Lady Bird Johnson, with the “Highway Beautification Act” (as it was dubiously called) in 1965, convinced America that billboards were bad/ugly. Some may have been, but the huge majority were not.

Follow the money: Lady Bird Johnson and her family owned a group of radio stations in Texas at the time who directly competed with billboard companies for local ad revenue, so she used her position to thwart competition.

Now there is hopeful news from Burnsville, Minnesota (a Minneapolis suburb, population 63,943), a city who has long opposed billboards. John Gessner recently wrote in the Dakota County Tribune (8/18/23): (note the reporter’s tone)

Decades of fruitful efforts to cut down on billboards in Burnsville are coming to an end.   “It’s time to stop treating billboards like some evil thing that we want rid of in our city.”  City Council Member Dan Kealey said at a city council work session on Tuesday Aug 15, 2023.  “I think it’s time to stop this detrimental and anti-business policy of taking them away.” Kealey further stated.  “Let’s right the ship from this day forward and leave them alone.”

Billboard owners don’t like ugly billboards any more than the general public. When local billboard companies fully collaborate with governing units, the result is cool-looking, eye-catching, highly creative ad vehicles that drive local commerce, civic engagement, and bring direct revenue to governmental units! (Think: billboards helping provide public revenue to fix the poorly maintained highways).

Congratulations to Dan Kealey and the other thought leaders and policy makers in Burnsville Minnesota for turning a corner and rethinking billboards for the benefit of everyone!

To receive a free morning newsletter with each day’s Billboard insider articles email info@billboardinsider.com with the word “Subscribe” in the title.  Our newsletter is free and we don’t sell our subscriber list.

Paid Advertisement