CBS Outdoor's Predecessors [[including Viacom Outdoor) and Detroit

[bc_n_dtown]

Interesting page. They're gonna have to update it since most of the boards still have the old white frames.[[lol) Any particular ones you were able to find that still had Gannett and Outdoor Systems?

[mtburb]

Interesting page. They're gonna have to update it since most of the boards still have the old white frames.[[lol) Any particular ones you were able to find that still had Gannett and Outdoor Systems?

Several of the I-94 billboards in Romulus that are featured on the site still had Gannett nameplates [[including one picture of a structure just east of Middlebelt Road that appears to have been taken circa 1995 [[when that interchange was reconfigured, since construction barrels and a construction arrow are clearly visible), as do a couple in Pontiac and one on I-96 and I-75.

Plus, I believe the picture of the structure on I-75 just before the railroad overpass just east of Great Lakes Crossing has what appears to be an Outdoor Systems nameplate [[which that structure would have had when GLX first opened in 1998). A picture of the other side of that same structure shows what looks like a Gannett nameplate, but also has trees in the background on the far right that are probably no longer there [[cut down to make room for GLX).

UPDATE: I have found another picture of a structure at Grand River and the Southfield Freeway that still had a Gannett nameplate [[also visible in that photo-the Shell [[now BP) station, the Total [[later Marathon, now Valero) station, a sign for the Rally's [[now White Castle) and a pre-1991 KFC sign!

[mtburb]

In addition, photos of at least a couple of structures on I-94 near Ann Arbor show what appears to be 3M National nameplates [[unless I'm wrong), so does this mean that CBS Outdoor and 3M National were directly related in Ann Arbor, while they were two different companies in Detroit?

NOTE: Ann Arbor is currently part of the CBS Outdoor's billboard market, although it's possible that it was originally it's own market, then was absorbed by Detroit's later on.

EDIT: I have found a picture of a structure on US 127 near Jackson that also still had a 3M nameplate. Therefore, this means that 3M National and CBS Outdoor are directly connected in Jackson, even though Jackson's also in the Detroit billboard market.


EDIT 2: Further checking seems to infirm that CBS Outdoor is related to both Gannett and 3M in Monroe County-that is very unusual.

[mtburb]

While heading to Ann Arbor this morning, I passed this billboard shell on I-94 in Romulus. There was a white rectangular-shaped nameplate on it, with a very faded-out "OUTDOOR" on right of the nameplate. Therefore, could this be a very faded Gannett nameplate that has been untouched for over 15 years?

[mtburb]

According to Clear Channel Outdoor's website, they don't own any billboards in the Detroit market.

Actually, a couple of Clear Channel Outdoor's predecessors [[Naegele Outdoor and Eller Outdoor) did operate in Detroit.

In addition to that, JCDecaux, which is a European billboard company, does own advertising boards inside Great Lakes Crossing, technically, three national billboard companies [[and Adams Outdoor in some of the nearby satellite cities) operate in the Detroit market.

[mtburb]

Well, I wouldn't say all of their suburban signs because the last white frame billboards I saw were in Ferndale [[9 Mile - Livernois), which were converted right before this past Christmas.

Actually, the narrow frames began sometime under the Infinity/Viacom era [[1999-2006) and slowly continued under CBS. I'm assuming the logo was moved to the catwalk in anticipation of the eventual changeover.

However, these all originally had "rounded" corners, not the squared corners liked the ones today. During the last few years or so under CBS, all of the boards were changed over [[including the rounded corner ones). Here's a photo from Dec 2006, showing the former design...

1. Glances at updated Google Street View photos from 2013 reveal that quite a lot of structures in Detroit still had the white frames.

2. And here's an example of what a rounded-corner structure looked like in the Viacom era [[this structure, now with squared-off corners [[of course), is located in Southgate [[Dix-Toledo a couple blocks north of Northline)), taken in the summer of 2006 [[source). Note the nameplate that's about to fall off [[I assume that if it actually fell off, it was quickly replaced with a CBS nameplate, since this was shortly after the Viacom breakup):

[mtburb]

Well, here's a question: there was a 3M-and later Lamar-structure on I-75 near the Fleetwood site that had this black box sticking out from the top of it for years. Does anyone know what that might've been? I seem to recall that this was part of a logo of a radio station that advertised on that structure when it was first erected in early 1988.

Here's some pictures to show you what I mean.


This photo, taken on March 11, 1988, shows the structure being erected.


Nine days later, the structure is already advertising said radio station.


Two years later, in September 1990, the black box is already visible.

None of these photos are mine, BTW.

[Bong-Man]

Interesting thread. One of my best friends worked for Eller and Gannett. In fact, so did his Dad and his grandfather. They were all sign painters. My friend's apprentiship was spent drawing the Marlboro Man and packs of smokes. He took me down to their shop on Woodward once for a tour. They had an overhead rail system that was used to move the billboards around. On the south end, there was a large grid that had what could best be described as a vertical electric wire grid, very similar to the top of a dodge 'em car ride. An electric pencil was used on the grid to burn in outlines on paper for the billboards, then they would be painted As we were looking at the grid, my buddy handed me the etching pencil, and told me to touch a certain spot....I immediately got nailed with the biggest electrical jolt of my life ! Turned out this was a shop tradition, and 30 people were standing behind us on the shop floor waiting for the fun. They all started laughing and clapping as I jumped out of my shoes. Strange bunch ! Even though better technology existed, it was actually cheaper for a crew to paint the signs in place then take them down. That lasted until computer graphics and dot-matrix printing became more advanced. They painted in all weather with paint additives used for bitter cold. Once you were up on a high sign you were there for the day, and many workers watched from above as their trucks were broken into and tools and supplies stolen. The mixture of pigeon shit and ice on those platforms was very dangerous, and many of those painters refused to wear the life-lines provided when doing high work. My friend took us up one to watch the downtown Grand Prix once, and I was scared to death. Needless to say all of the painters used large manual brushes all day, and they were the stars of every bowling league and horse-shoe tournament in town....iron wrists !

[mtburb]

Here's a few that I found on WWJ's Flickr.


Southfield near Plymouth, date unknown


Location and date unknown


I-75 and Fort Street, January 1994


Lodge and Schaefer, November 1995

[mtburb]

Well, regarding Gateway Outdoor, today I came across one of their structures on Middlebelt just north of Sibley [[that structure's abandoned as usual) and I noticed that it has a rounded-corner narrow frame-up until now, I thought all Gateway structures had squared-off wide frames!

BTW-the Gateway nameplate on that one is simply a very tiny "GATEWAY" sticker placed over what appears to be a much larger but unreadable nameplate.

[mtburb]

Actually, the narrow frames began sometime under the Infinity/Viacom era [[1999-2006) and slowly continued under CBS. I'm assuming the logo was moved to the catwalk in anticipation of the eventual changeover.

The rounded-corner narrow frames actually began during the Gannett years, as evident by this late 1980's photo of one such structure in Lincoln Park that's still there today [[albeit with, as usual, squared-off corners) next to the future site of the current Meijer store:

[mtburb]

Here's another look at what the white frames appeared back in the Gannett frames, this one taken on July 11, 1987 on Northline Road at Jackson Street in Taylor. This structure has since been taken down.



And here's a screenshot from a Sketchup model set much later in 1987 that features two other former white-frame structures [[also since taken down) in Wyandotte.

[bc_n_dtown]

mtburb you can add another name to the long chain of companies that operated out of 88 Custer Street. CBS Outdoor has now become Outfront Media. Although the new name has already been appearing on some CBS Outdoor structures within the last few weeks, the name change becomes official on November 20.

Here's the official announcement from CBS Outdoor...
http://www.outfrontmedia.com/

and video...
http://youtu.be/E5t4d-wWwZU

[bc_n_dtown]

This name change to OUTFRONT comes about after CBS Corp. spun off CBS Outdoor as an independent company back in March of this year.

[mtburb]

mtburb you can add another name to the long chain of companies that operated out of 88 Custer Street. CBS Outdoor has now become Outfront Media. Although the new name has already been appearing on some CBS Outdoor structures within the last few weeks, the name change becomes official on November 20.

Well, wouldn't you know it-tonight, on my way to Red Green at Wayne County Community College District, there was a CBS structure on Northline just west of Allen that already has Outfront nameplates. Every other billboard I've passed today, however, still has CBS nameplates.

So I'm assuming that now through the 20th, every structure receives the Outfront nameplate when the advertising vinyl is being replaced with a new advertisement, right? If so, I predict that one near my house at Eureka and 16th will receive the Outfront nameplate when poster replacement takes place on Sunday [[the 9th-I used that date since on October 9th, a Tim Horton's advertisement that was on that structure was replaced with the current advertisement, one for Medicare enrollment).

[bc_n_dtown]

So I'm assuming that now through the 20th, every structure receives the Outfront nameplate when the advertising vinyl is being replaced with a new advertisement, right? If so, I predict that one near my house at Eureka and 16th will receive the Outfront nameplate when poster replacement takes place on Sunday [[the 9th-I used that date since on October 9th, a Tim Horton's advertisement that was on that structure was replaced with the current advertisement, one for Medicare enrollment).

I don't know if they'll be able to do them all by the 20th, but they seem to be moving a lot faster than I remember in the past. I've noticed quite a few of the new nameplates done in the city over the last week on both the posters and larger bulletins. I agree that they seem to be making the change when the old advertisement is replaced.

[mtburb]

Here's something really bizarre:

In 2011, the CBS nameplate on the structure at the northwest corner of 8 Mile and Woodward was half-damaged, thus revealing parts of four past nameplates for the first time in years: the "VIA" from Viacom, the first "I" and the "TY" from Infinity, the "TDOOR" from Outdoor Systems and the "GANN" from Gannett!

It was already repaired by 2012, however, as late as this year, the left half of the Gannett "G" was still sticking out from behind the CBS nameplate, however, if that structure has already received an Outfront nameplate, it's possible that the "G" is now fully covered. If that's true, then it would be interesting if we went back there in the future and the nameplates were damaged again, this time about to fall off-it would be interesting to see the nameplates Outfront, CBS, Viacom, Infinity, Outdoor Systems and Gannett all used at the same time!




In context:
https://www.google.com/maps/@42.4467662,-83.1255852,3a,15y,295.87h,95.61t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1s5Yb1yzqyPgzpW-SEXl945Q!2e0?hl=en

And once Thursday comes, don't forget to rename this thread "Outfront Media's Predecessors [[including CBS and Viacom Outdoor) and Detroit".

[mtburb]

mtburb you can add another name to the long chain of companies that operated out of 88 Custer Street. CBS Outdoor has now become Outfront Media. Although the new name has already been appearing on some CBS Outdoor structures within the last few weeks, the name change becomes official on November 20.

The name change will occur tomorrow and just in time, I saw the new nameplate on a structure on Eureka Road across from Kroger in Southgate. This was originally erected in the early 1980's by Gannett as a round-frame structure.



And here's that same structure as it appeared under CBS two months ago.

[bc_n_dtown]

In 2011, the CBS nameplate on the structure at the northwest corner of 8 Mile and Woodward was half-damaged, thus revealing parts of four past nameplates for the first time in years: the "VIA" from Viacom, the first "I" and the "TY" from Infinity, the "TDOOR" from Outdoor Systems and the "GANN" from Gannett!

It was already repaired by 2012, however, as late as this year, the left half of the Gannett "G" was still sticking out from behind the CBS nameplate, however, if that structure has already received an Outfront nameplate, it's possible that the "G" is now fully covered. If that's true, then it would be interesting if we went back there in the future and the nameplates were damaged again, this time about to fall off-it would be interesting to see the nameplates Outfront, CBS, Viacom, Infinity, Outdoor Systems and Gannett all used at the same time!

If I recall correctly, a windstorm caused that damage back then and also damaged the advertisement and structure panels as well. I pass that location almost daily. Drove past there this afternoon and the CBS Outdoor nameplate was still there.

[bc_n_dtown]

The name change will occur tomorrow and just in time, I saw the new nameplate on a structure on Eureka Road across from Kroger in Southgate. This was originally erected in the early 1980's by Gannett as a round-frame structure.

It looks like quite a number of them in the city have been done. They've been moving along pretty fast, considering they started less than a month ago. But then again, maybe a little too fast. I saw a couple of them on Woodward that weren't even centered correctly. You would think someone working for a sign company would know how to center things. IJS

[mtburb]

Today is the name change date.

And just in time, the two billboards I passed today have received new nameplates.

This one is at Eureka and 12th in Wyandotte. It was first erected sometime in the 90's by either Gannett or Outdoor Systems as a round-frame structure. It appears that the nameplate switchover looks rushed here...


Compared to this nearly-identical shot from two days back:


Further up Eureka at 16th Street, this structure received the Outfront nameplate when the previous advertisement was replaced with one promoting the launch of the WXYZ-produced 10 PM newscast on WMYD. This one was erected by Eller in 1979 and originally had a gray frame, but was pretty soon painted into white after Gannett took over. The white frame was eventually taken down circa 2011.


Also, all links with the CBS Outdoor URL now redirect to the Outfront announcement bc_n_dtown linked to above.

[mtburb]

December 8, 2014 Update:

There are several Outfront bulletin structures that still have a CBS nameplate:
-Dix next to the Lincoln Park Meijer
-Several on I-75 in southwest Detroit
-A couple on Woodward in southern Midtown

[mtburb]

If I recall correctly, a windstorm caused that damage back then and also damaged the advertisement and structure panels as well. I pass that location almost daily. Drove past there this afternoon and the CBS Outdoor nameplate was still there.

Well, it's happened again. Last month, the newly-installed Outfront nameplate became loose, revealing parts of an Infinity nameplate and what is probably an Outdoor Systems nameplate.

This was at I-75 and Dearborn Street. The Eastern Michigan University advertisement that was on that structure at the time may have been damaged too.

[[not my photo)