Clear Channel Outdoor 'Wanted' By FBI

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has signed a deal with Clear Channel Outdoor, the country's largest outdoor advertising company, to display "wanted" messages--including photos of fugitives, on electronic billboards--around the U.S.

The FBI and Clear Channel decided to expand the free public service after three fugitives were caught in Philadelphia, thanks to Clear Channel's digital billboards. The wanted messages generally include a phone number for an anonymous tip line.

This modern update to the Old West "wanted" posters takes advantage of the electronic billboards' ability to display multiple images--giving the FBI airtime among Clear Channel's paying advertisers--as well as their strategic locations in high-traffic areas. Overall, it gives the FBI access to roughly 150 electronic billboards that are visible from major highways and urban arteries.

Clear Channel has already made its billboards available to local law enforcement across the country for "Amber Alerts," which address missing children. A Clear Channel billboard helped alert drivers and posted news updates after the collapse of the I-35 bridge in Minneapolis on August 1.

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