Billboard to come down
LA CRESCENTA ? The Crescenta Valley Town Council and Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich have demanded that a new billboard displaying the image of a popular local disc jockey be taken down, labeling it as “offensive,” “lewd” and “inappropriate.”
And it looks they’ll get their wish this week.
Hip-hop disc jockey Big Boy may have a larger-than-life presence on the airwaves, but Town Council members want his larger-than-life presence on Foothill Boulevard removed.
The billboard depicts the disc jockey holding the waistline of a pair of pants several sizes too big for him and pointing to the lower half of his body with a headline above his head that reads: “Still Big ? Where it Counts.” The advertisement alludes to his recent loss of 250 pounds after undergoing stomach surgery. But the billboard’s connotations were not lost on local leaders, and those leaders were not amused.
Following complaints from residents who noticed the billboard on Friday, Antonovich sent a letter to Emmis Communications, the owners of radio station Power 106 FM, where Big Boy has his popular morning show, requesting its immediate removal.
“A promotional billboard for the Power 106 radio station ? is offensive,” Antonovich said in the letter.
“Its proximity to churches, schools and libraries make it an affront to parents and children.”
Attempts to reach Burbank-based Power 106 FM for comment were unsuccessful.
Council members also sent a letter Monday to the radio station and Clear Channel Communications, which owns the billboard, asking for its removal, Council President Sharon Hales said. “It’s lewd and inappropriate for a family-orientated community,” Hales said. “It’s important for our community to remember that this is our community and although we can’t do much about the billboard industry and its presence in our community, we can certainly voice our concerns about protecting our values and our children.”
Councilman Steve Pierce said he understands the advertisement is a spoof on the disc jockey’s weight loss, but still feels the content is inappropriate.
“My feeling is that we are not prudes; it’s not offensive in that sense, but it is inappropriate,” Pierce said.
“I would not have a problem seeing this on the Interstate 15 going to [Las] Vegas but it is simply not appropriate for a family-orientated community.”
Clear Channel has assured him that the Big Boy advertisement will be replaced with a different ad on Thursday, Pierce said, but Hales wants more done.
“We don’t want this billboard simply rotated to another location because we do not think it is appropriate for any other community either,” Hales said.