Clear Channel Billboard Fine Counter

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by KevinFreitas on 9/12/2007 @ 1:32pm	That's right, Clear Channel is racking up over $23,000 a day in fines owed to the City of Tacoma for over 180 billboard that violate a City code that went into effect Aug. 1, 2007. Add this counter to your blog using the code snippet below and let Clear Channel know that fines matter. <iframe src="http://www.feedtacoma.com/misc/fines-matter.php" style="width: 159px; height: 118px; overflow: hidden; border: 0 !important;" scrolling=no frameborder=0></iframe> Thanks to RR for the idea!
by AP on 9/12/2007 @ 2:23pm	I'm adding this to my websites, ASAP. Great idea.
by KevinFreitas on 9/12/2007 @ 3:29pm	The question is, what should we spend these funds on once they pay up?
by Erik on 9/12/2007 @ 5:04pm	Nice. Looking forward to seeing the counter on Feed Tacoma.
by NineInchNachos on 9/12/2007 @ 5:26pm	most triumphant mr. F!
by Erik on 9/12/2007 @ 6:32pm	Your link on Exit 133 forum to the counter does not appear to be working RR.
by jenyum on 9/12/2007 @ 6:56pm	Looks like it went over 1 million today, how fitting.
by Erik on 9/12/2007 @ 8:09pm	Ok. Cool. The fine counter is working. Once it gets to $40,000,000, we can restore the Winthrop Hotel.
by NineInchNachos on 9/12/2007 @ 9:06pm	if the gritty city folks were really hardcore they'd put it on their website. Clear Channel meets Street Justice, t-town style!
by KevinFreitas on 9/12/2007 @ 10:16pm	That would be so cool. Why not? Everyone from the Mayor to Council Members has shown nothing but support for enforcing those billboard codes.
by Erik on 9/13/2007 @ 12:57am	It would be cool to rent a billboard to have a running count going....does anyone know who might have a billboard to rent for this purpose?.......nevermind.
by KevinFreitas on 9/13/2007 @ 6:50am	I could probably come up with a PDF version of this. That way it could be big enough for folks to print out and post where ever they see fit. It could read: "As of (today's date) Clear Channel owes Tacoma ..."
by andrewbacon on 9/13/2007 @ 8:17am	Awesome Kevin :-) I'll use this wherever I can!
by jenyum on 9/13/2007 @ 9:18am	You know, Transit Advertising is super cheap and doesn't go through clear channel... You could buy up a few bus shelters.
by Erik on 9/18/2007 @ 12:12am	You know, Transit Advertising is super cheap and doesn't go through clear channel... How about if we hire some Tacomans and have them hold up reader boards and spin the signs.
by TheMushroom on 9/18/2007 @ 11:02pm	I've got it on my blog now. Excellent!
by NineInchNachos on 12/30/2007 @ 2:12pm	3 million and counting. zoiks.
by AP on 12/30/2007 @ 11:12pm	What's the current story with this Clear Channel situation? Has anyone heard anything since they took down all those stupid Constitutions Matter billboards all over town a few months ago? I would love to know if any fines have actually been paid.
by Erik on 12/30/2007 @ 11:31pm	No update. The case is being litigated in federal court.
by KevinFreitas on 12/31/2007 @ 7:10am	I've heard from a litigating squirrel in my attic that some of the billboards along the freeway aren't going to be subject to removal. Sounds like the City is learning a bit about its boundaries in this case but that there's still plenty of opportunity to get rid of billboards in our neighborhoods and such.
by NineInchNachos on 12/31/2007 @ 9:43am	at least there is still hope
by Erik on 12/31/2007 @ 9:45am	I''ve heard from a litigating squirrel in my attic that some of the billboards along the freeway aren't going to be subject to removal. True. The largest billboards which are recent are on land owned by the tribe. Hence, they have gambling billboards and other activities now banned in the city. Then there are different classifications of billboards in Tacoma. The ones by the highway are covered under a federal law and have their own compensation formula. Even if CC does everything the city wants, some of the billboards would still stay. I certainly agree that removing them from the neighborhood centers is the highest priority, at least there is still hope Tacoma can prevail on the billboards and remove them. However, its going to likely take a good amount of compensation to do so.
by morgan on 1/8/2009 @ 12:44am	It's good to know we're not alone - this is huge news: U.S. court upholds L.A. ban on billboards - The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals reverses a lower-court ruling, saying the city's 2002 prohibition of outdoor advertising does not violate a sign company's 1st Amendment right to free speech. Check out the full story - it's a good read: www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-billboa... BTW: I have an idea on how to use that $12M Clear Channel owes us!
by fredo on 1/8/2009 @ 9:45am	It's worth pointing out that code violations are rampant in the city of Tacoma. For example, if you trim a tree growing on city right of way without first obtaining a permit you can be cited with a $1000 fine.This sort of trimming occurs all the time but no one ever gets the $1000 fine. The billboard violations are the more obvious than the illegal tree trimming, but just as unlikely to ever result in any actual fines.
by Crenshaw Sepulveda on 1/8/2009 @ 10:41am	Constitutions Matter.
by marumaruyopparai on 1/8/2009 @ 12:44pm	Hey Morgan, that link seems to be broken. I think that because RR has been such an outspoken proponent of Clear Channel billboard annihilation that a portion of the proceeds from litigation of Clear Channel (assuming there will be proceeds) should be used to cover some or all of the publishing costs of RR's upcoming book.
by deeble interactive on 1/8/2009 @ 9:41pm	you're supposed to get a permit if you want to swap out an old bathroom sink. makes me sick. You can rebel. next time you install a bathroom sink... install the HELL OUT OF THAT BATHROOM SINK! don't get a permit! SCREW the liberal douche bags!
by KevinFreitas on 8/18/2009 @ 7:05am	Still ticking away... Shame too 'cause we could really use some of that Clear Channel cash money to prevent that berm from going in. Or, hey, to shore up the Luzon!
by fredo on 8/18/2009 @ 7:34am	Kevin I know the billboards are ugly but I look at the Richards collection pictures (Tacoma Public Library) once in a while. Frequently the most interesting photographs are the street scenes with billboards. The billboards illustrate products long since forgotten and help establish an approximate date of the photograph. I'd rather see a classic billboard advertising a 1957 Vespa than another clump of signs that proclaim "i'm an ignoramus...vote for me."
by jenyum on 8/18/2009 @ 7:42am	Alternatively, we could just use the billboards themselves to shore up the Luzon. I'm sure RR could draw up some plans.
by fredo on 8/18/2009 @ 7:57am	Right on Jeny- Don't forget to remind folks that this is election day. Vote early and vote often.
by KevinFreitas on 8/18/2009 @ 12:27pm	@fredo - Just because documenting history and noting it in that way may be interesting doesn't mean we have to repeat it. There are plenty of other ways we're barraged with ads these days and if it helps to clean up and make our neighborhoods more livable and attractive not to have them, so be it. Aside from that, Clear Channel is in violation of City Code and should pay their fines just as any small business owner in violation of a code would be required (and pressured) to do.
by NineInchNachos on 8/18/2009 @ 12:59pm	one of the things Glintz was worried about was the expense of steel for the new interior structure.... funny cartoon concept.
by Erik on 8/18/2009 @ 1:06pm	I wish I knew the status of the billboard litigation. Last time I heard, it was still pending in federal court.
by panachronic on 8/18/2009 @ 2:44pm	I seriously doubt if the city will ever collect a dime of this money, for numerous reasons. If nothing else, they'll use it as a bargaining chip to settle the lawsuit out of court. But the counter, btw, is a work of genius. Thanks!
by NineInchNachos on 8/18/2009 @ 3:02pm	whenever anyone says 'where will the money come from' i immediately think of this fine counter. Oh pie in the sky :)
by fredo on 8/18/2009 @ 6:41pm	Kevin- It's had to judge the future historic value of a contemporary item. Back in the caveman days there were probably people who thought that the petroglyphs were trash. But in today's world we find great value in them and protect them like the treasures they are. Are today's billboards the equivalent of the petroglyphs? Perhaps not, but we can't tell from our perspective. For the record I think the billboards are ugly.
by L.S.Erhardt on 8/18/2009 @ 8:48pm	The year: 900,000,000 AD. The human race has evolved to have greater intelligence and sentience. We've put aside our differences, pooled our resources and have taken to the stars. Across the Orion Arm of the Milky Way, fifty trillion people inhabit a panstellar civilization with astonishing advancements in science, culture and technology. Naturally, humans are as curious as ever. Regular expeditions back to the homeworld of Earth are carried out so that we may learn about our forefathers, and thus about ourselves. One bright day beneath the sweltering red giant Sun, a party excavates the ruins of the great cultural centers of what was the Northwest, before the Chinese baked it with alpha and beta particles. Beneath the rubble once called Tacoma, RRAnderous Prime unearths a sign. He calls over his colleagues, and they stare in awe at the discovery. "It is amazing" says RRAnderous. "Here we have a rare chance to read a message from the past!" "It is indeed amazing" says Beta-Morganus. "It truly must be something meaningful, as the Ancients left so little for us to find." "Yes", replies Freitatron-88 Alpha. "I long to see what wisdom the Ancients may pass on to us, as the Originals passed on to them. But I do not have the upgrade needed to read it." "I will read it" speaks Thorsus-Omni-Trifid. Using his universal translation retinal implants he reads the near-billion year old words aloud for the first time in forty-million generations: "It's Comcastic".
by fredo on 8/18/2009 @ 8:55pm	Thorax...inspired!
by L.S.Erhardt on 8/18/2009 @ 8:56pm	Thanks! Read enough Asimov, and you'll get the sci-fi juices flowing too!
by NineInchNachos on 8/18/2009 @ 9:13pm	how come my robot clone doesn't get a cool greek number?
by fredo on 8/18/2009 @ 9:15pm	How much will Clear Channel owe the city in the year 900,000,000 AD?
by jenyum on 8/18/2009 @ 11:57pm	I refuse to read any more of the first wave scifi authors. They promised me robot servants. It's 2009 and there's no sign of my laundry robot.
by fredo on 8/19/2009 @ 6:29am	Jen@ that laundry isn't real, its just a simulation.
by KevinFreitas on 8/19/2009 @ 7:10am	@fredo: 7 quadrillion, 678 trillion, 687 billion dollars. Not including leap days or interest. :)
by L.S.Erhardt on 8/19/2009 @ 7:30pm	@ RR... it's not a robot. It's your highly-evolved cyborg future descendant. And Prime when used in the same context as in the She-Ra universe indicates the leader... think like Horde Prime. And Jen... we have vacuuming and lawn mowing robots. Forget the laundry. I want my hoverboard. Where is it? 2015 is almost here...
by NineInchNachos on 1/30/2010 @ 3:34pm	this money could help fill alot of budget pot-holes AND plenty left to fix schools.
by jenyum on 1/30/2010 @ 6:30pm	Any update on this? It's been years.
by L.S.Erhardt on 1/30/2010 @ 7:32pm	I have heard zilch. And those billboards keep standing. I'd like to see someone run for Mayor/Council on the platform of removing all the offending billboards regardless of the court case. If T-Town wins, Clear Channel et al can come pick up their signs after they pay the fines. If Clear Channel wins, they can come pay the fines, pick up and reinstall their signs at 100% cost to them.
by NineInchNachos on 6/23/2010 @ 3:50pm	bump!
by NineInchNachos on 7/27/2010 @ 5:00pm	and here is that same document as a downloadable pdf via google docs docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B015_vOOKxw...
by NineInchNachos on 7/27/2010 @ 7:32pm	this art project has an expiration date and I find that ultra-attractive. I call the time of death 5:25 pm July 27, 2010 The End.
by Erik on 7/27/2010 @ 7:35pm	What happened?
by KevinFreitas on 7/27/2010 @ 8:05pm	And here stands the Clear Channel fine counter: $25,519,088.11 Look forward to hearing the details but am ashamed it doesn't sound like Tacoma could persevere in the face of a megacorp. (and that dough could've really fixed a few potholes, too...)
by jenyum on 7/27/2010 @ 8:43pm	No... from the sound of it we ended up giving Clear Channel something instead? Or rather, the people of the East side and the South side did, they just don't know it yet.
by Erik on 7/27/2010 @ 9:25pm	According to RR Anderson, Here are the final proposed settlement documents: picasaweb.google.com/andersor42/ClearCha...
by NineInchNachos on 7/27/2010 @ 9:44pm	here is a slicker way to view the document! tacomanewsvolcanotribuneweeklyreporterin...
by NineInchNachos on 7/27/2010 @ 9:45pm	here is the map showing where all the new 'digital billboards' will be installed From Clear Channel Compromise and here is posted in downloadable pdf format via google docs
by KevinFreitas on 7/27/2010 @ 10:46pm	Even if the City were to pay, in the end, to have the billboards removed, I think that fat $25.5 million fine would more than cover them. Instead, we're removing 53 billboards and plopping down digital billboards that ClearChannel is jealous the tribes are able to put up along our freeways. Looks like we'll have more there but also lightbright like ones in mostly south end 'hoods. Fair? Not on your bloody life. I vote, however, we come up with a light pollution ordinance that requires certain forms of lit signs with a surface area greater than 100 sq ft be extinguished within an hour of sunset every night.
by Chase on 5/11/2011 @ 7:09pm	The counter is genius. Is there a way to add it to our FB pages? That would have a huge impact. The following on this topic is well... viral.
by Chase on 5/11/2011 @ 7:19pm	I just added the code and a msg to my FB status.
by NineInchNachos on 5/11/2011 @ 9:52pm	sweet!
by jenyum on 5/12/2011 @ 9:37am	Poop!
by NineInchNachos on 7/26/2011 @ 8:43am	winning!
by NineInchNachos on 7/29/2011 @ 8:59pm	updates! blog.thenewstribune.com/politics/2011/07... www.thenewstribune.com/2011/07/29/176410...
by NineInchNachos on 8/10/2011 @ 2:07pm	make them pay!
by panachronic on 8/10/2011 @ 2:11pm	"The question is, what should we spend these funds on once they pay up?" POTHOLES!
by NineInchNachos on 8/10/2011 @ 2:41pm	seconded !
by fredo on 8/10/2011 @ 2:49pm	The question is, what should we spend these funds on once they pay up?" Believe it or not there are still 2300 city employees who aren't being paid over $100,000 per year. We can never hope to emulate Bell California without addressing this seriously deficient underpayment to city employees.
by Joel 413 on 8/10/2011 @ 4:19pm	@fredo I smell sarcasm!
by NineInchNachos on 8/10/2011 @ 5:00pm	I thought that was teen spirit?
by NineInchNachos on 11/8/2011 @ 1:31pm	budget shortfall? There IS a solution dear friends. You can't afford the wimpy city lawyers anymore.
by jenyum on 11/8/2011 @ 1:47pm	While I like a lot of our city council members, we really need more lawyers in office in Tacoma. It's very difficult to challenge a city attorney's take on issue if you don't have a legal background.
by NineInchNachos on 11/8/2011 @ 1:49pm	Anders Ibsen is law savy.
by jenyum on 11/8/2011 @ 1:55pm	...but he isn't a lawyer, correct?
by NineInchNachos on 11/8/2011 @ 2:06pm	he works in a law firm.. going to law school. maybe junior Lawyer patrol cadet?