Gordon Smith Endorsing Romney

Former Oregon Senator Gordon Smith, now president of the National Association of Broadcasters, has endorsed Mitt Romney for President, an NAB spokesperson confirmed Monday.

The Boston Globe reported that Smith had given Romney the shout-out for "a proven job creation record as governor and in the private sector," and that Romney had responded that Smith "will help me spread my message that President Obama has failed and that his policies must be reversed."

If so, he would have to do so while at the same time lobbying hard to convince the Obama administration of the value of preserving broadcasting in the face of calls for more broadband spectrum.

The endorsement is a personal endorsement, not an association endorsement, NAB made clear Monday. Smith, like Romney, is a Mormon and moderate Republican.

"Sen. Smith's endorsement is a personal endorsement based on years of friendship with Mitt Romney," said NAB in a statement. "NAB is a bipartisan trade association and does not endorse presidential candidates."

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.