Metro

‘Fake News’ billboard pulled down in Times Square

An ad on a billboard in Times Square that attacked the “Fake Media” and alleged fundraising abuses by Hillary Clinton was yanked after the building owner — the media giant Viacom — objected.

The pro-Trump Committee to Defend the President paid for the digital ad that appeared Monday on screens outside 1515 Broadway, Viacom’s headquarters.

The building is owned by SL Green Realty, the firm founded by Stephen L. Green, a major Democratic Party donor who is the brother of liberal politician Mark Green. But the building’s tenant, Viacom, controls what ad space appears outside.

“The building owner received multiple complaints to remove the ad and, per their agreement, they reserve the right to cancel any campaign that receives complaints or negative feedback,” Bryan Hartong of RRTV Media, the ad rep, said in an email Tuesday to his client, Dan Backer, counsel to the Committee to the Defend the President

Backer said the five-figure ad was supposed to run for the entire week.





“They approved the ad. How much pressure does it take to make a multi-billion dollar corporation knuckle under?” he asked.

A Green spokesman referred questions to Viacom.

Viacom spokesman Jeremy Zweig confirmed the company had the ad taken down.

“Consistent with our standard policy discouraging issue advertising on our headquarters’ Times Square signage that could be controversial to the community, we removed the ad in question from rotation,” Zweig said.

Stephen Green donated $100,000 to the Hillary Victory Fund last year, records show.





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