Businessman boots Lamar over eligibility issue

Worldnetdaily ^ | 3/10/2009

[FreeAtlanta]

Businessman boots Lamar over eligibility issue Billboard company disses birth certificate question, now losing business

Lamar Outdoor, one of the largest providers of billboard space in America, has begun losing business for dissing an advertising campaign raising questions about Barack Obama's constitutional eligibility for office.

WND reported just two days ago when Lamar joined CBS, the No. 1 outdoor advertising company, in prohibiting its salesmen nationwide from accepting leases of billboards for a campaign that asks the simple question, "Where's the birth certificate?"

Now Florida real estate company owner Fabian Calvo has told WND that he's cancelling his contracts for two major billboards owned by Lamar that he had been using to advertising his apartments.

Florida businessman Fabian Calvo

Calvo, who also is a talk radio host in the Tampa Bay area, said, "I am cancelling my billboards with Lamar."

He said, "It's just unbelievably wrong that not only would they deny WND the freedom of speech they should have, but at the same time be fearful of this administration."

He said he is terminating use of the Lamar billboards immediately.

"We have other ways to advertise," he said.

......

[FreeAtlanta]

If you have decision making ability over where your company advertises, please drop these companies that are refusing to "offend" the one and his worshipers.

[Piranha]

Seems to me, this should be headline news: two of the biggest outdoor advertising companies are barring an advertising campaign asking a simple question with no obscenity or controversial images? Outdoor advertising is not a regulated industry in terms of content. Where are we headed? Are cities threatening to pull their billboard zoning?

[SlowBoat407]

I disagree with the contention that it’s a “Freedom of Speech” issue, since, for now, they are free to accept or reject any advertiser they please. However, they are also free to accept the consequences of their choices in showing a political bias.

I wonder how many libs would have cancelled contracts with them if they had accepted the ads.

[Sgt_Schultze]

The Lamar opponents should adopt a tactic of the left and begin to lobby for removal of specific Lamar installations. Thse that clutter the highway or interfere with scenery or are ovely large. At least defending against legislation, the Lamar folks would have to expend scarce resources.

[PanzerDeutscheschafferhund]

Lamar is headquartered in Baton Rouge, my home town, I didn’t know they sold out to CBS. I don’t know why as they are very very profitable.

[3niner]

"We have other ways to advertise," he said.

That's the bottom line. There are many ways to advertise, and many businesses, who sell advertising, are suffering greatly right now. Many of them (newspapers) will go under.

Businesses that depend on advertising revenue simply can't afford to offend their customers. The ones that can't figure this out will go away.

[cvq3842]

Yup - Lamar has the right to turn down the ads.

And others have the right to stop sending business to Lamar.