TV Stations and "Drive Safely" Road Signs

[retrothoughts]

Back in the 1960's, I noticed some green-on-white road signs [as opposed to billboards] that said "Drive Safely", with the name of a sponsoring TV station below it. In the Chattanooga area, for instance, it was WRCB-3, but when my family and I drove through Rome, Georgia, those same signs were sponsored by WAGA-5 in Atlanta.

I was thinking that since the signs had green text, I could've been thinking that the National Safety Council worked in conjunction with those particular TV stations, but that would be too obvious a guess. Even so, has anyone here remembered seeing signs similar to what I just described?

 

[BobbyNBC10]

I remember the WRCB-TV Drive Safely signs in the viewing area as I visited relatives there in the 1960's and 70's.

 

[fybush]

WGAL-TV (Channel 8) in Lancaster, PA has had blue "Drive Carefully" signs in place at the entrance to just about every community within a huge radius of the station for decades.

You can see an example about 2/3 of the way down this page:

http://alpsroads.net/roads/pa/us_30/e.html

The WGAL signs show up even in areas that are well beyond the station's current cable/satellite reach; I've seen them more than 50 miles away from Lancaster.

 

[DToTheJ]

While we're on the subject, have any TV stations participated in local "Adopt-A-Highway" efforts?

 

[firepoint525]

Don't remember any such signs sponsored by TV stations, but I remember signs that read, "Slow, dear playing," ??? and they were sponsored by area banks. There were pics on these signs of children playing, so I suppose the "dear" represented children.

 

[azumanga]

Until recently, Dunedin, Florida had signs placed at its city limits reminding people not to litter (I think); the signs featured Michigan J. Frog and was sponsored by The WB network -- the signs were removed in 2006, shortly after The WB left the airwaves and The CW started up.

 

[fortmill]

WBTV/3 Charlotte for many years built and maintained roadside school bus shelters throughout its very extensive viewing area. They were metal three sided buildings,open toward the highway, with each side a billboard advertising WBTV with the current logo. There were hundreds, maybe thousands and I don't think the last disappeared until sometime in the 80s.

 

[oldiesfan6479]

WGAL-TV...Lancaster, PA

Steinman Stations
Clair McCullough, President

OK, so I like old Broadcasting Yearbook covers.

Oops, I forgot WTEV New Bedford. Apparently others would like to also,
both then and now.

So what's the deal, one can't type "8" followed by "close parens" because
you'll get "8)" ?

 

[ixnay]

Philadelphia's Channel 6 had at least one, in Delaware County, on Chichester Avenue 1/4 mile south of the I-95 interchange, welcoming motorists and pedestrians to Lower Chichester Township. The sign managed to survive Ch. 6's change of calls from WFIL to WPVI unaltered. Don't know if the sign still exists.

ixnay

 

[azumanga]

So what's the deal, one can't type "8" followed by "close parens" because
you'll get "8)" ?

Check "Don't use smileys" under "additional options".

 

[cd637299]

So what's the deal, one can't type "8" followed by "close parens" because
you'll get "8)" ?

Check "Don't use smileys" under "additional options".

It never fails to show the "cool" emoticon. Other boards have the same thing. It isn't easy, but I try to remember to have a space between the 8 and the ), just like when I type a URL, I have to remember to leave spaces on both sides; otherwise, forget clicking on it!

cd

 

[bpatrick]

Back on topic, I remember the WAGA signs as late as the
early '70s; they read, "Drive safely. We want all our
viewers." They were white on a green background.

Slightly off-topic, WAVY in the late '60s would sometimes
do a safe-driving PSA at station ID time: "Drive Defensively,
TV-10."

 

[KYLEBOOK]

While we're on the subject, have any TV stations participated in local "Adopt-A-Highway" efforts?

In Queens, NY, on the LIE a few exits east of Citi Field, there's an "Adopt-A-Highway" sign sponsored by Channel 55 WLNY.

 

[azumanga]

While we're on the subject, have any TV stations participated in local "Adopt-A-Highway" efforts?

In Queens, NY, on the LIE a few exits east of Citi Field, there's an "Adopt-A-Highway" sign sponsored by Channel 55 WLNY.

If you want to count cable networks, Nickelodeon sponsored a segment of I-4 around the Beeline Expressway area in Orlando in the 1990s, back when they still had studios at Universal Orlando.

 

[Kent T]

WBIR TV-10 in Knoxville, TN had the "Drive Safely" road signs in the 1960's and 1970's.

 

[Unregistered]

Until recently, Dunedin, Florida had signs placed at its city limits reminding people not to litter (I think); the signs featured Michigan J. Frog and was sponsored by The WB network -- the signs were removed in 2006, shortly after The WB left the airwaves and The CW started up.

Maybe WTTA the local WB affiliate in Tampa put those up.

 

[Unregistered]

If you want to count cable networks, Nickelodeon sponsored a segment of I-4 around the Beeline Expressway area in Orlando in the 1990s, back when they still had studios at Universal Orlando.

I hope Nick sponsors a segment of I-4 around World Center Dr or CFL GreeneWay for their Nick Hotel.