What's the connection between billboard signs and broadcasting empires?

[mac56]

Ted Turner, if I recall, made his fortune in the billboard sign business and started his broadcasting empire. Clear Channel and Viacom both have lucrative and powerful billboard sign divisions.

What's the connection here? Broadcasting and billboards don't seem to have a strong connection.

Can someone cast some light on this for me?

1. I know this

the first billboard in the US was advertising Coca-Cola. It was a new technique they thought up to try to sell it when they took the cocaine out of it. Source for this information is this book.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0312278748/qid=1090345060/sr=ka-1/ref=pd_ka_1/102-6917745-7472141

[Reverend_Smitty]

2. I'm not sure but I did see the strangest billboard ever...

Like a month ago. I was going into Philly traveling on 95 to the stadium. When I happened to glance to my left and saw a billboard that said "I hate Steve Something or other" I can't remember the exact name but I was a black billboard with white writing. It just had that message on it and nothing else. Did any other Philly area DUers see this??? It was on a *major* road and it must have cost a fortune, if this was done by a private citizen, Steve must have done something really bad to warrant a billboard!

[Reverend_Smitty]

3. Oops double post

n/t

[Reverend_Smitty]

4. As for the billboards

I think that these companies know that billboards are big business just like broadcast media. I guess its nothing more than companies searching for a way to make some more money

[mac56]

5. Maybe so

but it just seems an odd coincidence. Hard to believe any kind of "economy of scale" could be found in the overlap between broadcasting and billboards.

[GOPisEvil]

6. It's all about controlling what people see and hear.

For instance, you listen to El Rushbo on his daily radio program (on a Clear Channel station). You then see similar messages on billboards on your drive home. After a while that begins to formulate your opinion.

7. It would for me for sure

If I ever drove on highways (being a NYC resident I rarely see billboards and I don't listen to the radio much)

Any how you're right. I'd say "so that's what that asshole looks like"