Big Political Dollars Already Flying For Key Senate Races.

INSIDERADIO
August 26, 2015

As radio aims for the $1 billion in political dollars expected to be spent on the medium in the 2015-2016 election cycle, a story in Politico suggests now’s the time to be pitching campaigns in a number of key states. As Republicans work to retain control of the U.S. Senate, the air war between the GOP and the Democratic party is well underway in New Hampshire, Ohio and Pennsylvania with Republicans outspending Democrats by significant margins. In New Hampshire, five Republican outside groups have already spent a whopping $2.5 million pounding Gov. Maggie Hassan, according to Politico. Hassan isn’t even a Senate candidate yet – it’s a pre-emptive strike. Meanwhile, only one Democratic group has done any meaningful ad spending in the Granite State at just $255,000. Republicans, meanwhile have already spent $1.9 million on the Senate contest in Pennsylvania. "To keep the Senate majority, Republicans plan to leverage what’s expected to be a huge money advantage, led by a hodgepodge of big-spending outside groups, to bloody Democratic challengers taking on a string of vulnerable GOP incumbents in pivotal swing states," the Politico article states. With 24 Republican incumbents trying to keep their seats, the Senate map for Republicans looks daunting. Nationwide, GOP groups have already poured more than $12 million into TV and radio spending compared to only $2.5 million from Democrats, Politico reports. Compare that to this point in the 2012 election, when groups representing both parties had spent about $2 million apiece. The key for radio will be fighting for its fair share. "There’s no reason radio shouldn’t be 10%-15% of the total media mix," says Will Feltus, a renowned researcher and planner at Republican communications company National Media. "That’s what we recommend."

How Radio Stacks Up With Back To School Retailers. With back to school shopping in full swing, radio stations are often a top destination for retailers looking to leverage what is often the last media that consumers touch before the point of purchase. Turns out some of the heaviest radio advertisers are also consumers’ go-to retailers this season. CVS/Walgreens, Walmart, Macys and Staples — all major radio advertisers — are among the top 10 retailers that shoppers plan to frequent for back to school needs, according to research firm Brand Keys. CVS/Walgreens ranked as the no. 3 advertiser on radio during the first half of the year, while Macy’s was no. 8, according Media Monitors, which tracks the play count of spots on stations it monitors. Office supply giant Staples ranked as the no. 23 heaviest radio advertiser, while Walmart was no. 68. Sears is another top 10 retailer for 2015 back-to-school, and ranks as the no. 168 radio advertiser on the Media Monitors list. The remaining five brands on Brand Keys list — Target, BestBuy, TJ Maxx, Footlocker and Apple’s retail stores — were not top 300 radio advertisers in terms of spot volume in the first half of the year. Overall, back to school spending is expected to be flat compared to last year, with shoppers ponying up an average of $650 per household, according to Brand Keys. That’s off slightly from 2014’s average of $652