Media Circus

When Judge Roy Hofheinz opened his spectacular Astrodome on April 9, 1965, Americans got a preview of electronic-sign futures. Billed as "the eighth wonder of the world," the Houston stadium incorporated a $2 million scoreboard that was capable of various animated effects triggered by home runs or touchdowns from the Astros and Oilers. As a teenager, I remember being mesmerized by the TV images of smoke-snorting bulls and gun-slinging cowboys.

By current standards, of course, the original Astrodome scoreboard was an overpriced dinosaur. Today’s moving-message displays are capable of producing visual effects far beyond those early "bells and whistles" at only a fraction of the cost. Nowadays, the moving-message category includes signs that, combined with state-of-the-art sound systems, convert sports arenas and concert halls to theaters-in-the-round. New technology provides advertisers with the tools to reach captive audiences with an almost limitless variety of supercharged messages.

In his seminal book Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man, Marshall McLuhan observed that the power of electronic media (television in particular) stands entirely independent of the program content. In terms of sheer power to absorb an audience, the gulf between traditional and electronic signage equates to the distance between Gutenberg and Spielberg. That’s why electronic signs have become such important tools for major advertisers, including professional sports organizations. In our McLuhanesque world of grand-format video, it’s evident that the "game" isn’t necessarily what’s happening on the field of play anymore.

Raven reviews

On August 8th, the Maryland Stadium Authority (MSA) unveiled one of the world’s most spectacular examples of electronic signage at the opening of Baltimore’s new Ravens Stadium. During an exhibition game between the Ravens and the Chicago Bears, two 24-by-100-foot full-color LED screens located at opposite ends of the field held patrons spellbound (Fig. 1). The flat, SmartVision