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Now Open: Political Advertising Window on Augusta Radio

Sep 8, 2020 12:33:40 PM / by Larry Julius

Political Advertising On Boston Radio 2020On September 4, the political advertising window opened on Augusta television and radio stations.  This is a 60 day period leading up to a general election when broadcast stations licensed by the Federal Communication Commission are obligated to offer candidates for national office the opportunity to buy commercials at the lowest unit rate (LUR).

For example, if a high-frequency advertiser like McDonald's earns the lowest rates on a particular Augusta radio station during morning drive-time, then any candidate for federal office must, during the 60-day political window, be offered the same rate for morning drive time on that station, regardless of frequency.

If, however, the McDonald's rate is contingent on the radio station's ability to pre-empt commercials without notice, then qualified candidates must agree to identical terms to receive the same rate.

To facilitate the purchase of commercials on Augusta radio, stations will supply candidates with a political rate-card.  This card will show the LUR by time of day and by preemption parameters.

Here are other important facts about political advertising on Augusta radio.

  1. The political advertising window and LUR rules only apply to licensed Augusta radio and television stations.  Political advertising costs for newspapers, cable systems, online, and billboards are not regulated.
  2. Only advertising  paid for directly by candidates qualifies for LUR.  Issue advertisers, political action committees (PACs), and other third-parties must pay a radio station's market rate.
  3. During the 60 day political advertising window, Augusta radio stations are only obligated to sell time to candidates for federal office. This includes those running for President, Vice President, or US House and Senate seats.
  4. Augusta radio stations are not obligated to sell advertising to candidates for statewide or local offices. If, however, a station accepts advertising from a candidate for a non-federal office during the 60 day window, then that candidate must be offered the LUR. Furthermore, once a station accepts advertising from one candidate in a statewide or local race, then it must provide other candidates in the same race with an ability to buy advertising as well.New call-to-action

There are more than 385,000 registered voters in the Central Savannah River Area (CSRA). According to Nielsen, according to Nielsen, Augusta radio reaches significantly more of these registered voters than all other media, including local television pay-TV, newspaper, social media platforms, and streaming audio sites like Pandora or Spotify.

Political Advertising In Augusta CSRA: Radio

To be elected, however, requires candidates for every office to share their message with those who are not only registered but who are likely to vote.  Advertising on Augusta radio will reach, by far, the most voters who can be counted on to show up on election day.

Political Advertising Augusta and CSRA

Advertising on Augusta radio allows candidates to tailor and target their message to the largest number of voters of every party affiliation.

Advertising on Augusta Radio Likely Voters 2020

For candidates challenging incumbents in CSRA elections, radio advertising has shown to reduce any advantage the current officeholder might have.

A study published in the American Journal of Political Science indicates that when challengers for occupied offices advertised on local radio stations, the incumbent's share of votes decreased considerably from their previous election.  The share drop ranged from 3.9% to 7.0%, depending on the amount of radio advertising purchased.

Over the last several election cycles, this loss of voter share experienced by the incumbents in the study could have been enough to sway the election in favor of the many challengers.

More Advice For Advertising In The CSRA

 

Topics: politcial advertising, issue advertising, radio advertising, political rates, political rate card, advertising on radio, lowest unit rate, LUR

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