Defending the Truth

BY JENNIFER MARTIN
STAFF WRITER

August 19, 2005

As if the city isn't already inundated with ads, Court TV has placed an estimated 300 street decals on sidewalks, mostly in Manhattan, as part of its multimillion-dollar campaign to promote the company's daytime and prime-time programming -- a move that could be violating the law.

The yellow and white stickers blare "Perp Walk" in black writing.

The legal entertainment station also put two large ads near the Lincoln Tunnel and on a building at Sixth Avenue and King Street.

But the company may have gone too far with its guerilla-style promotion. Plastering city sidewalks with advertisements could be in violation of the law, according to the Department of Transportation. "When an unlawful obstruction is brought to our attention, DOT will instruct the violator to clear the sidewalk and may also levy a fine," Ted Timbers, a department spokesman, said. "In this case, DOT inspectors have been dispatched to determine whether the advertisement is in violation of city law."

This wouldn't be the first time a company bombarded the city walkways with ads. In October 2002, Microsoft covered New York City sidewalks with large blue, green, yellow and orange butterfly decals to celebrate the launch of its Internet service update. It was hit with a $50 fine. And in April of that same year, computer giant IBM had to pay a $120,000 fine to the city of San Francisco after spray-painting its sidewalks with ads.

Mary Corigliano, senior vice president of marketing at Court TV, defended the tactic.

"It's the norm that you put it down knowing that it may or may not be taken off," she said. "We wanted to use traditional media in a non-traditional way to let people know that we have incredible and original nighttime programming."

Few New Yorkers seemed impressed. David Siegel of Forest Hills, who passed a decal on 44th Street between Sixth and Seventh avenues, was annoyed.

"I don't think these belong there," Siegel said. "Ads are everywhere to begin with. Why do we need them on sidewalks?"

Kelly Gitter of the Upper West Side agreed.

The ads don't "quite pop out to me," she said. "Actually, I think it kind of makes the street look dirty."