This week, the Board of New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority voted to allow alcohol advertising on New York City buses, subways, and elsewhere in the City's transit system.
The MTA Advertising Policy sets forth detailed requirements about the types of advertising that is permitted in the City's transit system. The Policy prohibits, for example, political advertising, tobacco and cannabis advertising, and sexually-oriented advertising.
The updates to the Policy now allow for alcohol advertising in digital formats, so long as the ads don't run during typical student commuting hours (i.e., 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.) on weekdays when school is in session. The Policy also prohibits alcohol advertising that is "targeted to run in any particular geographic community." In addition, advertisements on station exteriors may not be readable within 500 feet of a school, playground or place of worship.
Under the new Policy, alcohol advertising is also permitted in fixed "train wrap" formats on the Times Square shuttle.
In addition, the new Policy also permits alcohol advertising in fixed formats in the commuter rail portions of Grand Central Terminal, Grand Central Madison, Jamaica Station, and Penn Station, as well as in stations that are adjacent to venues where alcohol is served where the seating capacity is 5,000 or more (within New York City) or 1,500 or more (outside of New York City).
Finally, the updated Policy permits billboard advertising, so long as the ads are not readable within 500 feet of a school, playground, or place of worship.
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