An anti-war group sued media giant Clear Channel in New York this week for breach of contract over an anti-war billboard the group wanted to display in New York's Times Square during the Republican National Convention. The groups reached a settlement Thursday amid speculation that the lawsuit may have been a preplanned publicity stunt, something the anti-war group denies. "We just want our billboard up," said Project Billboard spokesman Alex Slater. "We don't want damages; we don't want our money back. We just want our billboard."
Thursday's agreement, reached after the lawsuit was filed, earned the group two billboards instead of the one originally rented. It also generated a lot of national press coverage. Project Billboard originally contracted with Clear Channel Communications to put up a billboard on the New York Marriott Marquis in Times Square. Clear Channel -- which recently tangled with shock-jock Howard Stern over his show's sexually explicit content -- also organizes concerts, entertainment events and billboard advertising. Slater described Project Billboard as "a group of concerned citizens who highlight important debates that face our country in the run-up to this election." He claims Clear Channel violated its contract in refusing the original billboard design. |