks like this:Lamar Advertising would like to erect a billboard 10.5 feet high by 36 feet wide on Calumet Avenue. In exchange, it would pay Dyer $240,000 in gradually increasing increments over a 15-year period for allowing placement of the billboard on an industrially zoned area along that road.Town councilmen did not seem over enthusiastic about the payout when the idea was floated at a recent study session, but they said they would consider it. Any action would have to be taken at a regular Town Council meeting.
Lamar representative Shawn Pettit said one side of the sign would be digital, displaying up to six messages in sequence. The other side would be stationary. The lease would be more valuable with a two-sided digital sign, Pettit said, but Lamar proposed one side of digital because they thought it would be more acceptable to the town. Dyer would be able to advertise its own events on the digital side for free when space allowed. If the advertising schedule happened to be full, Dyer would have to pay for space. Exceptions would be made for Amber Alerts and other public safety messages.Although the money would be nice, Council President Paul Hayes said he could see little direct benefit to the town. Councilman Bob Block wanted to know how the digital sign would fit into the town's Dark Sky ordinance. That ordinance aims to reduce so-called pollution from residential and commercial lighting by having their beams directed downward.Pettit said Lamar could implement the sign in a way that will comply with Dark Sky. As it stands, Dyer's zoning ordinances really don't allow for billboards, and Lamar would have to seek a special exception from the Board of Zoning Appeals.

BY MARY WILDS Times Correspondent

Outdoor Digital Signage Market Builds with Acquisition

2007-07-03T08:22:00.000-04:00

Mediacaster, 6/29/2007

Calgary’s Skyboard Corporation is being acquired by Powerstar International, a wireless and digital signage solutions provider, under the terms of a definitive agreement announced today. Skyboard operates six outdoor digital billboards in Alberta and has sales contracts for an additional twenty-two billboards across Canada. These billboards reach about fourteen million people each week, the company describes.Skyboard had recently acquired High Point Media Ltd of Edmonton, one of the largest and most experienced video billboard marketing companies in North America. This merger will leverage Skyboard's nine year history of designing and building LED displays with these acquired media service capabilities.
Skyboard will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Powerstar and aggressively expand advertising display locations.The purchase consideration is approximately four million, eight hundred thousand (4,800,000) common shares of Powerstar and fifty thousand dollars and twenty ($50,000) in cash. The acquisition is expected to close within a week and is subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange."Skyboard has built some of the largest LED display installations in Alberta and we expect to expand on this success," said Dr. Hatim Zaghloul, Chairman and CEO of Powerstar, in a release. "We are excited about the advertising relationships Skyboard brings and are confident that we can build on those relationships."Robert Hoogveld, president of Skyboard added, "By joining forces with Powerstar, we have created a company with the marketing and financial strength necessary to drive dynamic growth and compete more effectively."Skyboard reports it is on track to achieve about two and half million dollars of profitable revenue within the next twelve months. Hoogveld will carry on as the president of the subsidiary. Terry Balaban is VP Operations and Client Services with Ken Rochat, the VP of Sales.PowerStar is a provider of digital signage/communications networks for consumers, businesses and the US government. Powerstar provides services under its Solutrea brand and companies. The company provides public Wi-Fi networks, digital signage, corporate communications and Business Television over wireless, satellite and terrestrial platforms.

Buckingham considering tightening billboard rules

2007-06-29T15:17:00.000-04:00

Buckingham is looking to beef up its rules for billboards, in order to avoid the headaches that Doylestown Township has seen.

Though the township already has restrictive rules, supervisors on Wednesday began pondering further limits, including a ban on video or electronic graphic signs, and size restrictions of 100 square feet.

“We think we're pretty well-protected, but we're considering strengthening that,” said Henry Rowan, supervisor chairman. “Every municipality is looking at that.”

The re-examination comes as Doylestown Township and the borough each enacted new rules after a 35-foot-high billboard was constructed at Route 611 in early January.

Alyssa Nace, a Mechanicsville resident, urged a strengthening of rules, telling supervisors she worried about those kind of billboards cropping up in Buckingham.

Rowan and Supervisor Jon Forest noted electrical signs are beginning to pop up in the area, as well, with the ordinance seeking to address them.

“They're coming,” Rowan said.

The rules being floated would prohibit billboards within 350 feet of a park or a residential or agricultural property. Off-premise signs could not be painted directly on a building.

The signs couldn't be placed in a way to interfere with the vision of drivers. Their overall height from the ground couldn't be more than 30 feet.

Source: phillyburbs.com

By: RILEY YATES (Thu, Jun/28/2007

Network CN Signs New Contract for 28 LED Video Panels and 24 Light Boxes on Shanghai's Nanjing Road

2007-06-29T15:10:00.000-04:00

Network CN Inc. , a Chinese media and travel network company headquartered in Hong Kong, today announced that it has entered into an agreement to operate 52 two-sided rolling poster frame outdoor advertising panels located in the pedestrian mall on Nanjing Road (Nanjing Lu) in Shanghai. Network CN plans to convert 28 of the poster frames into LED digital video panels. Network CN will also convert the remaining 24 displays to bigger rolling light boxes to match the size of the new LED digital video panels.

The agreement, which could generate revenues for the Company by mid-August, 2007, extends through January, 2011. It was signed between Shanghai Chuangtian Advertising Company Ltd. and Network CN's subsidiary, Shanghai Quo Advertising Company Ltd.

"All the panels are located in the pedestrian mall on Nanjing Road, which positions them ideally to capture the attention of our clients' target audience. Together with the rights to two mega-size digital video billboards that we obtained in May 2007, we will have rolling light boxes, roadside LED panels and mega-size LED billboards covering the whole of Nanjing Road's pedestrian mall. This is another significant milestone in the expansion of our media network business in Shanghai, one of the key metropolitan areas in China," Godfrey Hui, Chief Executive Officer of Network CN, commented. "We are committed to creating value for our clients by leveraging our network coverage of the most exciting, highly visible areas in metropolitan China, spanning Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, and Wuhan."

Nanjing Road is one of the most visited tourist attractions in Shanghai, with more than 600 stores, restaurants and art galleries. It is the "Number One Commercial Street in China" in terms of total annual revenues. The prominence of Shanghai is growing as the 2010 Shanghai Expo approaches, spotlighting the Company's outdoor media presence.

"With the world-class events scheduled to take place in China in the next few years, we have secured a first-mover advantage in providing the highest- profile exposure for our clients' advertising," Mr. Hui added.

Idaho Governor Announces Amber Alert Partnership

2007-06-29T14:58:00.000-04:00

Electronic Billboards Throughout Idaho To Be Included In Notification SystemJune 27, 2007

(POST FALLS) – Idaho Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter joined Colonel Jerry Russell, director of the Idaho State Police, in announcing a partnership with Lamar Advertising today that will expand and improve the statewide Amber Alert emergency notification system.

Lamar has agreed to participate in the Amber Alert system by donating the use of its digital billboards throughout Idaho. Colonel Russell, who leads Idaho’s Amber Alert program, and Scott Butterfield, Northwest Region manager for Lamar Advertising, put together the partnership to help increase public awareness and improve the chances for successful recovery in missing child cases.

“The extension of our digital billboards to the Amber Alert system in Idaho is in keeping with our policy of supporting the communities where we conduct business,” Butterfield said. “Through these billboards located throughout the state of Idaho, we have the potential to reach thousands of citizens. The general public often plays a critical role in locating a missing child. Lamar is pleased to be working with the state in a partnership to locate missing children.”

The announcement was made during a news conference at a Lamar electronic digital billboard in Post Falls near the intersection of Seltice Way and Huetter Road. Lamar also operates three digital billboards in the Boise area, two in Pocatello and one in Idaho Falls.

“Governor Otter has tasked me with building and maintaining strong relationships with law enforcement officials throughout Idaho, and providing the kind of support service to them that benefits all Idahoans. Improving the Amber Alert system by getting the word out faster to more people is part of that effort,” Colonel Russell said. “I appreciate Lamar’s willingness to devote resources to this good work.”

“Scott and his team have really gone out of their way to coordinate with the State Police and local law enforcement folks. Under Colonel Russell’s leadership, Idaho’s Amber Alert program is moving from little more than a good idea to a great tool for protecting our children and apprehending those who would do them harm,” Governor Otter said. “This is the kind of public-private partnership that makes both more effective. It connects citizens and our business community with our first responders in a positive way.”

Logan supervisors poised to adopt billboard ordinance

2007-06-28T13:06:00.000-04:00

Altoona, Pennsylvania, USA

Logan Township supervisors will consider an ordinance on rules for putting up signs. The document has no specific provisions regarding yard signs, which would fall under temporary signs. But yard signs cannot be stapled to utility poles or trees within a street right of way.()
Logan Township supervisors are ready to consider a 13-page ordinance spelling out a list of rules for putting up signs. It replaces what now takes up two-thirds of a page in the township’s zoning ordinance.“It’s not going to change what we have now, but it’s going to make a difference over time,” said Cassandra Schmick, zoning and development officer.Supervisors are scheduled to hold a hearing Thursday at the municipal building during the 7 p.m. meeting, when they will consider voting on the rules.Supervisors have talked for more than a year about updating the rules and came up with a version in May 2006 that drew criticism from developers who warned that national retailers and restaurant chains would look elsewhere if Logan’s sign rules were too restrictive.
Supervisors later turned the matter over to the planning commission for study and recommendations. The planning commission’s initial version called for banning billboards with liquid crystal display, or LCD, technology that permits them to flash as they change from dark to bright. That was revised after solicitor Larry Clapper explained that the township can only regulate, not ban, a particular type of sign.As proposed for adoption, LCD signs are permitted but only along the corridors in Logan’s business zones and adjoining properties within 100 feet of the right of way.The proposed rules also spell out that future billboards must be at least 500 feet apart and no larger than 300 square feet, unless they’re in the Interstate 99 corridor. Within the I-99 corridor — defined as property within 100 feet of the federal I-99 right of way — almost any sign can be up to 400 square feet.Schmick said the rules on proximity and size will make a difference in the township because current rules have no restrictions.Other provisions within the proposed ordinance spell out that political signs cannot be larger than 4 feet by 4 feet. They can’t be posted more than two months before an election and must be removed within two weeks after the election.Those posting political signs also must apply for a no-fee permit and write the permit number on the bottom right corner of the sign. That number is to be used to identify who is responsible when signs are not removed.Other sections of the proposed ordinance outlaw signs that revolve, emit smoke, make noise or allow glare beyond the property on which it is located.
The ordinance has no specific provisions regarding yard signs but Schmick said they would fall under temporary signs which do not need a permit. But yard signs, as well as all other signs, cannot be stapled or attached to utility poles or trees within a street right-of-way. That’s another provision in the proposed rules.

Mirror Staff Writer Kay Stephens is at 946-7456.

Source: Altoona Mirror June 28, 2007

ClearChannel tests light-emitting diode billboards in the Orlando market

2007-06-28T08:15:00.000-04:00

June 27, 2007

When Saturn of Orlando's marketing director advertised on a standard billboard, she had to wait a month before a requested new ad actually materialized alongside the highway. Creating and installing the new vinyl ad cost $500 to $750 for each board.But when Sabrina Case began advertising on an electronic billboard on U.S. Highway 17-92 in Longwood in late February, she simply e-mailed her new ad to the sign's owner -- and saw the results on the drive home later that day."I called at 3 o'clock, and by drive time it was changed," Case recalled recently.

Saturn of Orlando is one of several businesses that have already taken advantage of the first light-emitting diode billboards to pop up in Central Florida. In addition to the one in Longwood, ClearChannel Outdoor earlier this month installed 14-by-48-foot billboards on Interstate 4 near Fairbanks Avenue and on State Road 408 near Kirkman Road.Unlike standard billboards, LED boards use light-emitting diodes to display information and images -- the digital technology used in alarm clocks, traffic lights and giant screens in sports stadiums. That means ads can change instantly, which gives advertisers flexibility in outdoor advertising they can't get on standard billboards."You can do Egg McMuffins in the morning and Big Macs at noon," said Katy Bachman, a senior editor at Mediaweek magazine.LED boards multiply profit for billboard companies because they sell the same space to more customers, Bachman said. Ads for different services replace each other every eight seconds, while standard billboards often advertise the same product round-the-clock for a month, said Craig Swygert, president of ClearChannel Outdoor's Orlando division.Bachman said the digital boards -- which already have debuted in St. Petersburg, Tampa, Tallahassee, Lakeland and Destin -- cost two or three times as much as conventional billboards. But they can really pay off for the owner.She cited numbers from an October 2006 conference call between analysts and ClearChannel Outdoor executives. Seven standard billboards in Cleveland, ClearChannel Outdoor's first "digital" billboard market, returned $380,000 in revenue from July 2004 to July 2005. In July 2005, the standard billboards were converted to digital. The new billboards generated $3.5 million from January 2006 to December 2006, according to company projections.In exchange for some event tickets, the Central Florida Sports Commission is getting ad time on the local LED billboards for its Central Florida Mascot Games, a three-day "competition" involving sports-team mascots from across the country.The commission began changing its message regularly last week to reflect updates in the list of mascots planning to attend, President John Saboor said. Once the games start Thursday, the boards will change to reflect the results of the tournament until it ends Saturday, he said.But you won't see any mascots dancing or doing flips on the billboards. Orange County, for one, prohibits flashing or sparkling lights on billboards, while state law limits the frequency of changes in a sign's images, said Mitch Gordon, the county's zoning manager. "They can't have anything distracting, flashing lights, or any kind of animation," he said.Saturn did not renew its three-month contract with ClearChannel Outdoor when it ended May 27 because the company's national advertising agency decided instead to advertise on about 15 static ClearChannel billboards in Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties, Sabrina Case said.But she also said the short display time for each ad on the digital board -- eight seconds -- was a "major consideration" in Saturn's decision not to renew. Although Case said she considers LED advertising "cost-effective," she said a display time of 10 to 15 seconds would make it a more attractive vehicle for her sales message."I wouldn't have as much competition at a stoplight," she said.

Source Orlando Sentinel June 27, 2007

Digital billboard must come down - Murfreesboro

2007-06-28T08:12:00.000-04:00

June 27, 2007

By ERIN EDGEMON

An appeal on the revocation of a sign permit for a digital billboard sign installed by Lamar Advertising in March was denied by the Murfreesboro Board of Zoning Appeals Wednesday.“This is a sign that is not permitted in the (city sign) ordinance and so forth it is prohibited,” said board member John Rodgers before the board voted unanimously to deny Lamar’s appeal.He said the sign located on Old Fort Parkway near the freestanding Starbucks Coffee House was not built according to the plans submitted to the city of Murfreesboro.The digital sign displays approximately 16 different advertisements that change every 10 seconds.Murfreesboro’s sign ordinance, which was undated earlier this year, prohibits commercial and non-commercial flashing and electronic message center signs.According to city building officials, Lamar Advertising submitted a sign permit application indicating it was going to reinstall an indirectly illuminated 10-foot, 6-inch-by-36-foot billboard, and that the billboard would not contain any moving devices. The construction cost would not exceed $24,000.Construction on the sign began Feb. 21, 2007 and was completed March 13. The city stated Lamar Advertising was notified verbally that it was in violation of the sign ordinance on March 13 and was mailed a letter on March 27.Lamar Advertising originally requested the sign permit to rebuild its billboard sign in May 2004, but it wasn’t issued until October 2004. That permit and another subsequent permit expired before the final permit was issued in November 2006.Knoxville Attorney Lawrence Leibowitz, who represented Lamar, said the sign is lawful. He said the use of the sign was established before the city placed a moratorium on electronic signs in January 2007.Lamar’s attorney also indicated that state law allowed for the sign to be updated and grandfathered in under a preexisting sign ordinance.Board chair Bill Nelms and other board members weren’t sure if the city’s definition of flashing or electronic message center signs in the sign ordinance pertain to the Lamar sign in question.“I am not sure if this ordinance deals with this technology that we have in this sign,” Nelms said. Technology has sped past this sign ordinance. The technology and the sign industry is moving faster than the Murfresboro City Council has been able to move to keep up with it.”

Source: Murfreesboro Post

Zoning staff to look at going digital in Lafayette

2007-06-27T10:15:00.000-04:00

LAFAYETTE, La. -- Converting billboards in Lafayette to digital screens _ and slowly reducing the number of billboards overall _ will be considered by zoning staff in coming weeks.
At the May 21 Zoning Commission meeting, zoning staff recommended changing Lafayette's zoning ordinance to add specific regulations for digital billboard conversions.
Billboard owners questioned vagueness in some parts of the proposal. The Zoning Commission told the staff to spend up to eight weeks getting input from owners and residents, and tighten the proposal overall.
Since 2003, no new billboards have been allowed to go up in Lafayette. Refacing is allowed, and since then, five boards have been converted from traditional paste-up to digital display screens.
"We are literally breaking ground here," said Eleanor Bouy, director of Planning, Zoning and Codes. "No one else (around the country) has solid laws in place for this really."
But questions arose for the zoning staff about whether bright lights and rotating images posed a hazard for drivers and residents nearby. They also questioned whether the overhaul of a billboard to digital display should be considered "conventional refacing."
The recommendations they gave the commission would require owners to remove two regular billboards they own on that road for every one billboard converted, and digital boards couldn't be within 300 feet of homes or within 1,500 feet of another board like it.
"We're not trying to make it a huge issue, but do believe some specific regulations are warranted," said Denise Womack, zoning manager. "This is new technology and something every community in the country is dealing with simultaneously."
Donna Robinson, a resident of Bendel Gardens subdivision, told commission members the sign outside her home flashes images through her bedroom windows regularly.
Board owners like Lamar told the commission they want the change so they can take advantage of new technology. Digital boards are cheaper to operate and safer in areas where storms could blow paste-up panels off the billboard, said Wayne Pixon, owner of one local billboard.
Lane Parker, vice president of Lamar, said there's a lot of clarification needed to some of the zoning staff stipulations, particularly removal of two boards for every one digital refacing.
If an owner converted one sign on Johnston Street to digital, the recommendation wasn't clear on where other signs would be removed from if no more were on the same street, Parker said.
Commissioner John Barras also wanted staff to consider setting standards for the speed advertisements would rotate on a sign, citing concern that rapid movements would distract drivers.
The majority of southern cities the zoning staff studied permit digital billboards, and some regulate brightness and speed to limit their impact.

Des Moine Council sets interval for electronic billboards

2007-06-27T10:12:00.000-04:00

Published June 19, 2007

By Melissa Walker Register Staff writer

Des Moines City Council members went against a recommendation from the zoning commission and reduced the time lapse between images for electronic billboards in the city.Council members voted 6-0 on Monday to approve eight-second intervals between image shifts for electronic billboards. Councilman Tom Vlassis was absent from the meeting.City Manager Rick Clark recommended that the council approve an interval shorter than the 20-second interval recommended by the city's Plan and Zoning Commission.City officials began addressing the issue earlier this year after Clear Channel Outdoor put up an electronic billboard at the northeast corner of 63rd Street and Grand Avenue in Des Moines. Some city officials thought the changing images on the billboard could cause traffic accidents.Steve Wandro, an attorney for Clear Channel, argued the billboard isn't distracting because images change instantly."These aren't the kinds of signs you see in Times Square or Las Vegas or the Sunset Strip," he said.Clear Channel general manager Tim Jameson said having a 20-second interval would hurt his company because advertisements are sold in eight-second intervals.Council members delayed taking action until August on setting guidelines for where billboards can be placed until city employees work out details.Mayor Frank Cownie said he has concerns about the amount of electricity the signs use and wants the council to be able to review replacement of billboards with electronic billboards on a case-by-case basis. "I don't want one out there by Gray's Lake, I'll tell you that," he said.Jameson said Clear Channel has given the city of Des Moines the equivalent of $600,000 in free advertising since January in the form of public service ads. Other types of public safety messages such as Amber Alerts also can be seen on the electronic billboards.The company has 407 billboards in Des Moines and plans to convert a handful of them to electronic billboards, Jameson told the council.

Lower Macungie says 'no sale' to new billboard style

2007-06-27T10:08:00.000-04:00

From The Morning Call

June 10, 2007

Township bans signs that change more than once every 3 minutes.

By Randy Kraft Of The Morning Call
In Lower Macungie, the future may be over for electronic billboards with rapidly changing messages.The same goes for signs, screens and displays with ''sudden bursts of light or sound,'' animation, flashing, images or flowing words.Despite objections from a representative of the outdoor advertising industry that included a warning of a possible legal challenge, township supervisors voted 2-0 on Thursday to amend their zoning ordinance to ban signs with images that change more than once every three minutes.The new law won't change the operation of one electronic billboard already flashing in Lower Macungie or a second one that has received approval, zoning officer James Lancsek said.The zoning amendment states that such signs are ''injurious to the township's public health, safety and welfare.''The legislation was recommended by the township Planning Commission, which is concerned such rapidly changing signs create unsafe distractions for motorists. Lancsek suggested the commission make that recommendation to supervisors.''To my knowledge, Lower Macungie is the first municipality to address this in an ordinance in Lehigh County,'' said Olev Taremae, chief planner for the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission, which reviews and comments on such proposed ordinances. The Valley commission had no comment about Lower Macungie's zoning change, saying ''it is a matter of local concern.''Taremae said some people have concerns about whether such signs create additional distractions for motorists as well as the impact of their lights on neighbors at night.''But in our two counties, we really haven't seen a lot of ordinance-type reaction to it,'' Taremae said.Such signs have been prohibited in Bethlehem Township since 1997, Township Manager Jon Hammer said.Lamar Advertising already has a frequently changing electronic billboard in Lower Macungie, along Hamilton Boulevard between Charcoal Drive-In and Interstate 78. Lancsek said it was installed months ago and will not be affected by the new law.Mary Crocker, a real estate representative from Adams Outdoor Advertising, objected to the zoning change during a public hearing before the vote.She said electronic signs are the newest technology used throughout the country and warned the new law would invite a challenge from her industry.Crocker said no safety studies show such signs are hazardous. She unsuccessfully encouraged supervisors to take a harder look at the issue before voting and speak with outdoor advertising companies.She said three minutes is ''extremely long and defeats the purpose of having a sign that changes,'' adding the industry standard is signs that change every 10 seconds. She said the state Department of Transportation allows signs to change every five seconds.After the meeting, Crocker said even if a sign changes only once every three minutes to avoid being a distraction, someone still will be driving by when the image shifts.Her company already has a township permit to convert an existing billboard along Hamilton Boulevard near Krocks Road into an electronic sign with changing images.''We change in 10 seconds, so there are six messages a minute,'' she said.Lancsek confirmed Adams can install that sign because it had its permit to do so before the law changed.The law was approved by Supervisors Dennis Hinkel and Marilyn Jones. Supervisor Kenneth DeAngelis was absent.Lancsek became concerned about such signs months ago, when Adams demonstrated them for local zoning officers and other public officials.

Texarkana zoning commission OKs warehouse site plan,

2007-06-27T10:05:00.000-04:00

By: Aaron Brand - Texarkana Gazette -

Published: 06/06/2007

The Texarkana, Texas, Planning and Zoning Commission approved a warehouse site plan for the 900 block of North Robison Road during a regular monthly meeting Monday night. David Williams of MTG Engineering spoke on behalf of the project. He said R.E. Michel Co. Inc., which made the site plan request, is a Maryland-based wholesale distributor of heating and air conditioning supplies and intends to put a metal, industrial, wholesale warehouse building at the site. The first phase of the project calls for a 14,900-square foot building and there is the possibility for future expansion, said Williams. The commission voted to deny a specific use permit request for an outdoor, off-the-premise billboard at 3716 Summerhill Road.
George Dobson of Lamar Advertising Co. spoke on behalf of the plans for George Lavender, property owner. Dobson said the intention is to place a digital, back-to-back billboard on some general retail-zoned property north of commercial-zoned property also owned by Lavender at Peoples State Bank. In commercial zoning, a specific use permit is required to place a billboard.
Dobson said the sign will not have animated motion on it and would be situated at an angle to appeal more to drivers traveling southbound on Summerhill. However, after much discussion about consistency issues and other Summerhill Road properties being zoned general retail, the commission voted to deny the request. In other business, the commission voted to recommend renewal of the specific use permit for the continued location of a HUD code, double-wide manufactured home. The property is 1.7 acres at 2109 McCormick St.

Meeting set to discuss billboard restrictions

2007-06-27T10:01:00.000-04:00

Sunday, June 10, 2007

BY CARRIE RODOVICH

The Plan Commission will have a public hearing Thursday on an ordinance that would regulate where and what type of signs and billboards could be placed in the city.The ordinance is designed to streamline and tighten loopholes in existing ordinances after last month's requests to the Board of Zoning Appeals and the Plan Commission to allow them in nontraditional places.Last month, the Plan Commission denied a request to rezone two parcels that would allow billboards to be built on railroad property along Mississippi Street and Interstate 65.Earlier this year, developer Larry Alt and Associates offered to pay $280,000 to purchase land at Robinson Lake Park and erect billboards along I-65. That proposal was tabled by the Board of Works.The Board of Zoning Appeals approved a request to move a billboard about 150 feet, but at the same time denied a request to add a billboard in the location where that billboard originally was built.Other business people have approached the boards, asking to install LED display signs or asking permission to advertise for outside businesses on their signs.City Planner Sergio Mendoza said the sign ordinance would regulate the size and placement of billboards as well as regulate how often signs with movable type could flash or flutter.It also would provide illustrations of different types of signs, where they should be placed near buildings and what size they should be.Thomas Vander Woude, an unpaid intern who is a graduate student at the University of Illinois - Chicago, worked with Mendoza on the ordinance."We want to maintain our character and be able to distinguish our community," Mendoza said.

Source: The Times, Munster, Indiana

Billboard zoning expected to get OK in Peters

2007-06-27T10:00:00.000-04:00

Thursday, May 31, 2007

By Janice Crompton, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Motorists in Peters soon are likely to see the familiar wood and paper billboards along Route 19 replaced by light emitting diode -- or LED -- electronic signs.
Although the township banned billboards and other forms of outdoor advertising several years ago through a zoning ordinance, about a half dozen pre-existing billboards along Route 19 between the Upper St. Clair border and McDowell Lane were exempt from the ban.
Lamar Advertising, which owns four of the billboards at the intersection of Valleybrook Road and Route 19, planned to convert them to electronic billboards, but was turned down by the township zoning department. The company has appealed the decision.
After further review by township Solicitor William Johnson, it was determined that the township's zoning laws governing billboards likely could not withstand a legal challenge because the state recognizes outdoor advertising as a legitimate business, not to be banned by a local municipality.
To correct the flaw, Peters council on Monday held a public hearing before its regular board meeting to discuss a proposed ordinance that would address outdoor advertising.
The new ordinance, expected to be approved at council's June 11 meeting, would allow billboards as a permitted use in C-2 commercially zoned districts, and would include a series of provisions, such as a maximum size of 250 square feet, 750-foot spacing between signs and a requirement that billboards must be the principal use of the property on which they stand.
Owners would need to apply for permits from the township and state Department of Transportation, and electronic images on the signs must be maintained for at least 30 seconds, with no flashing.

Digital billboards: The future of advertising or danger to drivers?

2007-06-27T06:21:00.000-04:00

Eric Morath / The Detroit News

If you haven't noticed digital billboards yet, you must be keeping your eyes on the road.
CBS Outdoor installed one of the 48-foot-wide LED boards earlier this week at Interstate 75 and State Fair Avenue in Detroit. There is another about two miles south, and still more of the blinking behemoths have cropped up along I-275 and I-94.
Advertising firms love the $450,000 digital screens composed of tens of thousand of tiny lights because they are easily customized and can serve four to six clients at a time.
Others call them distractions and eyesores, and some towns in other states have banned them from roadsides.
Advantages of the digital boards range from a better quality of image when compared with traditional signs to easier installation of ads. Consider the difference between rolling out 600 square feet of vinyl in the snow and ice versus creating a new image with a few clicks of the mouse.
"There are times in January where it can take a week or two to get a crew out to change a sign," said Tom Carroll, the Detroit-based Midwest vice president for CBS Outdoor. Now, ads can change in minutes via an Internet connection.
That's an efficient way to multiply revenue. CBS is charging clients comparable rates for the cutting edge board as it does for its traditional signs, but its Detroit billboard this week was serving three clients, running a total of four ads.
Some want 'eyesores' to go
One client, Ram Real Estate, was attracted by the flexibility and uniqueness. "If we're running a special promotion we can call and have our ad updated," said Ram sales associate Brienne Balliet. "We thought the digital sign would catch a lot of eyes on I-75, especially with the Lodge closed."
Not everyone is as enthusiastic about the new signage.
Detroit should brace for Las Vegas-style eyesores that could lead to traffic accidents, said Kevin Fry, president of Scenic America, a Washington-based opponent of the new signs.
"Your eye is drawn to these things every six seconds it's like a giant PowerPoint in the sky," he said. Fry said the billboards are likely to distract drivers from the road for more than two seconds -- the amount of time some studies have shown is dangerous for motorists to look at cell phones or iPods.
Municipalities in Pennsylvania, Illinois and elsewhere have fought the signage. None in Michigan has yet contacted the state Department of Transportation, which regulates billboards. State lawmakers did update regulations this year to say digital signs must dim at night and may not exceed a certain brightness.
The advertising industry defends the boards and says the devices can be used for Amber Alerts and public safety messages.
Motorists like technology
Many motorists find them to be fun, but not distracting, said Jeremy Johnson, digital billboard sales manger for South Dakota-based Daktronics. His company makes some of the digital boards going up in Metro Detroit. They also produce scoreboards and video walls for sports stadiums using similar technology.
"We don't want to create any negative safety environment," Johnson said. "The industry is conscious of that. There are no videos and we work to make them look as much like traditional billboards as possible."

Better warning signs might have given motorists a better chance

2007-06-26T17:04:00.000-04:00

A call for displays on same road that banned them ??

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Although a Pennsylvania Turn pike spokesman declared Satur day's fatal crash near the Lancaster-Lebanon exit to be a "once-in-a-decade accident," in truth it was an accident waiting to happen.
Both east and west of the exit, vehicles were backed up considerable distances on the turnpike, as people flocked to the Celtic Fling at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire. The turnpike anticipated the crush of attendees at the fling, held at the Mount Hope Estate and Winery just south of the exit, and had warning signs ahead of the exits. But they clearly were not enough to prevent an accident that claimed three lives and injured four other people.
The accident occurred when a tractor-trailer failed to heed the warnings of slow traffic ahead and plowed into the rear of an automobile, setting off a chain-reaction crash that would become engulfed in flames.
A State Farm-sponsored turnpike safety patrol vehicle provided valuable service by offering real-time information on an electronic billboard following the accident as it moved down the line of the growing backlog of traffic. The westbound lanes of the turnpike would not open for another nine hours.
State police numbers are arguably insufficient, but they often are present when highway construction is under way, with their lights flashing, serving as a warning with teeth. Likewise, given the avalanche of people seeking to attend the Celtic Fling and the ensuing backup on a highway with a 65-mph speed limit, there should have been state police vehicles with flashing lights at both ends of the backup, warning oncoming vehicles of the crawling traffic just ahead.
The turnpike also needs to upgrade its message system. Permanent electronic billboards would be appropriate in the approaches to exits that periodically receive traffic volumes heavy enough to push vehicles back on to the turnpike itself. More timely highway information also should be available to motorists at turnpike entrances.

Lamar Aggressive on Digital Displays

2007-06-26T16:21:00.000-04:00

June 25, 2007

NEW YORK — Sean Reilly, president of Lamar Advertising Co.'s outdoor division, said Monday the billboard advertising provider is increasing its number of digital displays aggressively, with plans to have more than 600 units up by the end of the year.
Speaking at the Wachovia Securities 2007 Nantucket Equity Conference in Nantucket, Mass., Reilly said Lamar's digital component is quickly becoming a larger portion of its revenue. Digital accounted for 2 percent of sales last year and are at approximately 5 percent of revenue as of May.
Digital billboards continue to meet expectations, with 463 units in 113 markets as of Friday.
Lamar's goal is to put up 1 digital display per business day, Reilly said.