BOSTON — Preservationists are fighting to keep the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority from installing some digital billboards because they say the plan doesn’t “fit” with Boston’s historical appeal.
The cash-strapped MBTA is in desperate need of money to keep everything up and running, and the T’s advertising contractor has come up with a way to generate revenue and keep commuters informed.
They want to install five digital billboards at transit station across Boston that would broadcast train times, service updates and advertisements.
Historic preservationists said they’re on-board with the digital changes, but they don’t want the new billboards placed at Park Street or Arlington.
They said the bridge panels would sacrifice the historic character of the neighborhood and violate rules about outdoor advertising near historical landmarks like Boston Common and Boston Public Garden.
The same company has already installed the digital billboards in New York City. They’re about the size of a large TV, and they hang over the stairways that lead to the subway.
The panels are installed at no cost to the T, and the company that installs them said it will rely on advertising to recover the costs.
Cox Media Group
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