New York Stations: Where is the Love?

Today’s NY Times reports on the Democratic candidates flooding local TV  with ads in advance of the Super Tuesday primaries Feb. 5, but New York station managers say they’re not seeing the cash yet. The Times said Clinton and Obama–OK, the Times actually said Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Obama–are coughing up around $2 million a week in the states represented in the Super Tuesday scrum. That includes California, Connecticut, George and Utah, but still no Gotham. 

"We’re very surprised," says WNBC New York general manager Frank Comerford. "I think Super Tuesday will decide who gets the nominations, but we haven’t seen it yet." 

What managers here are particularly vexed about is the lack of Democratic activity in Gotham, as New York awards delegates to the runner-up (for the Republicans, it’s winner take all delegates). They’re hoping the windfall drops next week–after the Dems do battle in South Carolina (1/26) and the GOP hopefuls square off in Florida (1/29).  

Michael Malone

Michael Malone, senior content producer at B+C/Multichannel News, covers network programming, including entertainment, news and sports on broadcast, cable and streaming; and local broadcast television. He hosts the podcasts Busted Pilot, about what’s new in television, and Series Business, a chat with the creator of a new program, and writes the column “The Watchman.” He joined B+C in 2005. His journalism has also appeared in The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Playboy and New York magazine.