(Guest Post by Emma Richards)

If you’ve ever dreamed of making the 6 o’clock news, your chance might be a click
away. SeeClickFix has hundreds of partnerships with local media outlets nationwide –
meaning the issues you report to us can become the topic of a news story, investigation or
more. This latest story is just one example of how when our partners put your community
in the limelight, problems are solved.

SeeClickFix, together with WBTV in Charlotte, NC, has helped drivers along route I-
77N see things much more clearly after a concerned viewer reported a blindingly obvious
problem. Drivers were driven to distraction each night by an electronic billboard off exit
23 in Huntersville that was displaying advertisements with dangerous intensity. Imagine
the Seinfeld episode featuring Jerry and Kramer’s plight against Kenny Rogers Roasters
and their neon chicken sign, and you can begin to understand how damaging bright lights
can be.

WBTV reporter John Carter saw the problem reported on SeeClickFix and began
investigating how to solve it. His efforts included contacting the North Carolina
Department of Transportation, where he informed them of the problem and learned that
there are regulations about the brightness of electronic billboards. Carter then went on to
contact the owner of the billboard, Adams Outdoor Advertising, where an enlightening
discovery was made. The brightness sensor on the billboard was broken and has since
been replaced, solving the problem and eliminating a huge distraction for drivers.

So while the resolution of the problem for Jerry and Kramer may not have been ideal, our
local media partners are helping SeeClickFix users see a happy ending to the problems
they report. Thank you to WBTV News Channel 3, and their viewer who took the time to
report this glaring issue.