26 Jul 2024

The man who decided how bright billboards should be

From Afternoons, 1:38 pm on 26 July 2024

You might have experienced a billboard bright enough to shine through your curtains or strain your eyes whilst driving past. So who gets to decide how flashy these billboards can be, and how did the one in Porirua one end up shining so brightly?

There's no one better to ask than Russ Kern, an illumination engineer who helped set the standards when digital billboards were first introduced to the country in 2011.

Two digital billboards on a highway.

Photo: 123rf