Rangers Can’t Bear Airborne Ads For Topless Bars Legislation Tries To Banish Banners That Fill Airspace Over The Ballpark

It all comes down to exposure.

Exposure is all nude clubs say they seek with banners towed by airplanes over The Ballpark at Arlington during baseball games.

But the exposure offered by the strippers at the clubs has gotten under the skin of Arlington officials who want the aerial banners stopped.

The banners, which stream across the sky during Texas Rangers’ home games, inform fans about movies, restaurants, area bars and naked dancers.

“Kids will see worse on cable TV,” says Roger Ward, president and owner of Skyways Advertising, whose planes fly about half of the banners. “We have no pictures, we have no obscenities. The worst word we have up there is ‘topless.”’

But that’s enough for the Rangers, the city of Arlington and U.S. Rep. Joe Barton.

Barton, a conservative Republican from nearby Ennis, has come up with a stadium statute he introduced to the congressional Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

His bill would require all planes to fly no lower than 2,000 feet above sea level and no closer than 2,000 feet of the ballpark during any public event identified by the city.

That’s about 500 feet higher than the current regulation, which requires aircraft to remain at least 1,000 feet above the highest obstacle.

Barton’s bill, similar to a bill introduced last year that didn’t get out of committee, was introduced after Arlington officials complained to the congressman’s office.

If the legislation passes this session, it would be the first of its kind, says Greg Juro, an air traffic specialist with the Federal Aviation Administration in Fort Worth.

Advertisers aren’t too concerned about the bill.

“Barton’s bill is never going to pass. He’s just wasting taxpayers’ money,” Ward said. “There definitely would be a lawsuit if we get banned.”

But Barton won a partial victory last week, when the FAA imposed a temporary flight restriction for Monday and Tuesday - the day preceding and the day of the baseball AllStar game and festivities at the Ballpark.

Arlington Mayor Richard Greene said he’s fed up with the banners.

“They couldn’t pay us enough for permission to do what they’re doing,” Greene said. “We spend millions of dollars promoting Arlington as a family site. This practice is contrary to our desire to build that positive, family image for our city.”

Rangers’ president Tom Schieffer said the banners are a source of many complaints by fans. However, fans at a recent Rangers game against Oakland took both sides of the issue.

“I don’t pay much attention, so it doesn’t bother me much,” said David Gallop of Dallas, who took his child to the game. “It’s probably not appropriate for the kids and they’re going to ask questions. But it doesn’t bother me.”

“I’d like them to be not here,” said Tony Jowers of Arlington, who went to the game with his wife and three children.

“The last game we went to, there were four planes advertising different topless bars. The kids have asked what they’re for. We just tell them they’re for bars and don’t say anything more.”

The mayor said people are complaining about the ads because of concern for their safety.

Says Ward: “It’s funny that safety becomes an issue because they don’t like the message.”

“I think that is definitely a bunch of hooey because all FAA guidelines are strictly followed with altitude and distance,” said John Faltynski, general manager for Freeman Management, which operates two topless bars in Arlington.

There never have been any FAA reports of safety problems involving the aerial ads, said John Clabes, public affairs officer of the southwest region for the FAA.

FAA air traffic specialists say they are concerned about the proposed bill because it would affect all planes.