Road to Decision 2012: Election Advertising & Technology

The Road to Decision 2012 is paved with gold for cable news nets and local cable. Plus: Technology drives election coverage.

By Jon Lafayette and George Winslow -- Broadcasting & Cable, 10/3/2011 12:01:00 AM

Election News Draws Sponsors
MSNBC, CNN register big upfront sales for 2012 trail

The voting is still 13 months away, but one winner has already emerged from the 2012 election season-cable news. With loosened campaign laws allowing candidates and Political Action Committess to raise more money than ever before the rising tide of money is already being felt on TV, especially at channels where politics is a big part of the programming. More


Cable Campaigns for Candidate Cash
Local stations expect to retain lion's share of spending

Local cable is stumping for dollars during this election cycle. With an ability to target viewers by geography and reach voters with interactive advertising, Comcast Spotlight, the local cable sales arm of the largest cable operator, expects its share of campaign spending to rise. TV stations, on the other hand, say they expect to continue to get the vast majority of election-year political spending. More


The New Technology of Campaign Coverage
Social media, field technologies are enabling expanded original reporting at networks

The 2012 elections may or may not produce those sweeping changes politicians love to promise, but there is little doubt that technology is already bringing far-reaching shifts to the way the campaigns are covered. More


Next-Generation Coverage Arrives in Time for 2012
Stations are betting that upgrades and investments in newsroom technologies will pay off

After making hefty investments to upgrade their news operations in recent years, several station groups believe those efforts will significantly strengthen their 2012 election coverage. More


Getting Graphic Results
Less expensive touch screens are migrating into local station newsrooms

Touch-screen displays, which were pioneered by CNN and were one of the most notable tech developments of the 2008 elections, will play a bigger role this time around as networks and stations increasingly rely on them to dramatize and analyze political trends and election results. More