NPR: Obama, Clinton, Edwards Battle for Airtime

Obama, Clinton, Edwards Battle for Airtime

It looks like an Iowa example of "anything you can do I can do better." Sen. Hillary Clinton, Sen. Barack Obama and former Sen. John Edwards are waging yet another skirmish, this time to see who can get the most commercial airtime on January 2nd, the night before the Iowa caucuses.

On Thursday the Clinton campaign announced that she would buy a 2-minute block of airtime on every 6 p.m. newscast in the state. Not to be outdone, the Obama campaign announced Friday that it would try to buy a two- or five-minute window of time during the stations' local newscasts, during the period between local news and primetime programming, or during primetime. And the campaign want to know if Obama can do it live via-satellite.

But as ABCNews notes, there is almost no way that all the stations in the state can provide a big block of airtime during those periods, yet alone all at the same time so that Obama could do a live commercial. The stations have instead offered him two-minute windows either during its local newscast or in one case, during the the Iowa State versus University of South Carolina basketball game.

Not to be outdone, Edwards also said Friday that he too would like some airtime - a 90-second spot during the local newscasts.

And that's just the Democrats.

If this keeps up, the actual local newscasts will be about 30 seconds long Tuesday night, and the rest of the program will be candidates' commercials

4:54 PM ET | 12-28-2007 | permalink

Comments (Send a comment)

For my money, just have all the caucuses meet in one huge auditorium and have the Democrat candidates do the 'Full Monty' dance

Let the caucus audience decide en masse, with catcalls, overwhelming applause and Hawkeye heavy foot stomping.

Ya know, over in nearby Minnesota, Land of Lutherans, I wonder what Garrison Keillor and the Lake Woebegone caucuses are up to? Wonder if Keillor and the crew could handle a 'Full Monty' caucus?

fred camorra call

"You take a Republican to lunch and he is obligated to bring out a big black book and open it to Revelations and tell you that the beast with ten horns is Hillary Clinton."........Garrison Keillor 'Prarie Home Companion'

Sent by fred camorra call | 8:33 PM ET | 12-28-2007

I have an idea about TV adds for the 3 candidates
Hillary: I declare iran's revolutionary guard is a terrorist organization & thats how I made the gas prices jump to 100 $ a barrell.
I Barak:I think Pakistan is hiding Osama bin laden, beside its not a democratic country thats why I decided to strike them.
I John:I used to chase ambulances to sue doctors, no wonder the cost of medical care is rising partly because of the increase in the malpractice insurance doctors needed to pay to cover my costs.
And I suggest they all say at the end of each commercial ( I am...., & I approve this mesage)

Sent by rafid kakel | 5:22 PM ET | 12-29-2007

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