Last issue, we reported on a bill in California that would have had negative consequences for the advertising industry. The AAF and our Missouri advertising clubs are working with the outdoor advertising industry in the state to fight Proposition A, a draconian ballot initiative that would decimate the Missouri outdoor advertising industry. The proposition, which will be voted on November 7, is being pushed by Save Our Scenery and has enlisted the support of former Missouri Senator John Danforth. They will be waging a high-profile campaign in support of the measure and against billboards and advertising. The proponents claim the measure would merely ban new billboards on Missouri s highways, increase local control, and prevent the cutting of vegetation on the right of way.
Outdoor advertising is the most effective and inexpensive way to reach travelers.
Proposition A would cause economic harm. A recent study indicates that passage of the proposition would negatively impact Missouri revenues by 18.6 percent. The Privacy Commission would make recommendations to Congress and the President for the protection of individual privacy and what it deems is the correct balance to be achieved between protecting privacy and allowing appropriate uses of information. Prospects for passage this year are doubtful. A recent General Accounting Office Study found that only 3 percent of federal government agency Web sites meet the Federal Trade Commission s fair information principles for electronic commerce.