Why Georgia Runoff Advertisements Are Working on Tennessee’s Information Stations

HomeUS Politics

Why Georgia Runoff Advertisements Are Working on Tennessee’s Information Stations

He estimated that Georgians make up about 10 % of his viewers. His station has seen thousands and thousands of {dollars} in political spending anyw


He estimated that Georgians make up about 10 % of his viewers. His station has seen thousands and thousands of {dollars} in political spending anyway.

“In a 12 months the place we had a pandemic, it’s definitely surprising and welcomed,” Mr. Ellis mentioned.

Stations take advantage of cash off tremendous PACs. Whereas candidates are protected against price-gouging underneath federal legislation, the surface teams should not — and a few are paying quadruple the worth for a similar airtime. In Atlanta, as an example, candidates are paying $6,000 for a 30-second advert throughout “Jeopardy!” and $5,000 for a spot on “Wheel of Fortune”; tremendous PACs are being charged $25,000 and $20,000 for a similar slots.

“It’s good cash,” mentioned Mr. Acuff on the Chattanooga station.

Among the many out-of-state media markets, essentially the most environment friendly for Georgia campaigns is the Tallahassee, Fla., market, the place about 35 % of viewers stay in Georgia.

On the opposite finish of the size is the Dothan, Ala., market, the place solely 5 % of viewers are in Georgia.

Tv stations in Dothan may appear sufficiently small to be missed by even essentially the most bold Georgia politicians. The market reaches a single county in southwestern Georgia, Early, which doesn’t crack the highest 100 counties in Georgia by inhabitants.

Simply over 10,000 individuals stay there, or about 0.1 % of the state inhabitants.

However the margins in Georgia had been so excruciatingly small in November — Mr. Biden, the primary Democrat to hold the state since 1992, received by fewer than 12,000 votes — that the campaigns are promoting in Dothan regardless that 95 % of the market lives exterior Georgia.

“This election goes to be extraordinarily shut,” mentioned Miryam Lipper, a spokeswoman for Mr. Ossoff, who mentioned reaching all voters “is a high precedence for us.”



www.nytimes.com