Should MARTA sell naming rights to stations?

[bu2]

Originally Posted by cqholt

Who cares as long as the side of the buses are generating money? Hell Ken Nuget has a rail car wrapped for an advertisement.

Same reason many cities limit billboards. Visual pollution.

[AnsleyPark]

I think something like "North Avenue Station (sponsored by AT&T)" would be fine. In addition to the license fee to cover MARTA's costs of signage and changing the names in informational media, charge a maintenance fee as well to help offset the cost of keeping the station clean.

[MattCW]

Maybe MARTA could do an adopt-a-station, like the adopt-a-mile program. I'm sure more than a few scout troops and other civic organizations wouldn't mind doing public service once in a while.

[magnetar]

Originally Posted by bu2

I think the station names should be informative, not advertising. If we do advertising, I don't have any problem with alcohol. But we have to weigh the need for money vs. making transit (and the city) look trashy.

I agree that there's something kind of gross about forcing people riding public transit to ride around in rolling advertisements getting on and off at branded stations, but honestly I support any reasonable effort MARTA makes to bring in money. If people don't want to see advertising on public transit ask their representatives to financially support MARTA.

[samiwas1]

As much as I hate advertising everywhere, and it is EVERYWHERE, I realize it's kind of a necessary evil as far as covering some costs. I just hate when it becomes really blatant and more about the advertising than the thing the advertising is on (I'm looking at you, Turner Field).

But, I draw the line at station-renaming. It's bad enough that we plaster these names on arenas and stadiums, and change them every few years. The amphitheatre has been Lakewood Amphitheatre, Coca-Cola Lakewood Amphitheatre, Lakewood Amphitheatre, HiFi Buys Amphitheatre, Lakewood Amphitheatre (again!), and finally Arron's Amphitheatre at Lakewood. It gets to the point that no one knows what you're talking about. We don't need that kind of crap with MARTA stations.

I have to wonder how long it will be before we have "AT&T Street at Peachtree" or "Coca-Cola North Avenue".

[MattCW]

I'm not sure the advertising on the outside of the trains is necessary, nor worthwhile. When do people see the trains? The only time outsiders see the trains is when they blast across on a bridge. But those are basically over highways so who really watches them? People in stations don't really see them because they're boarding the train and half the advertisement is below the platform anyway even if they're waiting for the next train. With this lack of readability, I think the advertisements just make the trains look trashy, especially those cars with that yellow wrap thing running around.