Out of Home - July/August 2014 - 5

Tall Tale in Texas

publisher

fromthe

5 | out of home magazine | july | august 2014

It's a common lament that, in media coverage, business gets the short end of coverage. But,
in Texas recently, out-of-home didn't get any.
The Texas Transportation Commission is considering a series of changes this summer to
its highway rules concerning signage. One of the changes is a raising of the height limit of
outdoor advertising - mostly off-premise - from 42.5' to 65'.
While the initial airing of the proposal came in an open meeting (go here, click Item 6
in the webpage's right-hand column, and advance video to 20:45), nothing stirred in Texas
media until a week before the June 24 public hearing.
Internet sites began running a PR Web news release about Texas considering raising
billboard heights. (For the record, "billboard" isn't used in the commission proposal.) A
straight-news first paragraph then sailed into an anti-billboard statement by the head
of Scenic Texas, the group that sponsored the press release, and a notation on how to
comment on the proposed rule.
Eventually, a few newspapers wrote about the proposed rule. Most of them followed
the same basic structure as the Scenic Texas PR release, even to the point of noting the
time and address of the commission's public hearing in Texas' capital city of Austin. Some
writers sought comment from local Scenic America groups, and one or two questioned state
highway officials.
And what about anyone in OOH - large outdoor companies, national or state
associations, local owners of a few displays - in these articles? Nope. Not a one. The closest
attempt came with the Houston Chronicle, where the writer contacted the owner of an
on-premise sign company for comment. (When the Associated Press offered a rewrite of the
Chronicle piece, it elevated the owner to the ranks of "leaders of the sign industry.")
What happened? Writers come under increasing pressure to do more in less time; some
share a bias against outdoor advertising; some are just, well, lazy. They can't be given the
whole fault on this, though; a canny salvo by OOH opponents let them set the coverage line
early. Instead of being on the back foot, the industry ended up with no traction.
The final vote by the Texas Transportation Committee will likely be at its August meeting.
Maybe the lobbying efforts by opponents will make little difference. Or maybe there'll be a
lesson in making an effort to stand tall.

Emerson Schwartzkopf
Editor & Publisher, Out of Home



Out of Home - July/August 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Out of Home - July/August 2014

Out of Home - July/August 2014
Contents
From the Publisher
From Our Contributors
When the Local Newspaper Fades
UP! The Organization with Place-Based Digital OOH
Digital Billboards Recent Court Rulings
Courting Consumers for Brand Connectivity
New Tab Ratings: It's About Time (and Speed)
Facing Up To Weather's Worst
Recent Highlights from the world of Out-Of-Home
A Continuing Review of Interesting Out-Of-Home Video
Feedback
Out of Home - July/August 2014 - Out of Home - July/August 2014
Out of Home - July/August 2014 - 2
Out of Home - July/August 2014 - 3
Out of Home - July/August 2014 - Contents
Out of Home - July/August 2014 - From the Publisher
Out of Home - July/August 2014 - 6
Out of Home - July/August 2014 - When the Local Newspaper Fades
Out of Home - July/August 2014 - 8
Out of Home - July/August 2014 - 9
Out of Home - July/August 2014 - UP! The Organization with Place-Based Digital OOH
Out of Home - July/August 2014 - 11
Out of Home - July/August 2014 - 12
Out of Home - July/August 2014 - Digital Billboards Recent Court Rulings
Out of Home - July/August 2014 - 14
Out of Home - July/August 2014 - 15
Out of Home - July/August 2014 - Courting Consumers for Brand Connectivity
Out of Home - July/August 2014 - 17
Out of Home - July/August 2014 - 18
Out of Home - July/August 2014 - 19
Out of Home - July/August 2014 - 20
Out of Home - July/August 2014 - 21
Out of Home - July/August 2014 - New Tab Ratings: It's About Time (and Speed)
Out of Home - July/August 2014 - 23
Out of Home - July/August 2014 - 24
Out of Home - July/August 2014 - Facing Up To Weather's Worst
Out of Home - July/August 2014 - 26
Out of Home - July/August 2014 - 27
Out of Home - July/August 2014 - 28
Out of Home - July/August 2014 - 29
Out of Home - July/August 2014 - Recent Highlights from the world of Out-Of-Home
Out of Home - July/August 2014 - 31
Out of Home - July/August 2014 - 32
Out of Home - July/August 2014 - 33
Out of Home - July/August 2014 - 34
Out of Home - July/August 2014 - A Continuing Review of Interesting Out-Of-Home Video
Out of Home - July/August 2014 - Feedback
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