Tacoma to Sign Deal With Clear Channel
Sometime today Tacoma’s City Manager TC Broadnax will enter the City into an agreement with Clear Channel Outdoor. That was the City Manager’s report at last night’s City Council meeting.
The deal will put a hold on litigation. It will also mean that Clear Channel agrees to take down 31 billboards in Tacoma, fix up 15 more, and give up its relocation rights for a whopping 170 more beyond that. The City and Clear Channel will then procede with negotiations over the remaining billboards, looking for what Broadnax last night called a “viable solution” that is not about litigation.
Tacoma’s current budget situation was one of the considerations Broadnax sited in this decision that attempts to avoid a protracted, and expensive, legal battle. The proposed timeout would not, however, preclude the City taking Clear Channel to court at a future date, but would postpone that while the two parties negotiate.
Digital billboards are not on the table, and the agreement will not lock the City into a particular course of action, according to Broadnax. Councilmember Campbell called the pending agreement “the biggest step we’ve taken in 30 years.”
So… is this good news?
Filed under: Billboards
9 comments
J Jesse August 15, 2012
Since the city already actually TOLD Clear Channel (how stupid was that?) that Tacoma won’t litigate for a few years anyways, I think this is a good solution in the short term.
I’d want billboards taken out that are obstructing possible construction projects/sites, downright obnoxious in it’s setting/space (6th and Sprague anyone?), or are super close and causing light pollution inside people’s homes.
After the two year agreement “stay of litigation”, I would come back to the table and either do a deal like this again or threaten whopping huge litigation against Clear Channel…
Perhaps cutting a deal so CC can trade 10 traditional billboards for hand painted mural type “billboards” directly painted on buildings (think Alt Heidelberg downtown at Pacific and 17th) in the pre-1950’s style. I bet people would actually WANT those ads, they’d certainly get more attention, and it would make the city AND Clear Channel into practical art hero’s.
G Garrett August 15, 2012
Thank you to Tricia DeOme, Eric Heller and the many others who spearheaded the effort to say NO to trashy Las Vegas style advertising in Tacoma and stand up to Clear Channel’s bullying tactics.
R RR Anderson August 15, 2012
Death to Sky Spam! Resistance is never futile.
T Tacomamama August 15, 2012
I don’t know. I want to see what the settlement actually says. I’m feeling cynical after the last settlement attempt.
E Erik B. August 15, 2012
The last “Settlement Agreement” signed by the city hobbled the city in litigation.
A majority of the 253 billboards in the city were to be removed via the new billboard law passed.
Removing 17 of them is a tiny step.
Very unfortunate that the City is apparently not releasing the details of Settlement Agreement II and allowing public comment before agreeing to it. The Tribune pointed out last time that the secrecy is not a necessity.
J Jenny Jenkins August 16, 2012
I just hope they can get them out of all the residential areas and neighborhood business districts. I hope this time they’re negotiating in good faith.
C Chalky White August 16, 2012
I’m indifferent to billboards but watching the torch and pitchforks come out over such trivia shows how out of touch with reality some people are. Unemployment remains high, social services are being cut, bus service may disappear, our education system needs fixing, revenues are shrinking and how do we spend our time? We picket grocery stores and food banks, try to keep businesses out of our city and then whine about being stagnant. Tacoma isn’t the city of destiny, it’s the city of opposition.
R RR Anderson August 18, 2012
did I miss something? When what a food bank picketed? People care about where they live and how it looks. You are indifferent, might as well live in Federal Way.
C Chalky White August 19, 2012
The food bank up on McKinley Hill had some neighbors in an uproar and it was vandalized a few times. We all care about where we live but we should spend more of our time, energy and resources focusing on people first.