LAist is part of Southern California Public Radio (SCPR), a member-supported public media network. Hear our news on-air at our partner site:
Beneath the freeway-lining billboards for gentlemen's clubs and vodka are a much more subtle kind of advertising: freeway signs. And they seem to be a particular favorite of small colleges.
A recent Los Angeles Times article looks in particular at the hoard of freeway signage promoting lesser-known or for-profit colleges and vocational schools -- which include jewels like the Hypnosis Motivation Institute -- along the US 101 in the west San Fernando Valley. Journalist Bob Pool notes that an especially sign-dense 7-mile stretch of the Ventura Freeway might belong in a college catalog under "College Promotion 101."
While not an especially glamorous way of reaching potential students, applying for a freeway sign from CalTrans seems right up there with the glossy brochures in terms of creating an image for colleges.
"There's a sense of pride in having a freeway sign," said Alan L. Gansberg, dean of Tarzana's Columbia College Hollywood. "It legitimizes you."
Sounds a little dramatic, but maybe that's the vehicle-centric L.A. mentality speaking.
So who exactly is allowed to apply for a big fancy metal sign?
The article continues:
Caltrans engineers say their rules allow public and private post-secondary schools — both nonprofit and for-profit — to apply for freeway directional signs. To qualify, campuses generally must have at least 1,000 full- or part-time students, said Maria Raptis, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Transportation. Schools pay a $7,500 fee to cover the 13-foot-by-51/2-foot signs' manufacture and installation. Caltrans pays for ongoing maintenance.
In one of a series of rants posted in the comments section of the Times article, commenter mjolles wrote:
"This is pretty cheap advertising, considering most of these private colleges are owned by corporations listed on [Wall Street], that make their money exploiting the financial age programs by suckering students into a lifetime of debt. Scamtrans has found another creative way to finance their jobs while the State of California goes under.
Let's give McDonald's a sign for Hamburger College and H&R Block one for their tax preparation classes."
LA Observed's Kevin Roderick called the whole enterprise "state-sanctioned PR."
What do you think: Are these signs really a big deal? Or are people not making a big enough fuss?