Clear Channel Outdoor Donates Digital Billboards for Afterschool Campaign
2026-10-13 · via Digital Signage Today
Clear Channel Outdoor is donating ad space on nearly 2,000 digital billboards across 25 markets this October to support Lights On Afterschool, a nationwide campaign from the Afterschool Alliance marking the initiative's 27th year, according to a press release.
The creative running on those screens was designed by a 15-year-old student from Usher's New Look, an afterschool program. The piece, titled "Powered by Afterschool," will appear on digital billboards throughout the month as part of a broader effort to promote roughly 8,000 Lights On Afterschool events scheduled on or around October 22.
For operators and media owners, this is a reminder of how digital out-of-home inventory gets used for cause marketing and nonprofit partnerships, not just paid advertising. Clear Channel Outdoor says it is donating some of its most visible locations, including two jumbo billboards in New York's Times Square and the illumination of Boston's South Station, to carry the message on October 22.
What the release does and does not say
The announcement names 25 markets as the campaign footprint but does not list them. It does not specify total media value, how long each market's billboards will carry the creative beyond the October 22 date, or whether other DOOH companies are participating alongside Clear Channel Outdoor. There is also no detail on how the student's design was selected or whether Usher's New Look plans similar partnerships in future years.
Dan Levi, Clear Channel Outdoor's executive vice president and chief marketing officer, said in the release that the company uses Lights On Afterschool each year to highlight the value of afterschool programs, and that this year's focus is on putting student-created work directly on billboards nationwide.
Why it matters for the industry
Donated inventory campaigns like this one are a recurring feature of the DOOH business, particularly around causes with broad public support. They function as goodwill marketing for the media owner while giving nonprofits reach they could not otherwise afford. For digital signage and DOOH operators, campaigns tied to a single-day activation across major markets also serve as a visible proof point of network scale and flexibility, since the same creative needs to be pushed to screens in dozens of markets on a tight schedule.
The release does not indicate whether Clear Channel Outdoor will report back on audience reach or engagement figures for the campaign once it concludes.
The announcement in full
Reproduced from Digital Signage Today for reference. Digital Signage Magazine did not write the text below.
The Afterschool Alliance is teaming with Clear Channel Outdoor for a national visibility campaign that celebrates afterschool programs, featuring artwork created by a 15-year-old afterschool student from Usher's New Look.
The student's "Powered by Afterschool" design will run across nearly 2,000 digital billboards in October as part of Lights On Afterschool, the 27th annual nationwide celebration, according to a press release.
Some 8,000 Lights On Afterschool events will take place on or around October 22 to shine a spotlight on the many ways afterschool programs support students and their families, and to call attention to the need for more afterschool resources.
Clear Channel Outdoor is supporting Lights On Afterschool by donating some of its most prominent spaces to display afterschool messages on digital billboards in 25 markets around the country throughout October.
On October 22, Clear Channel will feature Evelyn's artwork on two jumbo billboards in New York City's Times Square and will illuminate Boston's South Station.
"Every year, Lights On Afterschool gives us an opportunity to use the power of out-of-home to shine a light on the importance of afterschool programs," Dan Levi, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Clear Channel Outdoor, said in the release. "This year, we're putting the spotlight on the youth themselves, bringing student-designed creative from Usher's New Look to billboards nationwide. Seeing their ideas displayed across the country is a meaningful way to celebrate what young people are creating through afterschool programs and remind communities why these opportunities matter."
Get the latest news and resources from Digital Signage Today.