Candidates for the Presidential primary campaigns, as well as PACs, have increased their use of radio ads, according to this article by Nick Corasaniti in The New York Times. This article discusses the strengths of radio advertising for a political campaign.
Among the appeal of radio commercials for political advertising, according to this article:
-Radio listeners are a captive audience while they are driving.
-Radio ads avoid the clutter of television.
-Compared to television advertising, radio advertising is less expensive.
-Production costs for radio are also lower than TV production costs.
-Conservative talk radio hosts have large and devoted followings.
-Radio provides a means to target local voters.
-It serves as a closing tool to remind voters to go to the polls and reminds them of the issues.
Corasaniti also discusses how radio companies are helping politicians reach voters and target listeners according to party affiliation, likelihood to vote and other criteria. The radio stations also seek to win new business. One of the largest radio conglomerates in the country, iHeartRadio, has seen a 30% rise in the fourth quarter in political advertising, when compared to the same period in 2011.
Details of the radio campaigns for both Republican and Democratic candidates are analyzed in this article.
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