News

Media and entertainment company writes advertising history atop NYC's largest rooftop billboard

July 19, 2016

Media and entertainment company iHeartMedia Inc has staked its claim to the New York City skyline with its new presence on one of the city's most iconic billboards, high atop the old Ruppert Ice House, overlooking the Triboro/RFK Bridge leading into Manhattan and out of The Bronx, according to a press release from outdoor advertising company Clear Channel Outdoor Americas.

The billboard provided by Clear Channel displays the iHeartRadio logo and is one of only eight brands to grace this historic billboard over the last 80 years. The company joins Pepsi and Domino Sugar as one of only three historic billboards along the East River.

The new iHeartMedia billboard is over 8,000 square feet and is visible for miles from various vantage points around the city, the release said. In addition to the iHeartRadio logo, the billboard will display a digital LED screen that promotes iHeartMedia's New York City-based station brands — Z100, Power 105, KTU, Lite FM, Q104.3 and WOR — and upcoming events such as the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Tour and the iHeartRadio Music Awards. The billboard is scheduled for completion in the coming days.

Clear Channel has invested $2 million in the billboard's renovation over the last year and worked with officials to secure its grandfathered status in 2015. This billboard, and the building it stands atop, carries with it a history dating back to the 1920s.

"Having Clear Channel Outdoor Americas reinvest in this iconic sign, which serves as a beacon to all Bronx residents and a landmark throughout the region, while also having a leading national media company move into our neighborhood via this historic billboard is emblematic of the continued revitalization of The Bronx," said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz. "On behalf of the millions who travel this route every week, and the more than 1.4 million people who live here, I am thrilled to welcome iHeartMedia to our borough's waterfront."

The building was constructed for Jacob Ruppert, who owned the New York Yankees baseball team, built Yankee Stadium and brought Babe Ruth to the team. The Ruppert family owned and operated Rupert Beer and Knickerbocker Beer, and originally used the building to store ice and keep beer cold prior to the refrigeration era. Ruppert Beer was the first brand to adorn this sign, maintaining its presence there from 1936 to 1952, the release said.

Each brand that followed in Ruppert's footprint for the next 80 years held claim to the billboard for nearly a decade or more. These include: Knickerbocker Beer (1952-1962), City Services Gasoline (aka Citgo, 1962-early 1970s), Kent Cigarettes (early 1970s-late 70s), Golden Lights Cigarettes (early 1980s-late 80s), Newport Cigarettes (early 1990s-1999), History Channel (2000-2015) and now iHeartMedia this year, according to the release.

"Given iHeartMedia's huge audience, unparalleled national and local reach and profile, it's only fitting that the company would have the most historic and viewed sign in New York City," said Scott Wells, CEO of Clear Channel Outdoor Americas.

"We are proud of iHeartRadio's strong presence in New York City, and this incredible billboard, which reaches millions of people every month with the power of this display, embodies our presence here and our commitment to our listeners," said Bob Pittman, chairman and CEO of iHeartMedia Inc.