Austin—Sixteen television broadcasters in Texas’ top four markets reaped $3.6 million from political advertising during the spring primary season, according to a new report by the Texas Alliance for Better Campaigns.  None of these stations has agreed to act on recommendations from a presidential advisory commission that broadcasters air five minutes of “candidate-centered discourse” in the 30 nights prior to federal elections.

“Texas broadcasters are getting fat on big revenues from 30 second political ads. But they hate to do real reporting on issues and elections,” said Fred Richardson, spokesman for the Texas Alliance for Better Campaigns.  “They get the gravy and the voters get gruel.”

The study analyzed revenues from all political advertisements aired by network affiliates (ABC, CBS, FOX & NBC) in Texas’ four largest media markets in the 30 days prior to the March 14th primary 2000.  Those markets are Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio and Austin.

In the 30 days preceding the primary these network affiliates aired 5,304 30-second political ads. This means that viewers in the four markets studied were subjected to a total of 44.3 hours of sound-bite politics.

While the Texas Association of Broadcasters has argued that political advertising is a burden to  its members, new data suggests that political advertising is a bonanza for broadcasters.  During the Texas 2000 primary, the average price of a 30-second political spot in the top four markets was $608. In Houston, the average cost of a political ad was $767, and in Dallas-Fort Worth the average cost for a 30 second spot was $977.

“Texas broadcasters are profiteering from democracy. They enjoy huge windfalls from political ads that turn voters off, and then they shamelessly tell us that they can’t do a better job of covering elections because viewers are turned off by politics,” said Richardson. “The broadcasters are responsible for creating a vicious cycle that turns voters off and forces politicians to pony up.”

Other highlights of the study include:

Key Findings

• The market with the highest political ad revenues during the period was Houston, where the four network broadcasters grossed $2,275,667 on political ads sold to candidates and interest groups.
• Houston broadcasters also led in the number of political advertising minutes sold, with 24.7 hours of political advertising aired in Houston in the month before the election.
• Broadcasters in the Dallas-Fort Worth market commanded the highest average cost per ad during the period, with 398 30-second ads selling for an average of $977 each.
• KHOU-11 (CBS) garnered the highest political gross revenues of any broadcaster in Texas, reaping $1,187,231 from political ads in the month prior to March 14th.  KHOU also enjoyed the third-highest average cost for a political ad among the major Texas broadcasters, charging an average of $956 per 30- second spot during the period studied.
• KTVT-11 (CBS) of Dallas commanded the highest average price for political ads during the study period, receiving a whopping average of $1,208 for each of the 34 ads it ran during the last 30 days of the primary season. WFAA-8 (Belo) also enjoyed sky high prices for political airtime, receiving an average of $1,186 for the 107 ads it ran during the study period.
• CBS affiliates in Texas’ top four television markets had the biggest political haul during the last 30 days of the primary season, raking in a combined $1,513,265. The bulk of this revenue (78%) went to KHOU.  ABC affiliates in the top four had the next-biggest catch of political bucks, netting a combined $933,734.

The table shows the total political advertising revenue for each network in Texas’ four largest media markets.
 
 

"Local television stations in Texas are leaving voters to the mercy of sound-bites and 30-second ads," said Richardson. "The public has a right to expect more from the networks and local television stations like WFAA in Dallas. Instead of leaving elections up to the highest bidder for advertising time, broadcasters should make a commitment to provide voters with brief nightly issue forums."

The Texas Alliance for Better Campaigns, in conjunction with the national Alliance for Better Campaigns, is calling on television stations in Texas to commit to providing brief nightly issue forums in the 30 days before the November 7 general election. "This fall, we’ll be watching to see if Texas broadcasters approach the political season with an eye to the public interest or simply their bottom line,” said Richardson.

The Television Bureau of Advertising predicts politicians will spend $600 million on TV in 2000, up from $400 million in 1996.

In 1998, the Advisory Committee on the Public Interest Obligations of Digital Television Broadcasters recommended that broadcasters voluntarily provide five minutes a night of candidate discourse in the month before elections as part of their payment for receiving, free of charge, tens of billions of dollars worth of the public’s airwaves. More than 200 civic, academic and religious leaders have endorsed the proposal as a way to move campaigns beyond a contest of money and ads.  In Texas, the proposal is supported by 20 of the state’s leading non-profit advocacy groups, including Common Cause, AARP, the Sierra Club and the League of Women Voters.

To see the full results of the survey of Texas broadcasters’ political advertising revenue, see the attached table.
 

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