Thursday, October 16, 2014

Which Cable Network Airs More Republican Campaign Ads?

This is a chart found online which shows the cable networks and the percentages of money spent from both Republican and Democrat campaigns.  You may notice the obvious - the majority of Republican ad money is spent on networks believed to fit into the stereotype that the party is traditionally older, whiter and not much for diversity.  

It's time to switch out that kind of thinking and reach outside of the normal comfort zones.  Preaching to the choir doesn't increase the number of voters in the Republican column.  Even on the Food Network the difference is almost 50% - 38.57% GOP and 61.43 Democrat.  What's up with that?  I know this chart doesn't represent the majority of my television viewing and I surely can't be alone in that.  

Surely it is worth more investment in reaching Independent voters needed to win elections.  

You may think that FOX and MSNBC would be the most partisan when it comes to running political ads.  This proves to be wrong, in this survey.  

As cable networks take up a bigger percentage of viewer eyeballs, campaigns are spending more on those networks than ever before. A new study by Echelon Insights, a Republican firm that specializes in digital and advertising strategy, found that Republican campaigns tend to buy cable spots on channels aimed at men, while Democrats are buying more spots on channels that draw more women and young viewers.It’s little surprise that the overwhelming number of political advertisements on Fox News come from Republicans: GOP candidates accounted for 84 percent of Fox’s ads. A similar number, 85 percent, of ads on MSNBC come from Democrats.But the news networks are only the second-most partisan channels. Echelon found that 93 percent of political ads on the Golf Channel are paid for by Republican candidates and outside groups. And 94 percent of the political spots on the E! Network are sponsored by Democrats and their allies, making it the bluest network in America.
Attention shifts a bit, as you would expect, from primary season into the general election time frame.

Because of Fox News’ overwhelmingly Republican viewership, its relative value to political campaigns changes over time. Echelon’s analysis shows Republicans advertised most heavily on Fox News, almost to the exclusion of other channels, between February and late March, and again in late June — both times when expensive primary battles made access to conservative eyeballs essential to success.After primaries, Republican cable dollars expanded across many other networks. Similarly, Democrats tended to gravitate towards MSNBC earlier in the year, when primary voters were about to cast their ballots. 
By taking a look at the results, as itemized in three separate charts in this piece linked above, the Golf Channel used most by Republicans is also the most expensive cable channel for advertising.  

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