https://youtu.be/mA0f37i55-o
Help OUT FRONT protect a 40-year legacy, check out their campaign on GoFundMe
DENVER, Colo. – OUT FRONT is a media company based in Denver, Colo. that has been in existence since 1976 – nearly 40 years. Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) had a division called CBS Outdoor. In November of 2014, CBS spun off their ‘outdoor’ advertising division and re-branded the company to a virtually identical brand as OUT FRONT.
As OUT FRONT continues to survive the transition from print to digital media,“The adoption of our company‘s identity by this media giant threatens the very freedom that small business in America was built on,” says OUT FRONT owner Jerry Cunningham. This scenario is a reflection of the popular story of David versus Goliath – a tale of a billion-dollar company adopting the identity of the little guy. More importantly are the stakes. Initially, OUT FRONT was created to be a voice for the LGBT community during times when the lifestyle was less popular, less respected, and less powerful. Being that voice for nearly 40 years has not been without struggle and loss. “I am proud to be the current owner of OUT FRONT because I am able to publish the growing triumphs of our community,” says Cunningham.
Over the last four decades, OUT FRONT has nationally lead the LGBT media charge and has been instrumental in standing up against the anti-gay agenda – à la Coors back in 1977 for their hiring practices in screening for homosexuality, and in 1992 playing a major and integral role in overturning the highly controversial Amendment 2, a national embarrassment to the State of Colorado. From Don‘t Ask Don‘t Tell in 1993 to Proposition 8 in 2008, and most recently in the very public, very personal fight for full marriage equality in Colorado and all across the nation. “The voice of OUT FRONT is a legacy that our community cannot afford to lose,” Cunningham adds.
CBS Outdoor‘s new corporate name is OUTFRONT Media Inc. (OMI). Using a brand name virtually identical to that of OUT FRONT, OMI has shown a willingness to sell advertising space to just about anyone, even those who are known to actively work against the LGBT community. We firmly believe that use of OUT FRONT‘s brand with OMI’s intolerant advertisers will first cause us significant reputational and then pecuniary harm.
Says Cunningham, “We believe that OMI absolutely knew it had stepped over the line when it adopted OUTFRONT as its new brand – they stated so in their Prospectus.”‖
We may not be able to maintain or enjoy comparable name recognition or status under our new brand as we did using the “CBS Outdoor” brand name. In addition, we may face the risk of claims that we have infringed third parties’ intellectual property rights with respect to our trademarks,…
OUT FRONT has always been operated by a mighty few with the mission to reach, represent, and help our community and beyond. “We are not a billion or million dollar company, and OMI knows this,”‖ says Cunningham. “It is my belief that OMI wants us to know they have the power to destroy us and will use that power if we do not buckle to their wishes. OMI’s recent frontal attack of our brand and market demonstrates that OMI cares not a whit for the damage it is causing and the confusion it is creating with the public. It will continue like a juggernaut to destroy our business unless stopped.”
Now, for the first time, OUT FRONT is no longer free to choose its voice. Branded with a virtually identical logo, billboards are going up all across the country, some of which represent groups that the LGBT community has been fighting against for years. OUT FRONT cannot sit idly by while these billboards become its voice. We are fighting to protect a legacy.
In this fight against a media giant, “Our army is our audience and our allies. We believe we can win this battle and keep the voice of OUT FRONT strong,”‖ Cunningham concludes.
Help OUT FRONT protect a 40-year legacy, check out their campaign on GoFundMe
100% of the money raised will go to the fight to secure OUT FRONT’S 40 year brand and ensure that it will go on for another 40 years.
