Shouting, Angry Americans Mean Maybe A Couple More Broadcasters Keep Their Jobs

Thanks to the healthcare debate, political ad revenue—usually not seen in a non-election year—is flowing in to TV stations around the country, possibly reducing stations’ need to cut jobs further. So, thanks, town halls, for being so polarizing.

According to figures from TNS Campaign Media Analysis Group (CMAG), local TV has seen about $45 million so far, and the money isn’t going to stop coming until Washington agrees on a compromise, CMAG President Evan Tracey told TVNewsCheck. “If I was a betting man, I’d say it goes through the end of the year,” he says. “There’s too much disagreement on this issue, which bodes well for it continuing.”

In Elkhart, Indiana, one of the most hard-hit places in the U.S. (and bad enough that MSNBC decided to focus a yearlong reporting project on the town), the local NBC station has had five separate healthcare accounts advertising in the past week.

The money isn’t really evenly distributed, and seems not to be reaching big markets yet. But as one station manager said, You’re in a non-political year, but you wouldn’t know it.”

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