Political Ads: Final Tips From The Rep

Prognosticators are talking about another record year for political advertising on spot television, which would also mean that stations have recaptured their pricing positions from 2008 and 2006. With that comes the inevitable torrent of gadflies who decry the nature of political ads. 

The reality is that TV stations are legally obligated to provide reasonable and equal access to federal candidates — and they often extend that same right to races for City Hall and the State House and others that are locally and regionally significant. 

An equally significant reality is that local TV news providers throughout the country devote copious amounts of airtime to covering the political process in their communities — everything from the race for dogcatcher to the run for the presidency. Increasingly they’re using not just debates and interviews, but, for example, on-air “truth-checks” that examine the accuracy of candidates’ statements and, yes, even of their campaign ads.

Accordingly, local TV news stations across the country, more so than any other media outlets in their regions, attract the largest audiences available of likely voters — namely, citizens curious about and engaged in the political process. If candidates and campaigns need to motivate people on a particular day — say, Election Day — then they seek out local TV, which continues to prove the best way to reach the mass audience, and to get that audience to take action.

To borrow from the Smith Barney ads of decades ago, TV stations make money the old-fashioned way: “They earn it.” 

And stations do work diligently to avoid the risk of shortchanging themselves on capturing all the political ad dollars that could be available to them. But the risks of missing some political dollars do exist.  At the heart of the issue are the concurrent phenomena of rapid technological change, which has rushed the pace of ad-order influx, and a seemingly increased amount of order-related paperwork resulting from ever-increasing regulations.

The regulatory obligations can indeed appear daunting, but they are important. For example, stations have not only a legal but ethical obligation to ensure as best as possible that non-candidate spots — such as issues ads — are accurate and not defamatory or libelous. 

But while the legal and regulatory hurdles are many, they are not insurmountable and need not cause paralysis in the process of booking spots, especially when orders today have the potential to fly at you fast and furious. 

Flexibility and communications are the keys to success — the flexibility to ask plenty of questions, get through the paperwork and capitalize on political spot opportunities whenever they arise; and the readiness to communicate consistently with your colleagues and business partners.

With those ideas in mind, here are some tips for TV station executives to maximize the political dollars they deserve:

• Make sure buyers clearly understand your log deadlines. TV stations do a good job of fulfilling their obligation to treat political customers as they would their best customers. And some stations never close logs. But many stations do feel it necessary to close their logs 24-to-48 hours in advance, for all customers, to provide time to review the commercial content and ensure that it is appropriate for air. This is understandable; stations feel they’ll need to devote sufficient time and personnel to vet the ads they receive prior to air. In a perfect world, turnaround time would be speedier (if not instantaneous), but there is reality. The other reality, of course, is that political ad buyers are not on your timetable. You’re on theirs (if you want their money), regardless of time zone. The best available compromise is to maintain that line of communication with the buyers and your sales reps so they can plan accordingly.
  
  
• It’s easier than you think to be the easiest station in your market to buy on. The political ad buyer increasingly frets about getting bogged down with excessive paperwork. That doesn’t mean stations shouldn’t take the time to consult with their FCC counsel before placing a spot about which they have questions or concerns. But, with all due deference to my many decades-long friends among the various communications law firms, yes, you can also loop in your ad rep to this admittedly complicated process. We have a familiarity with and an appreciation of the legal concerns (we too have been working with the FCC for many years), and by factoring us into the conversation at the beginning rather than the end, we can help you hit the ground running once you have received counsel’s blessing.
  
  
• Beware of having too many cooks in the kitchen. One person at even the biggest stations should be able to handle local (i.e., mayoral) and national (i.e., U.S. Senate) buys.
  
  
• Ask who the buyer’s candidate is. Beware those rare occasions when an agency caller simply says “I need your political rate card.” They may try to send you an order at a lower rate when it’s actually an issues spot they’re looking to buy. It doesn’t happen often this late in the season, but it can happen. In fact, some law firms will ask stations not to divulge rates until a political inquiry form has been submitted.
• Respect the (political) process. Politics is messy. And the ad-ordering process can be as well. You’re dealing with tight quarters and huge volume.  So, again, be flexible; trust your sales executives and your rep firm to be judicious about contacting you, even during dinner. We’ll contact you when it’s important, but we need to be able to do it. The people the political agencies trust are those they can contact  in the middle of the night with a significant commitment of dollars — and the ever-present question “Can you get me on?”
• Ask yourself whether you want to look at other stations’ public files. Yes, some stations will send an intern over. But many others blush at the thought. And indeed, while examining competitors’ public files — though entirely legal — may seem like hitting below the belt, it’s at least an option.
   
  
• Avoid unhappy surprises on inventory. It’s a good idea to stay in touch with your rep firm and your key clients so you can keep them apprised of your inventory situation. Let reps and buyers know a fair percentage of getting a preferred spot, even if an order is not imminent. Political advertisers often don’t know how much money they’ll have to spend until the last minute. But when they do buy, they buy a lot. Frequency is key to political advertising. It’s not a bad idea to help them know how many points will be available to run next week, and to let them know in advance if there may be inventory issues. In the frenetic process that is a political campaign, most buyers will appreciate the extra peace of mind you will give them.
  
• Don’t forget local sports spots.  Local news is the anchor destination of political advertising, but other popular local content, namely local and regional sports, is also extremely important to political buyers. Appearing during these telecasts reinforces the connection with local viewers. Be sure your reps have an up-to-date, chronological sports and specials calendar, and update it regularly along with rates for candidates and issues. A weekly “hot sheet” serves not only to be a great selling tool, but also another reason for rep and buyer to maintain that fortuitous line of communication.
• Be kind to your marketing/promotions and programming departments. You may need to sweet talk them into giving you an avail or two from time to time. Again, it goes to communication.
• Don’t fear rebates. They are a natural by-product of political advertising. And often political advertisers will re-spend those dollars at your station. Again, it goes to flexibility. But don’t overdo it either.
  
• Plan, plan, plan. Think of the carpenter’s credo: Measure twice, cut once.
• Don’t always assume there’s no more room at the inn. Consult your rep firm; we may just be able to find room for you.