School board considers bus ads:Salesman says move would yield $150,000 a year
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Four months after County Executive Kenneth Rogers proposed selling advertising space on sheriff’s patrol cars, the school board is now considering a similar proposal for school buses.
Such a program could put $150,000 a year into school system coffers – with little work required – Baxter-based advertising salesman Joe Herrin told members of the school board’s Transportation Committee Thursday night.
“I’ll do all the work. All you need to do is stick your hand out and collect the money,” Herrin said.
According to Herrin, Tennessee is one of only five states to allow advertising on school buses. And to not take advantage of this, he said, would be to waste a unique opportunity, especially in these uncertain economic times.
To date, only one school system in the state, Wilson County Schools, has allowed its buses to be used in such a manner. However, Herrin said he has made similar proposals to 10 to 15 other systems, all of which have expressed interest.
By state law, any ads placed on school buses would have to meet a set of regulations determined by the state Board of Education. Restrictions include:
• Ads shall only be permitted on the rear quarter panels of the bus with no more than two advertisements per rear quarter allowed.
• The sizes of ads will not exceed 16 inches in height and 60 inches in length, including border or framing.
• The ads shall consist of black lettering on a white background.
• No ads of alcohol or tobacco shall be permitted and political campaign ads shall be expressly prohibited.
• Ads shall not cover any structural sheet or metal damage or alteration.
Under the proposal he submitted to the committee, Herrin and his sales crew would be responsible for nearly every aspect of the bus advertising, including the selling, design, manufacture and upkeep of all ads. The school system’s only responsibility would be the attaching of the ads to be buses.
In return for the use of the school bus space, he said he would give the school system 50 percent of all money he takes in. As noted above, he said a conservative estimate would net the school system $150,000 a year, assuming he was able to place ads on 30 of the system’s 52 buses.
Additionally, he said, the school system would be kept informed of who bought ads and for how much and would have the right to veto any and all ads sold.
“We’ll work closely with you to make sure none of them are in bad taste. It’ll be nothing but top-of-the-line ads,” he said.
Committee members expressed interest in the idea, but voiced their concern that such ads might pose safety risks to students and motorists.
No action was taken Thursday night, other than to defer the issue to next month in order to give committee members more time to study the issue.
“This is something that would definitely be worth our while to look at,” said committee member Larry Judkins.
Billboard on wheels?
• No tobacco, alcohol or political ads would be allowed.
• The school system’s only responsibility would be attaching the ads to its buses.
• Ads will only be allowed on the rear quarter panels of buses.