News flash: Advertising Age says that Times Square advertising is expensive and worth it! But the report is actually kind of interesting, if you're at all curious as to how much those pulsating signs cost (anywhere from $175,000 all the way up to $350,000 - media only). What's interesting to Gothamist are the unaccounted for residual benefits of having a Times Square sign, like how it might be seen in any number of movies or TV shows or books or postcards... and think of all the tourist pictures the signs are in! Other fun facts: Times Square has "40 million annual individual visitors -- roughly equivalent to 14% of the U.S. population" - or, if it were an Arbitron media market, "it would rank No. 152, right there between Rockford, Ill., and Flagstaff, Ariz."
Are there any Times Square signs that you love or hate these days? You can take a tour of notable Times Square signs here. And Times Square photos on Flickr.