True-blue conservatives
are likely to go to one source for news.True-blue liberals are likely to search around
the dial a bit more.
Forty-seven percent of “consistent conservatives” go to Fox News, according to the Pew Research Center. But “consistent liberals” spread the wealth
around -- spending 15% of the time with CNN; 12% with MSNBC; 13% with NPR; and 10% with The New York Times.
Is this good news? A better question is, what political candidates and
political-minded organization should do with their media plans. Do they have enough alternatives in traditional TV advertising inventory?
The Times reports there already is limited online political advertising inventory, especially with
YouTube.
TV stations? Seems to be plenty of inventory, but the jury is still out. Stations will surely be accommodating; every four years, station group financial reports glisten with
high-revenue ad dollars from the mid-term elections.
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Media planners and buying executives, while grinning from having more political clients with higher media budgets, will find their
path tougher when key inventory is harder to secure.
Pew Research said liberals “trust” 28 out of 36 new sources, while conservatives “distrusted” 24 of the 36.
Can political advertisers give Fox News all the money? Not really. Local stations are still a good outlet for many, but perhaps not that targeted for others. Where does a political media plan land
when there’s limited targeted media platforms?
Think outside the political media box: A conservative-minded political commercial on MSNBC or CNN can spur a different sort of engagement
from those viewers who distrust the network’s programming content.
One question is, how many and what types of conservatives watch “distrustful” TV. What about liberals? Now
there’s a research survey for someone.