Obama Seeks Live TV Commercial on Caucus Eve
Obama, Clinton Battle for Iowa TV Commercial Time Night Before Caucuses
By KATE SNOW
Dec. 28, 2007 —
Not to be outdone by Senator Hillary Clinton, ABC News has learned that Senator Barack Obama's campaign is trying to buy advertising time on the night before the caucuses for a live political commercial, to air statewide.
The Obama campaign made the request Friday morning.
Clinton's campaign announced on Thursday that she would buy a two minute block of time on every 6pm newscast in the state.
Obama's camp countered by requesting either a two or five minute window of time during the stations' local newscasts, during the period between local news and primetime programming, or during primetime. They asked if the Senator could make his pitch live via satellite.
But finding five minutes of primetime television real estate for a presidential candidate on the night before Iowa votes is tricky for local stations -- and potentially legally dicey.
Finding a way to be live simultaneously on multiple stations with multiple programming schedules is even more difficult.
"Five minutes is impossible," said Ray Cole, General Manager of the Des Moines, Iowa ABC station, WOI. "There's no way we can provide for a five minute request in any of those timeframes."
"We're resisting that request," said Steve Lake, National Sales Manager at ABC News' Cedar Rapids, Iowa station KCRG.
WOI runs local commercials during its local newscasts at 5pm and 6pm. At 6:30pm there is ad space available during Entertainment Tonight.
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http://www.abcnews.go.com/Politics/Vote2008/story?id=4061631&page=1