Is 2010 Political Advertising Radio’s Savior???

Friday, October, 23, 2009 by Mel Phillips.

(Weekend Edition) 

Can the 2010 political advertising budget save radio? The answer to that question is a resounding NO! Only radio can save radio. The stage coach people, Wells Fargo Securities forecasts a political advertising budget of $3.3 billion for 2010, an 11 percent increase over 2008. That whopping number is down 4 percent from 2006 however. While the bulk of the bucks will be spent on TV, 8 percent will be tossed into the radio pot. In dollars and sense, that 8 percent amounts to $250 million, a tidy sum but peanuts compared to the $2 billion provided for local TV and $650 million for direct mail - yes, you read that right. That same direct mail that you toss as soon as you see a smiling face. Still, $250 million can only help a depressed business…

While political advertising traditionally makes up only 3 to 5 percent of total revenue, radio will take it. According to Wells Fargo Securities, Disney’s radio properties, Beasley Broadcast Group, Regent Communications and CBS Radio stand to gain the most by political spending in 2010. That may be but I’m skeptical about a big political windfall…

I keep remembering what the lofty expectations were for the 2008 presidential race and the ad spending that would save radio. How did that work out???    

10 Timeline Memories:

1. 1931] Say hello to the George: The George Washington Bridge connecting Manhattan and New Jersey opens to the public (10/24)…
2. 1956] Debuted on this date: NBC-TV broadcasts the first video tape coast-to-coast. It’s a tape of Jonathan Winters performing (10/23)…
3. 1964] Turn around, look at me: Viking Jim Marshall, a good player but lacking a good sense of direction, runs 66 yards in the wrong direction after picking up a fumble, costing the Vikes a 2-point safety (10/25)…
4. 1972] ‘Happy Trails’: Severe heart problems take their toll of Jackie Robinson who passes away at 53 (10/24)…1991] Rock promoter Bill Graham is killed in a helicopter crash at 60 (10/25)…2005] American civil rights activist Rosa Parks dies in her Detroit apartment at 92 (10/24)…
5. 1973] Dead air: President Richard M. Nixon agrees to turn over the Watergate tapes as the clock ticks (10/23)…
6. 1983] Beirut blast: A suicide truck bombing at Beirut International Airport in Lebanon kills 241 U.S. Marines and sailors. Another attack kills 58 French paratroopers (10/23)…
7. 1986] Fall Classics: Bill Buckner happens as the Mets beat the Red Sox and go on to win the World Series in game 7 (10/25)…2003] The Marlins’ Josh Beckett pitches Florida to the World Series title with a 2-0 shutout of the Yankees. Beckett tags (hip, hip) Jorge Posada on the tush for the final out (10/25)…
8. 1996] How do you mend a broken heart?: Joe Torre’s brother Frank receives a heart transplant during the 1996 World Series (10/25). Frank is living a healthy life and will be 78 in December…
9. 1998] Sniper attack: Dr. Barnett Slepian, an abortion doctor was killed at his home in suburban Buffalo when a sniper fired through his kitchen window. James Kopp is convicted of the murder and is serving 25-to-life in prison (10/23)…
10. 2002] Snipers snuffed: Army veteran John Allen Muhammad and teenage friend Lee Boyd Malvo are arrested in connection with the Washington (DC) area sniper attacks (10/24). Both are serving prison sentences…

Music Memories:

• 1961] Number One on this date: “Runaround Sue” - Dion (10/25)…1974] “Then Came You” - Dionne/Spinners (10/25)…1983] “Islands In The Stream” - Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton (10/25)…
• 1965] Released on this date: “Turn, Turn, Turn” - Byrds (10/23) (Lynn Phillips Brough’s first favorite song)…“Get Off Of My Cloud” - Rolling Stones (10/25)…

  Commentary:

Although Soupy Sales is known for his TV career, he also had a radio show on WNBC. Soupy and Ray D’Ariano shared the mike until his contract was not renewed and he was replaced mid-air with Ray taking over the show. Ray is a friend who has a million Soupy stories, most of which can’t be repeated here. Soupy would make you laugh over really silly stuff. I remember him talking on phone and on-air to a former radio engineer he knew when the subject of a friend came up. When the radio engineer heard that their former friend had died he was shocked — “You mean he died?” Soupy followed with “I hope so, they buried him.” Soupy Sales died last night at the age of 83. He leaves a million laughs behind…  

“Happy Birthday…happy birthday“: (10/23) Al Leiter (44), Doug Flutie (47), Weird Al Yankovic (50), Nancy Grace (50), Pele(69) and baseball hall-of-famer/Senator Jim Bunning (78)…(10/24) Kevin Kline (62), F. Murray Abraham (70), Santo Farina (72), Bill Wyman (73), David Nelson (73) and Y.A. Tittle (83)…(10/25) Katy Perry (25), Pedro Martinez (38), Mike Eruzione (55), Dave Cowens (61), James Carville (65),  Helen Reddy (68), Bob Knight (69), Marion Ross (81) and Bobby Thomson (86)…

Timeline Countdown: 5 days until the World Series opener, 8 nights until Halloween and 9 days until Standard (back one hour) Time…

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