Anti-Hagel Ads Continue to Swell Media Coffers

According to the Sunlight Foundation's Political Ad Sleuth,
spending on ads opposed to Chuck Hagel's nomination as Secretary of State now
stands at least $212,000.

That is according to an analysis of TV station ad buys
reported on the FCC's website per new TV station political file online
reporting rules passed last April. Those reporting rules currently only apply
to affiliates in the top 50 markets, but that is likely where most of that
spending would be. That figure "almost certainly understates the amount of
money being pumped into the anti-Hagel campaign," said Sunlight.

But it is still almost $100,000 morethan Sunlight was reporting 10 days ago.

Hagel is expected to be confirmed, despite complaints by
some Republicans that he does not sufficiently support Israel. CNN was
reporting Tuesday that there were enough Republicans who did not support a
filibuster of the nomination to block it.

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.