Thank Obama For Less ‘Knight Rider’ and ‘Gary, Unmarried’
The Hollywood Reporter says that Democratic presidential candidate candidate Barack Obama is going to buy a 30-minute slot from NBC and CBS on Oct. 29 at 8 p.m. for a long form national pitch for voters.
This sort of national campaign tactic was much more commonplace in the past. I remember watching Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter doing last minute appeals to the public the night before Election Day. It was actually pretty cool for political junkies in the pre-CNN days.
But in recent years, campaigns have focused their funds and manpower solely on battleground stations for electoral votes. However, Obama has quite a warchest, thanks to opting out of the public financing system, so it can raise and spend money without restraint. He’s also been spending a lot more on national commericial spots than other recent candidates.
Ross Perot tried a similar tactic in 1992, buying two 30-minute slot to show 16.5 million and 10.5 million viewers apiece his unique campaign style full of flowcharts. A week before Super Tuesday, Obama’s primary opponent Hillary Clinton bought time on the Hallmark Channel for a town-hall meeting aimed at female voters.
Analysts speaking to THR said it’s unlikely that the Republican campaign of John McCain can counter Obama’s move. He spent $6 million on advertising during the Olympics, but has already pulled ad funding out of Michigan, which was previously thought to be a key battleground target. Because he’s accepting federal campaign funds and the limits associated, he doesn’t have quite the cash to buy 30-minute network spots in primetime.
CBS execs have already said they’ll push “The New Adventures of Old Christine” into the 8:30 pm. timeslot currently held by the underperforming “Gary, Unmarried”. NBC has been airing hourlong “Knight Rider” eps in the 8 p.m. spot on Mondays, but execs only said they’ll air a rerun of a sitcom at 8:30.
Considering how badly both shows have started out (”Knight Rider” had a 2.4/7 in the 18-49 demographic this week, while “Gary Unmarried” had a 2.2/6) there’s a decent chance that they will perform better against “Pushing Daisies” on ABC with a commercial than a show.
And for the record, Obama’s folks also reportedly talked to Fox, but there’s no way they’re going to preempt the World Series for a commercial.
Tags: barack obama, cbs, fox, knight rider, nbc, ross perotRelated Stories
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