Fox Threatens to Sue Co. Over Billboard [taunting CNN, LOL!]

AP via Yahoo! ^ | 05-07-04 | DOUG GROSS

[Teacher317]

ATLANTA - Fox News Channel is threatening to take a sign company to court if it does not post a cheeky billboard tweaking archrival CNN.

Fox claims the owners of the billboard, across the street from CNN's Atlanta offices, refuse to post a message trumpeting Fox's successes in the ratings war between the cable networks.

Fox lawyer Dianne Brandi said in a letter that Atlanta company Camfaux may have buckled to pressure from CNN not to put up the message.

"Should you choose not to put up the billboard immediately, we will consider all options available to us, including, of course, legal options," Brandi wrote.

Camfaux president Tony Vergoven said his company owned the billboard when Fox began renting it in 1999 but has since sold it to Boardworks Outdoor Advertising, another Atlanta company.

"We have no control, or we'd be taking care of Fox," Vergoven said.

Boardworks officials did not return phone calls seeking comment.

"This decision was entirely up to the owner of the billboard," CNN said in a statement.

The proposed sign would read: "Now That CNN's Ratings are Gone With the Wind, Our Work on This Board Is Done. We Love You Atlanta. Brought to you by your friends at FOX News Channel."

Below that message would be a less-than-subtle pitch to the hundreds of CNN employees who file past the board every day.

"Sign Up with America's Newsroom! Forward resumes to resumes(at)foxnews.com."

Fox officials demanded that the sign be changed by noon on Thursday. By about 4 p.m., it remained unchanged.

Since 1999, the sign overlooking CNN Center has alternately trumpeted Fox's triumphs or taken jabs at CNN. It featured legal reporter Greta Van Susteren, shortly after she left CNN for Fox, and accused the network of lacking patriotism during the war in Iraq (news - web sites).

For the past several months it has read, "Come Home Connie. CNN Needs You." Connie Chung was fired abruptly in March 2003, not long after CNN founder Ted Turner called her "just awful" in an interview.

On a typical prime-time night during the last three months of 2003, Fox News Channel averaged 1.46 million viewers. CNN had 909,000 viewers and MSNBC had 293,000 viewers, according to Nielsen ratings.

[Teacher317]

Too funny! Gotta love FNC!

[Constitution Day]

Oh man. That's awesome!

[smiley]

Love FOXXX

[OXENinFLA]

What, no pic?

[Spok]

Didn't Ted Turner have a finger in the outdoor advertising business in Atlanta?? Just curious.

[danneskjold]

no sign...(yet)...

[WinOne4TheGipper]

LOL!

[Pan_Yans Wife]

humor ping

[Teacher317]

Fox reports, you decide. Coming to a billboard near you!

I wish our local billboards were as interesting.

[blanknoone]

I love Fox...but they should just buy the billboard. The owner has a right to put or not put whatever he wants on it. The other alternative would be to see about putting up another billboard nearby on another property. I'm not familiar with the location...is there anywhere else Fox could taunt CNN?

[nuconvert]

thanks

[latina4dubya]

i actually saw one of the billboard messages on television not too long ago... and yes, it was taunting CNN--loudly and clearly... i wish i could remember what the message was... but it made me think that it must be fun to work at FOX News...

[latina4dubya]

I'm not familiar with the location...is there anywhere else Fox could taunt CNN?

i guess the great thing about this particular billboard is it's visible from both FOX and CNN...

[gortklattu]

Fox should just buy the entire building, paint it up like those city busses.

[hermgem]

Somebody is foregoing profits.
Question? At what going price.

[Textide]

Some signs from the past.

[mdmathis6]

Does Fox need RN's....maybe I could be there to help with camera light "dehydration" or something like that...maybe be there when the great A.C.(whose name must never be mentioned in full with out accompanying photo's) comes to do an interview or something.
Hey I'll even be a janitor or something...!

[Chieftain]

Thanks for the great pics!

[Wright is right!]

"Didn't Ted Turner have a finger in the outdoor advertising business in Atlanta?? Just curious."

Ted inherited an outdoor bidness from his dad, and it provided him with the capital to get into television. Billboards were the seed money.

Michael