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# With risk comes reward
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/with-risk-comes-reward/
- Published: 2007-11-02T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-25T01:13:14.000Z
- Author: Kevin Herrera
- Tags: local, Mid-City, #archive-import

*Talking billboards are profitable, but are wildly illegal*

(sub) Talking billboards are profitable, but wildly illegal

By Kevin Herrera

Daily Press Staff Writer

MID-CITY — For nearly the entire month of October, pedestrians along a bustling stretch of Wilshire Boulevard were hearing lions roar and other sounds of the African jungle.

The unexpected seaside safari came courtesy of a large advertisement that was plastered on a vacant storefront window, drawing the attention of passersby and drivers for a new TV series called “Life is Wild,” the story of a New York veterinarian and his family who try to survive on a South African game preserve.

Representatives with the CW, the offspring of a merger between Warner Bros. and the former UPN network, said they wanted to try something new, so they added an audio component to the in-window advertisement in hopes that it would cut through the marketing clutter and make some noise.

A spokesman for the CW, along with the owners of the building, said they had no idea the advertisement was against the law and have since removed it, but not after earning a nice chunk of change for lending out a space that still remains vacant. While the owners and CW refused to say how much the advertisement cost to run, industry experts said a storefront on a busy street like Wilshire could easily command thousands of dollars per week.

A fine for violating the sign ordinance is only $75 for the first offense. If a property owner or business fails to remove the sign or advertisement, the fine is increased, but only slightly, city officials said. A third offense can lead to prosecution.

“This is the first time I’ve witnessed something like this. Usually, it’s on roving trucks,” said code compliance officer Rochelle Brooks, who received an anonymous complaint about the “Life is Wild” ad on Oct. 22 and issued an order to remove it the following day. “The city does not allow these types of advertisements because of concerns about aesthetics. They just don’t want it. That’s not the type of image the City Council wants to portray.”

Expensive rents are causing more businesses around the city to move out, leaving storefronts vacant for longer periods of time than in the past. As in-window advertising becomes more lucrative, there may be a need to increase fines to deter people from reaping large profits in exchange for little risk.

There have been no recent discussions about changing the law — either raising the fines or allowing more window space to be used for advertising. However, some have expressed their desires to either see greater enforcement of the ordinance or change it altogether to allow more opportunities for property owners to make money.

Supporters of window advertising say it is a great way to eliminate blight. An empty storefront can be a magnet for graffiti and other illegal activity.

In-window advertisers are using digital projectors and interactive technology to make the ads more vibrant. Some have the ability to transmit video to the cell phones of those walking by. Many of the ads are protected by a vinyl covering so the property is protected against vandalism.

253,“Neighborhoods get some vitality and something that is arguably an aesthetic improvement,” said Steve Birnhak, president chief executive officer of Inwindow Outdoor LLC, a New York firm that worked on the CW advertisement. “Of course, not everyone likes advertising and when all is said and done, we’re here to make money, but I’d like to think that to some extent what we’re doing helps prevent urban decay.”

“Neighborhoods get some vitality and something that is arguably an esthetic improvement,” said Steve Birnhak, president chief executive officer of Inwindow Outdoor LLC

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on November 2, 2007.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/110207.pdf?ref=smdp.com)