New York's $1 million billboard

By Eriq Gardner

A couple weeks ago we discussed the billboard near the 405 Freeway in Los Angeles that's a subject of dispute between Sony Pictures and 20th Century Fox.

At $487,500 for six months of rental, one might be tempted to call the billboard space the entertainment industry's most illustrious, expensive outdoor advertising spot.

Well, at least that's what folks in LA might lead you to believe.

Over in New York City, there's a gigantic billboard near a building at Astor Place that has be utilized by the Fox show, "King of the Hill" and the Turner Cartoon Network.

Six months of rental there will run an advertiser like Time Warner $30,000.

That might not seem like much compared to the billboard near the 405, but New York has other ways to make the billboard space ungodly expensive. According to The Daily News, the city's buildings department has issued more than 70 violations on the billboard thanks to the city's very strict zoning laws. Total cost? $955,000.