The Billboard Compromise - Background Data
Artwork by RR Anderson and Joel Larson
Most of our readers are aware of the settlement reached last week (and announced at Tuesday’s Council meeting) between Tacoma and Clear Channel regarding outdoor advertising. As detailed on Exit133 by Halley Griffin here and by the Tacoma News Tribune here, this settlement resolves a suit challenging the constitutionality of Tacoma’s billboard ordinances.
In 2007, Clear Channel made no effort to conceal displeasure with Tacoma’s billboard ordinances, famously placing Constitutions Matter signs around town (a reference to freedom of speech, which Clear Channel insisted Tacoma was restricting). This week’s compromise resolution involves a program of sign removals in exchange for rights to place a number of digital billboards in the Central Tacoma area.
Incidentally, Clear Channel struck a similar agreement last year with the City of Sacramento, according to the Sacramento Press. A number of signs will be removed, and digital billboards will be installed. The media giant will also pay Sacramento $330,000 in signing bonus for inking the deal, and $720,000 per year for a total of 4 signs, according to BillboardWeekly.com.
In the Tacoma City Council meeting this week, Mayor Strickland briefly described the digital billboards as non-obtrusive and non-flashing. Such a description indicates that the signs we are likely to see may be part of Clear Channel’s digital billboard campaign described here.
As proclaimed on their website, Clear Channel has installed these digital signs in several cities across the US. There seems to be little controversy surrounding their construction and operation in most of these areas, with the notable exceptions of Los Angeles, California and St. Petersburg, Florida.
In LA, the signs have become somewhat of a political football, and a subject of heated debate. In St. Petersburg, conflict surrounds Clear Channel’s rejection of certain ads promoting St. Pete Pride, a local homosexual community organization. St Pete Pride has subsequently terminated their digital outdoor advertising contract with Clear Channel.
Most of us first saw digital billboards in science fiction movies, usually in scenes involving a protagonist swallowed into a dystopic jungle of urban isolation. For Clear Channel, the connotation is far more positive — each billboard has the potential to be multiple billboards daily with a rotation of advertisers. Proponents also extol the digital billboard’s usefulness for public service announcements and Amber Alerts. Unfortunately, the lack of significant notice regarding the compromise seems to have kept public comment to a minimum so far, so the proceedings of the next City Council meeting will be telling.
For further reading – Peter Callaghan comments on the process by which the agreement was reached.
Filed under: Billboards
24 comments
S Slim Jim August 1, 2010
For those planning to speak to the council about Clear Channel, this was just posted by Tim: due to National Night Out, Citizen Forum has been moved to 10 August.
“Deputy Mayor Fey moved to suspend the rules to move Citizens’ Forum from the meeting of August 3, 2010, to the meeting of August 10, 2010. Seconded by Council Member Lonergan. Voice vote was taken and carried. The motion was declared adopted.”
So, unless the Clear Channel issue is actually on the agenda (it may be, but I didn’t see it) public comment won’t be heard till August 10th.
T Tim Smith August 1, 2010
However, since Clear Channel describes itself as, “a global media and entertainment company specializing in mobile and on-demand entertainment and information services for local communities and premiere opportunities for advertisers…company’s businesses include radio and outdoor displays.” one could maybe pull a “Traveler” and use public comment time and address whether the use of “digital billboards” constiutues a “communications franchise” under the up for consideration Ordinance# 27910.
Chances are one would get gaveled out of order but hey…tazers are good for the soul.
T Tim Smith August 1, 2010
One could also talk about Ordinance 27912, which Admends Title 13 of the TMC WHEREIN ONE CAN FIND THE Current rules for…..Billboards!!!!
M Minnie August 1, 2010
Okay… so even without a Citizen Forum this week, you can speak about Clear Channel via items on the current agenda, ie: Ordinance 27912… which will give you five minutes instead of three.
R RR Anderson August 1, 2010
“The battle for the mind of North America will be fought in the video arena: the Videodrome. The television screen is the retina of the mind’s eye. Therefore, the television screen is part of the physical structure of the brain. Therefore, whatever appears on the television screen emerges as raw experience for those who watch it. Therefore, television is reality, and reality is less than television.”
Long live the new flesh!
R RR Anderson August 1, 2010
suggest you end every statement with “BABA BOOEY”
C Christine August 1, 2010
I will do my very best to never purchase and item, utilize a service or otherwise patronize an advertiser* on ClearChannel billboards. But really, that’s been a personal guideline for a while now and is inclusive of the tribal billboards.
*exception: LeRoy Jewellers.
L lostinlosangeles August 2, 2010
BABA BOOEY, BABA BOOEY, BABA BOOEY!
R RR Anderson August 2, 2010
suggest everyone go to stadium video and rent..
1. They Live
2. Videodrome
3. Fight Club
4. Rubin and Ed
5. Brazil
E elked August 2, 2010
If this issues is re-opened, I hope we can get at the tribal billboards too — I’m not even sure if any of them are actually technically in Tacoma, but along with the aroma that still lives along I-5 much of the time, those billboards perpetuate Tacoma’s undeservedly bad regional reputation.
A Altered Chords August 2, 2010
I like billboards. What if I forget that I can get a triple bacon cheeseburger at Burger King? Imaging the impact on people that might forget what such a morsel looks like?
I want more billboards in Tacoma. I especially want one put in that will completley block the annoying view of Mt. Rainier from my front porch.
T tacoma fan August 2, 2010
#AC What if it was picture of Mt. Rainier? Then you could see the mountain year round.
#Christine – Does that mean you won’t give to Boys and Girls Club, YWCA, Goodwill or many of the non profits that use billboards?
Farmer’s Markets.
Both Click and Comcast have bill boards.
Where can we get a list of advertisers?
L lostinlosangeles August 2, 2010
Nice RR!
Also while you are at the one and only saving grace of Tacoma aka Stadium Video, take a look at renting:
1 Hunger (Criterion)
2 Wall-e (to figure out what the real directive is)
3 Truman Show (its just a great script)
4 LA Story (to see a traffic billboard talking to Steve Martin)
5 Koyaanisqatsi (because you don’t need dialog when you can listen to the planet with your eyeballs)
L lostinlosangeles August 2, 2010
Also, the more you rent at Stadium, the less you watch cable. The less you watch cable, the less trust advertisers have in Comcast, Click, and Clearwater to reach consumers. The less trust they have in cable companies, the less money cable companies get. Then cable companies will have to do a study why the city of Tacoma, en mass, is dropping their cable subscriptions. So a video rented at Stadium today, is one less penny in the pockets of the enemy. But, of course, there are still way too many cable subscribing college dropouts in Tacoma, so you won’t even make a dent. But you’ll get to see some good film history! Thanks to Stadium aka the video library of Alexandria before the attack of the cable Christians!
V Vaio August 3, 2010
But the more you rent from Stadium Video, the more you feed the Marty Campbell monster… and the less time you’ll be mentoring children.
C Christine August 3, 2010
Okay, hypocrite alert I guess. I do have Click!, and I do support the zoo. You’ve called me out Tacoma Fan.
L lostinlosangeles August 3, 2010
Wtf is the Marty Campbell monster? Is nothing holy in Tacoma?? Fk!
C captiveyak August 3, 2010
I received the following email this morning.
S SlimJim August 3, 2010
@ lost
You think Marty is holy?
You are so clearly not from here.
M Minnie August 3, 2010
So… where were all our valient agenda speakers? Not a single comment at tonight’s meeting. The billboards issue will pass next week without nary a peep from us. Sad.
C captiveyak August 4, 2010
Citizens forum was moved to the next meeting due to nat’l night out. One can expect a considerable turnout at that time. I expect several valiant voices are gathering the data necessary to compose something more useful than sputtering impotent rage.
S SlimJim August 4, 2010
@ lost
Yeah, back in ’08 we were under the disillusion that Marty was a good citizen of the people… immediately after becoming a councilman it became clear he’s solely a business puppet.
@ captiveyak
People don’t have to wait till Citizen Forum to speak. Public Comment is available every meeting for items on the agenda… in fact speakers get five minutes for public comment as opposed to only three for the monthly forum. After all this time reading Exit133 and people still don’t know that yet? A seriously missed opportunity, here, since by next week it’ll be too late… they’ll be set to vote and not likely to change their minds by then. I suggest people contact their council reps by phone or in writing prior, then also show up… otherwise it’ll be too late for your comments to really be considered.
T Tim Smith August 4, 2010
Yes SJ. I had posted that the council was considering an ordinance which specifically covers the bill boards, thereby enabling folks to talk about the issue but no one bit. Even Ryan Mello tried to get to the issue when he spoke about commercial signage. There could have been comment last night for 5 minutes during Public Comment and because the ordinance is set for final reading next week there is another 5 minute period and then there will be 3 minutes available during Citizens forum. Thats a lot of time.
L lostinlosangeles August 4, 2010
Dearest RR, the problem goes back too far into history. From the very first, YOU’LL LIKE TACOMA billboard (which to the natives was like: hey we better show up to the council on Tuesday) all the way to the ghost signs DT that now fade (and I am sure when they were first put up some Tacomacan’t was like: hey that f’n beer sign is going to spook my horses or that f’n beer sign is going to keep my husband from being sober in church, and we all need a lot of god in this town to help rid us of the guilt we have from fking the natives over).
I am sure to your chilrin’s chilrin’ the digital billboard will become another thing to take pride in because you just don’t have fk else in Tackyoma to.
Finally seeing the patterns here Fakeoma? You’re town has never been different, special or anything to be envious of for centuries. It’s just a slutty port being used up. And if you can find the good in that, or beauty, than you’re a more determined person than me. Or you could just be plain crazy to expect different results from the same situation that’s been taking place since the first pox infected white trash moron hocked a loogie on the banks of the Commencement Bay (which I am sure is not the real name of the bay). Well, let the fking of the people of Tahoma commence as usual!!!