TD Garden officials "have agreed to shrink the massive Bud Light sign on the north side of the arena within three years to comply with federal and state restrictions on highway billboards," according to Todd Wallack of the BOSTON GLOBE. After negotiations with Massachusetts highway officials, TD Garden execs "pledged to replace the sign with a more modest display of no more than 1,200 square feet, less than a quarter of its current size." They "initially argued that the sign, visible to thousands of commuters on Interstate 93, should be considered a landmark, akin to the Citgo sign" near Fenway Park. TD Garden Dir of PR Tricia McCorkle said, "We still believe our billboard complies with all the regulations, but we all agreed this was the best outcome to avoid litigation." TD Garden reps "pointed out they had a legal permit for the sign from the city, as well as a multi-year advertising contract with Anheuser-Busch." State officials said that the "current incarnation of the billboard, congratulating the Bruins on their Stanley Cup victory in June, would comply with federal and state rules, since only a small portion focuses on Bud Light." But TD Garden "opted to shrink the sign instead to obtain a state permit, giving it more flexibility on what ads to use in the future" (BOSTON GLOBE, 11/4).
