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AMBER Alert and Outdoor Advertising <br />A Valuable Partnership <br />What role do digital billboards play in AMBER Alerts? <br />AMBER Alerts are distributed by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) <br />based on a strict set of criteria. While local officials make the original request to declare an <br />AMBER Alert, NCMEC is responsible for distributing the Alert to numerous partners known as <br />secondary distributors. Outdoor advertising companies owning digital billboards are secondary <br />distributors. <br />How do Alerts get to digital billboards? <br />A proprietary Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA) system is linked to NCMEC's <br />central AMBER Alert database. When an Alert is issued, the OAAA system sends a notification <br />to participating companies in the relevant jurisdictions with a standardized image for placement <br />on digital billboards. The entire process usually takes less than 15 minutes. <br />How are Alerts posted? <br />Per an agreement with NCMEC, AMBER Alerts take over a digital billboard exclusively for one <br />hour after they are issued. Every digital billboard in the affected markets runs nothing but the <br />AMBER Alert during that period. After one hour, the AMBER Alert is placed in rotation with other <br />advertising for 48 hours or until the Alert ends, whichever comes first. <br />How much does it cost to post an Alert? <br />All space for AMBER Alerts is donated by the participating outdoor advertising companies. <br />Regular, paid commercial content is preempted by AMBER Alerts. <br />Why are digital billboards valuable? <br />NCMEC uses digital billboards because they are able to provide information, including pictures, <br />to the driving public very quickly. The signs also provide license plate numbers and vehicle <br />descriptions. The use of pictures is considered extremely valuable by NCMEC. <br />Who can I contact for more information about digital billboards and AMBER <br />Alerts? <br />OAAA's AMBER Alert coordinator is Nicole Hayes. She can be reached at (202) 833 -5566. <br />