Advertising on Television Rockets, as Super PACs Pour in the Dough: Total Spending $5 Billion

[xchrom]

http://www.alternet.org/election-2012/advertising-television-rockets-super-pacs-pour-dough-total-spending-5-billion



After the votes are counted in November, there will be a big winner in the 2012 election who is not Mitt Romney, Barack Obama nor their top donors. This winner does not want to change anything about how America’s latest national election was run.

The unadvertised victors are media businesses that are seeing political advertising profits reach into the billions. There is no one estimate that combines all of 2012’s campaign advertising across all media, but one of the biggest winners clearly will be local TV stations and regional TV networks in 10 presidential swing states—and in California because of its costly statewide ballot measures.

These TV stations alone will earn $2.8 billion in the 2011-12 election cycle, according to a forecast by Moody’s Investors Service, with a big slice of profits coming from shadowy political groups that sprouted like mushrooms after the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision in early 2010. They are part of media landscape that last month surpassed the 2008 presidential campaign’s spending record.

“Based on the new environment of virtually unlimited political advertising, we have long expected that political ad sales would set records in 2012,” Moody’s said. “This year the surge in political spending could translate to as much as $2.8 billion in ad revenue for local broadcast and cable television—more than half of the estimated $5 billion total outlay on 2012 political advertising in all media, in line with our initial high-case forecast for a 19% to 27% increase for the broadcasters.”

[mucifer]

1. It's sick. Very very very very sick. nt

[PSPS]

2. Now you know why corporate media will do anything to make this a horse race.

Thurston won the debate!!!11!!11!

Our (meaningless) poll shows it neck and neck!!!111!!1!

It's the end of Obama's political career!!!11!11!

Tune in tomorrow to see who's ahead!!!11!!11 (And don't forget your ears/eyeballs, suckers.)

"Hello, this is Sam in ad sales. Yes, we will be happy to run your ads. Our viewership is through the roof and your opponent is ahead in the polls, so you better buy all the ad time we have left!!11!!!"

[TreasonousBastard]

3. Most of this money is spent by people who are telling you...

how they are going to save money.

Understanding this without a good sense of humor will make your brain explode.