Ban Billboard Blight Protecting the visual environment of Los Angeles

World Wide Rush supergraphic on Wilshire Blvd. ( Photo from June 23, 2010)

Apparently undaunted by a federal appellate court decision upholding the city’s right to ban new off-site and supergraphic signs, attorneys for sign companies have signaled their intention to mount fresh challenges to the ban that has been the subject of almost constant litigation since its original passage eight years ago.

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Posted under Billboards, Michael McNeilly, Outdoor Advertising, Skytag, Supergraphic Signs, Vanguard Outdoor, World Wide Rush

Supergraphic "Sex and the City 2" ad put up by Skytag, Inc. being removed from Santa Monica Blvd. office building

Northbound travelers on the 405 freeway in West L.A. might be asking what happened to the supergraphic signs that used to be stretched across the face of a 12-story office building on adjacent Sepulveda Blvd., advertising such products as movies, cellphones, fast food, soft drinks, and trips to Hawaii.

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Posted under Billboards, CBS Outdoor, Michael McNeilly, Skytag, Supergraphic Signs, Van Wagner, World Wide Rush

Two supergraphics protected by federal court injunctions issued in 2008, but lifted by the appeals court ruling. Left, sign by Skytag, Inc.; right, by World Wide Rush

Does yesterday’s decision by the 9^th Circuit Court of Appeals upholding the city’s right to ban off-site, supergraphic, and freeway-facing advertising signs mean that impresarios of blight like Barry Rush of World Wide Rush and Michael McNeilly of Skytag, Inc. will be packing up their multi-story building wraps and heading out of town?  To shed some light on that question, and other issues relevant to yesterday’s eagerly-awaited court ruling, we conducted the following Q&A with ourselves.

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Posted under Billboards, City Planning Commission, Michael McNeilly, Skytag, Supergraphics, World Wide Rush

"On-Site" supergraphic sign, left, locked office door, right

The supergraphic sign above for the movie “Prince of Persia” on a Westwood office building is legally permitted as an on-site sign, which the L.A. sign code defines as a sign directing attention to a product or service generally sold or offered on the premises where the sign is located.   There is no movie theater in the Wilshire Blvd. building, or the offices of the movie production company, so how can the sign be considered legally equivalent to the sign on the local hardware store or dry cleaners?

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Posted under Billboards, L.A. City Government, Michael McNeilly, Skytag, Supergraphics

Supergraphics on building at 4929 Wilshire Blvd. A third face is covered with a statue of liberty image.

Back in October, we asked the question–What will be next?– for a Wilshire Blvd. office building displaying a multi-story supergraphic image of the Statue of Liberty, the calling card of Michael McNeilly, self-proclaimed artist and owner of Skytag, Inc.  That question was answered last week by the appearance of supergraphic commercial ads for a Style Channel TV program on two faces of the building.

See related article here and here.

Posted under Billboards, Michael McNeilly, Skytag, Supergraphics

Good:  L.A. Superior Court Judge Terry Green isn’t an expert on toxic substances, but he performed an expert analysis on the city’s noxious 2006 lawsuit settlement that allowed Clear Channel and CBS Outdoor to put up 840 digital billboards by declaring the agreement that denied the public any voice “poison” and sending it to the shredder.

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Posted under Billboards, CBS Outdoor, City Planning Commission, Clear Channel, Digital Billboards, Freeway Billboards, L.A. City Government, Lamar Advertising, Michael McNeilly, Supergraphics, Van Wagner, World Wide Rush

Skytag Supergraphic on Mayfair Hotel

On Jan. 5 of this year, Domingo Sauceda looked out the window of his office on West  7^th St. in downtown Los Angeles and saw what he thought was window washing equipment being hung from the south side of the Mayfair Hotel a block to the west.  However, it  became apparent that instead of the windows being washed, a 10-story high supergraphic sign depicting the statue of liberty was being applied to the building.

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Posted under Billboards, Michael McNeilly, Skytag, Supergraphics

What will be next? An ad for a movie or TV show?  A car?  A video game?  What will people living on this leafy street just off Wilshire Blvd. in the Miracle Mile area wake up one morning to see, brought to them by Mr. McNeilly.

For more, see the following:

FRAUD:  Michael McNeilly, self-proclaimed artist and defender of free speech,

Sky Tag Seeks Permanent Injunction, Expansion of Supergraphic Sites

Posted under Michael McNeilly, Skytag, Supergraphics, Uncategorized

Mayfair Hotel (left), CNN Tower

Sky Tag, the company of Michael McNeilly, self-proclaimed defender of artistic freedom, is asking the federal court to permanently enjoin the city from enforcing its ban on supergraphic signs at 21 locations.  A judge granted Skytag a preliminary injunction at 18 of the sites earlier this year.

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Posted under Billboards, L.A. City Government, Michael McNeilly, Skytag, Supergraphics