WSJ: Healthcare Ads Aid Ailing Stations

The Wall Street Journal has an interesting story about the healthcare debate in Washington being something of a boon to stations across the nation. More than $20 million has been spent on local television in recent weeks, as health industry lobbyists attempt to sway the debate on President Obama’s healthcare plan.

The Journal reports:

“Advertising is cranking” says Evan Tracey, president of the Campaign Media Analysis Group at TNS, a research firm owned by ad holding company WPP.

TNS says health-care-issue advocates have spent about $41 million this year on local-TV spots, more than half of it in the past few weeks. If the debate over health-care legislation drags into the fall, as now seems likely, the figure could rise to $250 million, Mr. Tracey says. The delay “would open the door even wider for opponents to appeal to the public,” he adds.

States that appear to be benefiting from the debate include Louisiana, Pennsylvania and Maine, while the top 10 markets are getting a taste too. The lobbyists’ hope is that the spots spur viewers to contact their lawmakers and weigh in on the healthcare reform debate.

Non-subscribers aren’t supposed to be able to read the whole article online, but it appears you can do so through this link.