Reporting an Offensive Billboard

Citizens for Community Values provides the following suggestion in The Power of One (PDF):

…Clear Channel and Media One, which own 50% of all the billboards in America, have adopted a policy not to accept advertising from sexually oriented businesses. Many other billboard companies also take pride in
such a policy. Citizens have been successful in having offensive material removed from the highways with just a few phone calls. If you find a billboard that is offensive or is advertising a sexually oriented business follow the suggestions below:

REPORTING AN OFFENSIVE BILLBOARD


1. Contact the company that owns the billboard, not the advertiser, and make a respectful appeal to remove it. You can obtain the name of the company by locating the small sign on the bottom of the billboard. You will then find the [company’s] name and address in the local phonebook.

2. If the owner refuses to remove it, take two photos of the offensive billboard.

3. Send one of the photos with name, address and phone number of the billboard owner and the exact address location of the billboard, including city and state, to the Outdoor Advertising Association of America for determination whether the billboard owner is violating the OAAA code of ethical conduct. If there is an ethical violation, the OAAA will contact the association member directly. You can contact them at: Outdoor Advertising Association of America, 1850 M Street N.W., Suite
1040, Washington, DC 20036, www.oaaa.org.

——————-
These excerpts from The OAAA Code of Industry Principles are relevant:

We support the right of outdoor advertising companies to reject advertising that is misleading, offensive, or otherwise incompatible with individual community standards, and in particular, we reject the posting of obscene words or pictorial content.

We are careful to place outdoor advertisements for products illegal for sale to minors on advertising displays that are a reasonable distance from the public places where children most frequently congregate.

We are committed to a program that establishes exclusionary zones that prohibit stationary advertisements of products illegal for sale to minors that are intended to be read from, or within 500 feet of, elementary and secondary schools, public playgrounds, and established places of worship.

We support billboard advertising as a business use to be erected only in commercial and industrial areas.

We seek to exclude new billboards on truly scenic segments of highways outside of commercial and industrial areas.

——————————— (added on 5/6/07)

NO V.I.P. in Berlin, CT relays a successful case of a citizen getting a billboard company to decline adult advertising on a billboard across the street from a church:

I mentioned [the OAAA Code of Industry Principles] to Stan, a neighbor and active member of our neighborhood group. Stan began contacting the company, which is located in New Jersey. He eventually got through to the owner, and explained the local situation, and told him the boards were clearly within 500′ of a church, which they company seemed unaware of.

With some persistence and cajoling on Stan’s part, the owner of the
billboards agreed that the boards were possibly in violation of the
OAAA principles. These are not [legally] binding, necessarily, but the
company was willing to work on resolving the situation. The Penthouse
Boutique ad has been moved to another location owned by the billboard
company. The VIP board is under contract for a few more months. Now
that the billboard company is aware of the violation, though, they will
advise that the location is no longer available for adult business
advertising.

If you find advertising to be offensive or in violation of standards…
find out who is in control of it and TELL them. All billboards have the
name of the company that owns them and usually a phone number along the
bottom of the frame. There is also an ID# for that board, if possible
give the company the exact location by providing this number.

7 thoughts on “Reporting an Offensive Billboard

  1. [url=http://earthecolution.com/node/23453%5DTramadol Online No Prescription[/url]
    [url=http://www.kanokla.com/node/22646%5Dbuy Lisinopril online[/url]
    [url=http://coldwatertrail.org/node/130%5DTramadol no prior script overnight[/url]
    [url=http://coldwatertrail.org/node/140%5DAtivan no prior script overnight[/url]
    [url=http://www.chelseatwitterarmy.com/index.php?q=node/18661%5DTramadol Online next day shipping[/url]
    [url=http://www.azone.org/node/12228%5Dno perscription Tramadol next day[/url]
    [url=http://soccurrents.com/node/22350%5DBuy Tramadol with no prescription[/url]
    [url=http://coldwatertrail.org/node/132%5DSoma online overnight delivery[/url]
    [url=http://www.kanokla.com/node/22647%5Dbuy Valtrex online[/url]
    [url=http://www.funcoast.com/users/cheap-valium-online-overnight-delivery%5Dvalium%5B/url]
    [url=http://coldwatertrail.org/node/133%5DXanax no prescription USA FedEx[/url]
    [url=http://coldwatertrail.org/node/127%5DSoma Overnight Cod No Prescription[/url]
    [url=http://coldwatertrail.org/node/141%5DAlprazolam no prescription USA FedEx[/url]
    [url=http://www.chelseatwitterarmy.com/index.php?q=node/18662%5DOrder soma cod overnight delivery[/url]
    [url=http://www.chelseatwitterarmy.com/index.php?q=node/18663%5DOrder Tramadol no prescription[/url]
    [url=http://coldwatertrail.org/node/131%5DNo prescription next day Phentermine[/url]
    [url=http://earthecolution.com/node/23454%5DSoma Online No Prescription[/url]
    [url=http://www.kanokla.com/node/22644%5Dbuy Accutane without prescription[/url]
    [url=http://earthecolution.com/node/23457%5DSoma Cod No Prescription[/url]

  2. [url=http://labs.divx.com/node/17197%5Dambien NO RX legged [/url]
    [url=http://www.protopage.com/brigedria%5Dtramadol cheap fedex marih [/url]
    [url=http://www.protopage.com/modorag%5Dgeneric viagra cheapest manually [/url]
    [url=http://labs.divx.com/node/17195%5Dxanax in US DAVILATINKER [/url]
    [url=http://dailybooth.com/adrolawen%5Dtramadol same day bucking [/url]
    [url=http://toxipedia.org/display/~soma3r5n%5Dsoma cash on delivery HospitalsThese [/url]
    [url=http://labs.divx.com/node/17199%5Dcialis free trial pack contrerastinker [/url]
    [url=http://labs.divx.com/node/17198%5Dultram next day replacement [/url]
    [url=http://labs.divx.com/node/17196%5Dviagra sales uk chronic [/url]
    [url=http://wfnx.com/members/mertylonk.aspx%5Dpurchase tramadol gown4 [/url]
    [url=http://labs.divx.com/node/17194%5Dsoma NO RX scenario [/url]
    [url=http://toxipedia.org/display/~tramadol4re5%5Dtramadol with no prescription LaboratoryBatavia [/url]
    [url=http://www.protopage.com/fuesigba%5Dvalium online medication correctly [/url]
    [url=http://www.protopage.com/mucfuhrsu%5Dsoma in US Copperas [/url]
    [url=http://www.protopage.com/nidphyke%5Dxanax cash on delivery memorial [/url]
    [url=http://labs.divx.com/node/17193%5Dtramadol no script orgRegardsJordana [/url]
    [url=http://toxipedia.org/display/~tramadol4321%5Ddrug tramadol Representative [/url]
    [url=http://www.protopage.com/bundsubsma%5Dtramadol with no rx caminelsoncableone [/url]

  3. [url=http://www.goodreads.com/story/show/269750-tramadol-no-prior-script-overnight%5Dbuy Tramadol no prior script overnight[/url]
    [url=http://community.active.com/bookmarks/63604%5DViagra no prescription overnight shipping[/url]
    [url=http://www.travistidwell.com/node/24809%5DBuy Plavix with no prescription[/url]
    [url=http://www.travistidwell.com/node/24801%5Dbuy Valium no prior script overnight[/url]
    [url=http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5428337-ultram-no-prescription-fedex-shipping%5Dultram no prescription fedex shipping[/url]
    [url=http://www.travistidwell.com/node/24819%5DStrattera Overnight no prescription[/url]
    [url=http://www.travistidwell.com/node/24794%5DXanax online cash on delivery[/url]
    [url=http://www.travistidwell.com/node/24831%5DBuy Tramadol next day delivery[/url]
    [url=http://www.travistidwell.com/node/24822%5DBuy Lamictal with no prescription[/url]
    [url=http://www.goodreads.com/story/show/269764-cheap-accutane-overnight%5Dcheap Accutane overnight[/url]
    [url=http://www.travistidwell.com/node/24808%5DBuy Klonopin with no prescription[/url]
    [url=http://www.goodreads.com/story/show/269752-cheap-xanax-no-prescription-next-day%5Dcheap xanax no prescription next day[/url]
    [url=http://www.travistidwell.com/node/24826%5DBuy Trazodone with no prescription[/url]
    [url=http://www.travistidwell.com/node/24817%5DBuy Levitra online overnight delivery[/url]
    [url=http://community.active.com/bookmarks/63600%5Dbuy Accutane without prescription[/url]

  4. [url=http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/profiles/foledvelik/%5Dtramadol cod shipping boyfriend [/url] was not mutagenic in the following assays: Ames Salmonella microsomal activation test, CHO/HPRT mammalian cell assay, mouse lymphoma assay (in the absence of metabolic activation), dominant lethal mutation tests in mice, chromosome aberration test in Chinese hamsters, and bone marrow micronucleus tests in mice and Chinese hamsters. Weakly mutagenic results occurred in the presence of metabolic activation in the mouse lymphoma assay and micronucleus test in rats. Overall, the weight of evidence from these tests indicates that [url=http://people.bakersfield.com/home/User/mezolvas%5Dpill price tramadol managerial [/url] does not pose a genotoxic risk to humans.
    [url=http://www.cavemancircus.com/forum/index.php?topic=29100.0%5Dtramadol cheap fedex drawing [/url] RACTER [/url] should not be administered to patients who have previously demonstrated hypersensitivity to Tramadol, any other component of this product or opioids. [url=http://people.bakersfield.com/home/User/mezolvas%5Dtramadol for sale Force [/url] is contraindicated in any situation where opioids are contraindicated, including acute intoxication with any of the following: alcohol, hypnotics, narcotics, centrally acting analgesics, opioids or psychotropic drugs. [url=http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/profiles/foledvelik/%5Dbuy Tramadol cash on delivery contentTechnology [/url] may worsen central nervous system and respiratory depression in these patients.
    Prepare for the withdrawal symptoms of discontinued [url=http://people.bakersfield.com/home/User/vatronad%5Dsoma by money order Marriage [/url] use. Acute symptoms, which generally abate within a few days of onset, include seizure, severe headache, nausea, sleeplessness and stomach pain. Because of the severity of these symptoms, many [url=http://www.cavemancircus.com/forum/index.php?topic=29093.0%5Dus soma Sigrun [/url] addicts relapse before a post-acute treatment regimen can begin. This makes for all the more reason why Soma addicts need to seek treatment in a specialized detoxification facility.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.