Economy claims new ad medium

A new advertising medium operating in Reno in recent months stalled due to the sluggish economy, says Guy Walsh, president of Front Row Media.

Walsh purchased a mobile advertising truck in September for $92,000. The truck featured two 10-foot by six-foot ad panels on the sides and another on the back. Through the use of backlighting and translucent material, ads looked like they scrolled across a high-definition television screen.

Walsh says he could not line up enough advertisers to make Front Row Media viable. He's offering the truck for sale or lease assumption, and Front Row Media's branding, Web site, commercials and videos will be packaged into the deal.

"The housing market pulled the bottom card out of the house of cards," Walsh says. "Being a new company and not having a lot of startup capital, the income just didn't come as quickly as needed."

Walsh says development of the business would require hiring a sales team to boost revenues.

"We decided to pull the plug and let someone else see if they have more operating capital and can make it go. We don't feel it is the right time for us to put any more money into it. It did work for the people who bought advertising from us; it is a viable medium."