Court of Appeals Rules for Madison in Billboard Case

  

A state Court of Appeals has upheld a lower court ruling to dismiss Adams Outdoor Advertising’s $740,000 lawsuit claiming the city of Madison’s Cannonball bike path bridge over the Beltline blocks views of the company’s billboard from eastbound traffic.

The 4th District Court of Appeals on Thursday upheld Dane County Circuit Court Judge Richard Niess’ February 2016 dismissal of Adams’ lawsuit in a ruling that rejected Adams’ claim that blocking the view was an unlawful taking of private property.

The Appeals Court’s 13-page decision says Adams’ claim of a taking is foreclosed by two state Supreme Court decisions. One says that an unobstructed view from the roadway is not a protected property interest, and the other that a taking can’t be established because the property as a whole still retains some value.

The court also rejected Adams’ claims that the city violated its right to equal protection, was denied due process and that the bridge is a private nuisance.

 

(NEWS CENTER) – Forty years ago Thursday, Maine Gov. James B. Longley signed into law an act that eventually removed about 8,500 roadside advertising billboards across the state.

Maine was the second state in America after Vermont in 1968 to ban off-premises billboards, according to the Portland Press Herald.

Maine’s 69th governor, who proposed the ban, was quoted by The Associated Press after adding his signature to the legislation as telling reporters the move proved that “the people own Maine.”

The billboard ban law officially took effect on Jan. 1, 1978. It then took six to seven years before all were eliminated, and the last state-acquired billboard in Maine – located along Route 1 advertising the Shawmut Motor Inn in York County – was cut down by chainsaw circa 1984.

In 2013, nine separate bills introduced in the Maine Legislature sought to adjust state sign regulations, but all were ultimately rejected.

Maine law, per the Press Herald, states signs within 1,000 feet of a business are legal, but are subject to requirements, including a 25-foot height limit.

For a more comprehensive account of the history behind Maine’s billboard ban, visit www.nrcm.org.

The 3 public US out of home companies are more risky that than that US stock market based on their betas.

The US Stock market beta:           1.00

Lamar beta:                                 1.13

Outfront beta:                              1.14

Clear Channel Outdoor beta          1.52

Source: google finance

Investment analysts use beta to compute the volatility or risk of an stock.  Beta measures how much a single stock varies compared to a change in the stock market.  The stock market has a beta of 1.  A stock with a beta of 1.25 is more volatile than the market.  A 1% change in the market means a stock with a beta of 1.25 will change by 1.25%.  A stock with a beta of 0.75 is less volatile than the market.   A 1% change in the stock market means a 0.75 beta stock will change by 0.75%.

The phrase, “the customer is king,” has evolved into a more holistic phrase, “the customer experience is everything.” Companies are focusing on delivering cross-channel experiences that truly draw in distracted customers. However, in order to improve customer experience, a tool needs to first grab a customer’s attention. Is digital signage the right tool for the job or is it just more clutter?

Short attention span

 

A report by Microsoft reveals the average human loses focus after eight seconds. Goldfish, with an attention span of nine seconds, now have us beat. This is a four-second drop from 2000 when humans had an average attention span of 12 seconds, according to a Time report. Technology is a driving factor behind this drop.

BULLHEAD CITY – Out with the old, in with the new.

The Bullhead City Council on Tuesday approved an agreement with Lamar Advertising that will bring a new digital billboard to the west side of Highway 95, between Riverview Drive and North Oatman Road.

As part of the terms, the company will remove an older, standard billboard from a space near Riviera Boulevard and Plaza Drive. With each new billboard placed within the city, an older one will be taken down, City Manager Toby Cotter told council members.

The agreement for the first sign states that the city will receive at least $10,000 a year in rent. Cotter said the amount paid to the city, which will be based on advertising revenue, is expected to be higher.

In addition, he said, the city will get one 8-second message per minute on one side of the billboard, and access with which to put out the word about local emergencies.

Cotter said the first sign will be aesthetically pleasing with a brick facade.

The agreement is for 15 years, with a possible 10-year renewal built in.