POLITICAL ADVERTISING IS REACHING ITS PEAK

Advertising has become a bigger part of the political campaign with the increase in television, newspaper and radio markets in Southeast Missouri. As Tuesday's primary elections draw near, more candidates choose to air commercials and publish newspaper ads.

Yet more and more candidates at local, state and national levels are buying up advertising that will reach voters before they head to the polls.

Their advertising isn't limited to Southeast Missouri stations: Several candidates, mostly for statewide races, are advertising on stations in Paducah, Ky., and Southern Illinois.

A spokesman for WPSD-TV in Paducah said more Missouri candidates were advertising on the station than Kentucky candidates.

"We're getting hit by Missouri, especially in the weeks before the election," said Jennifer Pendley, a national sales coordinator for the station. "They are pretty much buying up everything from news and daytime to late night and weekends," she said.

Steve Wheeler, general manager of WSIL-TV in Harrisburg, Ill., said the Missouri gubernatorial candidates have been consistently buying air time.

Most candidates seek to advertise in news programming slots, but candidates for out-of- state races generally "avoid our news" since it is heavily Illinois coverage, Wheeler said. Yet "a fair number still want to run in the news."

Candidates who advertise on broadcast stations are allowed "favorable treatment," which means that any sort of discounts or special rates offered to regular station customers must also be offered to candidates.

"Candidates are entitled to all the rates and a lot of information that gives them the ability to make an informed choice," said Wheeler. Candidates have more access to advertising rates than a car dealership would, Wheeler said.

Candidates can see how much air time an opponent has bought and how heavily they are running ads, he said.

The public also has that access when it comes to political races, he said.

Repeated messages left at KFVS-TV were not returned to the Southeast Missourian.

No one at Zimmer Broadcasting Inc. was available Wednesday to talk with a reporter.

Newspaper advertising offers a vehicle to reach a large number of people without "getting lost in the shuffle," said Pat Zellmer, advertising director for the Southeast Missourian.

Advertising published in the newspaper reaches voters in all demographics, said Zellmer.

Newspapers are well read, particularly by voters who want to make their decisions on facts, she said. "They want the best person for the job and rely on the newspaper to make intelligent decisions."

Advertising picks up as the races draw closer, she said.

The same is true on cable television where candidates are trying to buy larger volumes in commercials, said Kevin Noel, account executive with Charter Communications in Cape Girardeau.

More than 100 political commercials, on average, air each week with Charter, he said.

Generally the air time on cable television stations is less expensive than at broadcast stations, he said. The least costly 30-second commercial would cost a candidate $5 to air on a single cable channel serving Cape Girardeau and Jackson. For air time in each additional community, costs increase.

But choosing which channel to air a commercial on depends on who the candidate is trying to reach.

"It depends what audience they want and what market they are in," Noel said. "They need to determine what voter they are looking for. The nice thing that is attractive about cable is that for the most part each network is geared to a specific demographic."

Channels like A&E and Discovery tend to attract older viewers, while ESPN attracts more men and USA network ranks at the top of the list for viewership.

Noel said many candidates can concentrate more locally than with broadcast stations that reach into Southern Illinois, Kentucky and parts of Tennessee. With those channels "you're actually paying to reach outside the area," said Noel.