Triad City Refuses to Allow Billboard Expansion

NC- High Point city leaders have shot down an effort that would have expanded billboard advertising in the city, most notably along high-profile corridors such as Eastchester Drive, North Main Street and West Wendover Avenue.

The council voted unanimously against the request by Fairway Outdoor Advertising, according to the High Point Enterprise, with city council members saying they’d seen little support for it from businesses and significant opposition from the public.

The city’s 48 existing billboards are in industrial areas, and the city observed that many of them are in disrepair. Surveys of High Point Chamber of Commerce members found that 53 percent were opposed to opening up new areas of the city to billboards, but the city got only a 5 percent response rate to its queries, the Enterprise reported.

“I don’t know how you can come to the conclusion that chamber folks are in favor of this with only a 5 percent participation rate,” Mayor Bill Bencini was quoted as saying.

NEW YORK

The transaction is structured as an acquisition of the equity interests of certain subsidiaries of All Vision LLC, which operates under the Dynamic Outdoor name. The Company paid approximately$94.4 million for the portfolio of assets, comprised of $50.0 million in cash and $44.4 million in Class A equity interests of the Company’s Canadian subsidiary, subject to post-closing adjustments for closing date working capital and indebtedness, and for the achievement of certain operating income before depreciation and amortization targets relating to All Vision’s assets.

OUTFRONT Media is one of the largest out-of-home media companies in North America with a leading presence in top markets throughout the United States and Canada. We have a diverse portfolio of billboard, transit and digital displays reaching mass audiences, as well as a distinct offering of prime assets impacting select markets. As part of our ON Smart Media technology development initiative, we are developing hardware and software solutions for enhanced demographic and location targeting, and engaging ways to connect with consumers on-the-go.

Industrial computing specialist Distec is calling for businesses to reassess the security of their hardware and software following the latest cyber-attack.

 

A large digital screen was hacked in Liverpool city centre. The screen, based outside the Liverpool One shopping centre, displayed a relatively friendly message from hackers, warning about the lack of security on the sign.

The screen displayed the message, “we suggest you improve your security. Sincerely, your friendly neighborhood hackers. #JFT96.” The hashtag, an abbreviation of the phrase “Justice for the 96,” was a reference to the Hillsborough Disaster.

A British shopping center in the vicinity of Liverpool was purportedly defaced with a cheeky message by a group of anonymous hackers on May 29, BBC reports.

“We suggest you improve your security,” the collective wrote on the screen, identifying themselves as the “friendly neighborhood hackers.”

Richard Rothfelder tells Insider that the Texas Legislature has passed two out of home bills.

The Texas Legislature has passedSB 2006in response to the TxDot v Auspro court decision which invalidated the state’s Highway Beautification Laws.  The bill is waiting the governor’s signature.

The bill revises the States’s Highway Beautification Act to comply with TxDot v Auspro.

The invalidated  Highway Beautification Act used the message on a sign to determine whether it was a regulated off-premise sign or an unregulated off-premise sign.  SB 2006 removed the message test and says that a sign is regulated if a fee is paid for the display of goods or services on the sign.  Otherwise the sign is an unregulated, non-commercial sign.

SB 312 amends the Texas Highway Beautification Act to grandfather tall billboards.  The Texas Highway Beautification Act prohibits signs in excess of 42.5 feet  SB 312 grandfathers billboards which are between 42.5 feet and 85 feet as of 3/1/17 under the Texas Highway Beautification Act.  This means that they are not in violation of the Act and can be maintained.  All new billboards must be less than 42.5 feet.

You can keep track of Texas legislative and regulatory developments by subscribing to The Bulletin which is published by Rothfelder and Falick.  Email crothfelder@rothfelderfalick.com if you wish to subscribe.