Public Broadcasters Ponder Political Ads
Public radio and television stations are weighing the opportunities and risks of accepting political advertising following a federal court ruling that found an existing ban on such ads violates the First Amendment, and that running them would not undermine public broadcasting’s mission.
The decision by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in California comes as candidates and political action groups are stockpiling millions of dollars for an election year advertising blitz expected to break records. While the ruling applies only to California and eight other western states, it could set a precedent, forcing public broadcasters nationwide to grapple with whether political ads would alienate listeners and viewers they depend on for donations.
“This opens a family-sized can of worms for public broadcasting stations,” said John Carroll, a professor of mass communication at Boston University, who often contributes media analysis on WBUR-FM, the state’s largest public radio station. “There’s a ton of political money out there. They want some of that. But they have to weigh that revenue against the potential fallout.”
In a statement, WBUR general manager Charles Kravetz said the station “is not making any changes to its policy regarding political ads.” But, he added, “We’ll continue to monitor this, and discuss its implications for WBUR and public radio.”
Similarly, Jeanne Hopkins, spokeswoman for rival WGBH-FM, said that the station is still studying the ruling - which could conceivably end up before the US Supreme Court on appeal - but that it doesn’t anticipate accepting political ads.
“The trusted relationship we have with our audiences and the environment we create for our programs is vitally important,” Hopkins said.
For politicians, however, the chance to reach a public broadcasting audience would be “a dream come true,” according to Michael Goldman, a local consultant to Democrats. Because the Boston radio market is dominated by conservative talk show hosts, such as WTTK-FM’s Michael Graham and WRKO-AM’s Howie Carr, Goldman said, there aren’t many options for moderate or liberal candidates who want to advertise on talk-radio.
Adding public stations to the mix would be “better than Christmas, better than winning the lottery,” he said, because their audiences generally favor Democrats.
Political advertising of all kinds is expected to reach $4.9 billion in 2012, according to Wells Fargo Securities LLC media analyst Marci Ryvicker, up 16 percent over 2010 and 27 percent over the 2008 election year.
Laura Martin, an entertainment and Internet analyst for New York investment bank Needham & Co., said spending on political ads on local TV stations alone is expected to reach about $3.2 billion.
“Political advertising could definitely mean incremental revenue for public broadcasting stations,” Martin said. “We’re expecting a record year in political advertising, and it will continue to rise.”
The Federal Communications Commission, which regulates radio and television stations, referred inquiries about the case to the Department of Justice. The Justice Department said it was reviewing the matter and would have no comment.
Even if the ruling survives appeals, however, many observers doubt that public broadcasters will venture into the minefield of political advertising.
“Remember, these stations are officially noncommercial,” Carroll said. “Many listeners think they shouldn’t be taking any ads at all.”