Clear Channel digital billboards in SoCal hax0r3d

We've gotten pretty used to seeing crashed digital billboards and signage dot the landscape, but just like regular billboards, what's really interesting is when the graffiti artists manage to get their own messages up on the big (big) screen. Looks like Clear Channel is the latest victim - 10 LA-area billboards owned by the media giant started displaying the logo of 18-year-old graffiti artist Skullphone last Thursday, slotted innocuously within the regular ad rotation. Sure, it's not quite at the anarcho-political level of the Billboard Liberation Front and their ilk, but every great leap begins with just a small step, no? Hit the read link for tons more photos.

[Via Textually.org]

[retro77 @ Mar 25th 2008 6:07PM]

Grats!

[Aguiluz @ Mar 25th 2008 6:18PM]

0wn3d

[usedHONDA @ Mar 25th 2008 6:08PM]

...first, pictures of skulls, next, porn. Muahahahaha!

>_>

[Blaktornado @ Mar 25th 2008 6:58PM]

How about 2girls1cup? THE WHOLE WORLD SHALL EXPERIENCE IT'S WRATH (or at least the drivers in LA)

[Derek @ Mar 25th 2008 7:48PM]

@Blaktornado
I cannot believe you are highly ranked. That video is very disgusting and sickening.

[jimmy @ Mar 25th 2008 8:48PM]

derek: you forgot 'sexy'

don't get your panties in a bunch, its a joke. stupid.

[Ellianth @ Mar 25th 2008 9:51PM]

2 girls 1 cup on billboards could really help the American economy. I for one would totally run down to LA to see it in person. Think of all the money you guys would make off tourism!

[Jamar @ Mar 25th 2008 10:24PM]

And the traffic jams would stop happening; do you want to stay in an area where 2girls1cup is within your sight?

[ed @ Mar 25th 2008 10:59PM]

@blaktornado

Are you fucking serious? If that started playing out on the billboards next to the freeways there would be a thousand fucking accidents.

I mean that literally. A THOUSAND fucking accidents. At least.

Oh and P.S - FUCK YOU. I just about got over that video and you opened up the pain again. Nice and Fresh. You bastard.

[Zeus.:God @ Mar 25th 2008 11:02PM]

"And the traffic jams would stop happening; do you want to stay in an area where 2girls1cup is within your sight?"

Uh... Let me think about that... YES!

[gt2378b @ Mar 26th 2008 2:18AM]

Ed, you are the comical sort of person who makes splashing 2girls1cup on a billboard worthwhile.

Just kidding. Check out SWAP.avi to clear 2girls from your mind.

[Blaktornado @ Mar 26th 2008 6:02AM]

Derek and ed, I was only kidding. Sheeeesh.

Thanks for pissing on the bonfire.

[CL @ Mar 25th 2008 6:09PM]

This is just AWESOME.

[Apple Fanboy #3782 @ Mar 25th 2008 6:13PM]

Why skulls?

Why not an iPhone?

[phanbouy @ Mar 25th 2008 6:17PM]

is that high effort parody? either way you're lame.

[retro77 @ Mar 25th 2008 6:30PM]

you see the skulls are holding a....ah never mind! I hate apples!

[Khris @ Mar 25th 2008 6:44PM]

Because not everything revolves around the iPhone

[ethana2 @ Mar 25th 2008 7:18PM]

Zorque, shall I fight him to the death?

[Zak @ Mar 25th 2008 7:32PM]

You fail as a fake fanboy, way too transparent. Try again.

[Mills @ Mar 25th 2008 6:16PM]

serious kudos to this guy. he is a genius

[jimmy @ Mar 25th 2008 8:50PM]

hell yeah, i'm jealous of how awesome this guy is. my hero

[I LOVE THE CAPS LOCK KEY @ Mar 26th 2008 11:15AM]

I believe this is his official website:
http://shopskullphone.com/Scripts/
http://www.skullphone.com/home.htm

MYSPACE:
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=63398140

[bamboo @ Mar 25th 2008 6:20PM]

Already posted my hate for CC in today's other anti CC thread, but just noticed that their stock on wallstreet is down more than $7 today. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Hope they get a clue.

[Towncivilian @ Mar 25th 2008 6:23PM]

http://img264.imageshack.us/img264/8696/0200624083200ta8is9.jpg

Is it as good as that one?

[retro77 @ Mar 25th 2008 6:29PM]

classic

[haX0r @ Mar 25th 2008 6:29PM]

Sickness!

[Khris @ Mar 25th 2008 6:33PM]

Great hack = Clear Channel billboards hacked with pictures of Skulls.

BEST HACK EVER = Clear Channel billboards hacked with Sirius and XM logos.

[retro77 @ Mar 25th 2008 6:37PM]

Oh that would be oh so sweet!

[TEG @ Mar 25th 2008 6:46PM]

Great Idea.

[haX0r @ Mar 25th 2008 11:27PM]

BEST HACK EVER: Clear Channel billboards hacked with Competitors Names and Logos like CBS Outdoor, CBS Radio and Citadel Broadcasting.

[dave @ Mar 26th 2008 8:12AM]

Um.. Clear Channel is a big investor of XM. They even run a few channels on XM Radio.

[nxtiak @ Mar 25th 2008 6:33PM]

10 freeway in LA? but where exactly?!?!?! I wanna know!

[chexmixlover @ Mar 25th 2008 6:49PM]

I saw these and was wondering what this was about. The one at the corner of Olympic & Westwood as well as the one at the corner of Olympic & Sepulveda were both hacked. I'm reasonably sure that the one just down the street from Wilshire & Bundy was hacked, and I think the one at the corner of Bundy & Pico was also hacked. I see so many of these new signs driving around LA they all blend together. I didn't realize how many of these they'd put up until I just now thought about it...

[PhilxBefore @ Mar 25th 2008 6:49PM]

I thought it said it was off the 10 as well but re-reading the post and its stating that he 'hacked' 10 billboards.

[OM @ Mar 25th 2008 6:45PM]

Ha, awesome. I stand by one to catch the bus home from work, I'll have to keep an eye out for the skulls.

[Paul @ Mar 25th 2008 6:49PM]

The next billboard should be a Rick Roll.

[TEG @ Mar 25th 2008 6:48PM]

How hard is it to have these billboards NOT be on the internet. It would be "Hack Proof" if they required physical human interaction to change the ads, instead of just pushing new ads over the 'net. But of course, Clear Channel probabily has one guy in North Dakota who runs all their billboards, just so they can pay the federal minimum wage.

F-Clear Channel.

[Josh L @ Mar 25th 2008 7:37PM]

Only a narrow-minded idiot would bash something as deliciously geeky and convenient as being able to push ads to a billboard from anywhere with an internet connection, just because a company you don't like happens to own some billboards that do it.

It would also most certainly NOT be "hack-proof" if it required a physical interface. Hell, even if the port was proprietary and the system running these was somehow magically protected by Jesus Christ Himself from hack attempts, there's still always spray paint.

[gt2378b @ Mar 26th 2008 2:07AM]

"It would be "Hack Proof" if they required physical human interaction to change the ads..."

Hahaha, graf artists generally don't shy from physical interaction, dude.

[Tony @ Mar 25th 2008 6:51PM]

I saw one of those this past weekend (somwhere in West LA, maybe on Wilshire) and figured it was hacked or some kind of viral marketing scheme.

[Brad @ Mar 25th 2008 6:59PM]

Engadget: All the links to your old stories have broken images. Kind of deflates the impact of a story about graffiti.

[Neebs @ Mar 25th 2008 7:12PM]

Works for me.

[ozzzy @ Mar 25th 2008 7:03PM]

Wow, I pass by three or four of these on my way to work and didn't notice this. I guess I've already tuned out the billboards.

[Fed @ Mar 25th 2008 7:17PM]

Now that is cool. Props to the hacker.

[asphixiated @ Mar 25th 2008 7:22PM]

Heres the video showing how they did it:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=oHg5SJYRHA0

[Joe B. @ Mar 25th 2008 7:28PM]

Is this Rick Roll thing ever going to die? I didn't even click it, but its bleeding obvious. There isn't going to be a video on how to hack billboards anyways.

It used to be pretty funny, now its just old and overused. Getting a Rick Roll on a billboard would be gold though.

And if that is a video on billboard hacking, well, sorry.

[Dennis @ Mar 25th 2008 7:29PM]

what is it with you?

[phanbouy @ Mar 25th 2008 7:35PM]

still 10x funnier than doom/blend/robot comments

[The Dude @ Mar 25th 2008 8:02PM]

Didn't Family Guy Rick Roll millions of Americans when Brian sang it?

[Reader @ Mar 25th 2008 10:35PM]

"still 10x funnier than doom/blend/robot comments"

Well since I would put doom/blend/robot comments at a 0 rating, 10x that isn't that much.