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Make sure your advertising contracts provide for
such emergency messaging. For example:
Emergency Use. We have a corporate policy
of making our digital signs available to law
enforcement and other governmental agencies
in emergency situations, such as for Amber
Alerts and evacuation information. You agree by
signing below that your ad may be temporarily
shown less or even preempted as a result of
legitimate emergency messages and that no
refund or credit will be owed by us.

evacuation information, and other urgent
public safety topics.
as a voluntary provision, billboard owners
can accept a mandatory requirement to post
emergency messages. For example, in order to gain
a special-use approval or variance, the company
could propose a binding obligation to post such
messages. (Such language has also been approved
as part of settlement agreements between
billboard companies and local governments.)
language like this can be used:

The company shall promptly make any LED displays
available to law enforcement for emergency
messages, to include Amber Alerts and other missing
persons announcements, disaster evacuation
information, and other urgent public safety topics.
Such messages will be added as soon as practicable
and will remain in the advertising rotation for 48
hours or such lesser time period as requested.
these provisions show that you're dedicated to
assisting your community - while, at the same time,
making clear that the sign will continue to operate for
paying advertisers.

Owner agrees to donate available advertising
space to the City on the LED display so that the
City may post community announcements of its

contributors
from our

18 | out of home magazine | may | june 2014

Stipulating to run emergency messages is not
the only way to garner support from local leaders.
they can also be persuaded by offers to donate
limited advertising space to the government
for non-emergency community events and
announcements (e.g., a Christmas tree lighting,
Memorial day parade, etc.).
once again, such mandatory governmental use
would not be proper in a sign ordinance, However,
a sign company can voluntarily propose such
terms as a condition to obtaining a digital permit.
Consider a provision such as:
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