Contentious political races in three states are generating ad dollars for broadcasters, according to Bear Stearns analyst Victor Miller. A hotly contended court bench in Wisconsin and tight gubernatorial races in North Carolina and Indiana are ramping up media spending in those states.
Miller reports that the companies with most exposure to the spending there include WFBM-TV, McGraw Hill’s ABC Indianapolis affiliate, which derives 22 percent of its TV revenues from Indiana. Other groups with a stake in the state race include Gray TV with 6 percent and LIN TV with five percent. Sinclair gets 8 percent of its revenues from North Carolina; Hearst-Argyle 6 percent and Belo 5 percent. Journal Communications gets 34 percent of its revenues from Wisconsin; Young Broadcasting, 9 percent.
In overall campaign spending, California, Iowa, Pennsylvania, New York and Texas lead the pack, respectively. Among the top 15 states for campaign spending, Hearst-Argyle is in the best position, with a 71 percent piece of the pie. Entravision is next at 60 percent, followed by Young Broadcasting with 56 percent; Sinclair at 54 percent and Belo at 47 percent.
