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I. Executive Summary
II. The Research
III. Bringing Candidates and Voters Together
I.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The
2000 elections produced some of the most hotly contested,
closest, most intriguing campaigns in memory. Voter
turnout near 75% statewide showed that Washington
voters were vigorously engaged from campaign kick-off
to election night returns.
The
local radio and television stations serving Washington’s
communities covered the election from the day the
first candidates announced their campaigns through
the Presidential Primary and the State Primary to
the wee hours of General Election night (and beyond).
Washington
broadcasters provided time for candidates running
for elective offices ranging from President of the
United States to Port Commissioner; from Governor
to Superior Court Judge; from County Commissioner
to United States Senator; from Mayor to United States
Representative; from County Prosecutor to Attorney
General; from the State Legislature to PUD Commissioner;
from Commissioner of Public Lands to State Supreme
Court Justice; and from statewide initiatives to school
levies.
Candidates
representing major parties, minor parties and heretofore-unknown
parties appeared, as did partisans for and against
statewide initiatives and local ballot measures, alike.
Candidates
took to the air talking directly to the voters, in
their own words, in debates, live interviews, newscast
coverage, taped responses to citizen and reporter
questions, and open line voter call-in programs.
Many stations added links to their station web sites
to further assist voters in gathering additional information
about candidates and the election.
And
that’s only part of the picture. Local broadcasters
also brought the resources of the national networks
to their listeners and viewers by providing them with
information and programming delivered through their
affiliation with NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox, CNN, and the
Associated Press.
All
of the airtime for the appearances described in this
report were provided to the candidates free of charge.
Free time, freely given, a part of each station’s
obligation to serve the public interest of its community.
In
every manner, way, shape and form, local broadcasters
in Washington went above and beyond the call of duty
during the 2000 election cycle, serving the interests
of their community, bringing voters and candidates
together.
What
follows is a description of typical programs on radio
and television stations throughout Washington that
WSAB discovered in its sampling of stations’ efforts
to serve the public interest in the critical area
of civic education. Some samples are from big market
TV and radio stations, other examples highlight the
kinds of efforts that are found at small market radio
and television stations. Our compilation is by no
means complete. Time and space in our report prevent
an exhaustive accounting.
II.
THE RESEARCH
When
the 2000 election cycle began, WSAB asked selected
stations to keep track of the free, on-air appearances
by candidates for public office. In compiling this
information, we asked the stations to exclude all
paid advertising, either by the candidate’s campaign
committee or independent expenditures that addressed
a candidate or issues related to a candidate. Using
this methodology, WSAB was able to focus on the appearances
by the candidates in which they were able to direct
information about the campaign directly to voters,
or the voters were able to interact directly with
the candidates, without the positioning and filtering
of a paid advertising campaign.
III.
BRINGING CANDIDATES AND VOTERS TOGETHER
Debates
In
a debate, not only can voters discover the positions
of the candidates on issues that are important to
them, but they get a glimpse of how each candidate
reacts under pressure. Washington TV and radio stations
broadcast debates between candidates for offices from
President of the United States to Mayor of Spokane.
Presidential
Debates. Debates or baseball? Gore vs. Bush or Mariners
vs. Yankees? Viewers did not have to make that choice.
KING-TV in Seattle served Western Washington communities
by broadcasting both. When NBC gave its affiliates
the ability to carry either a presidential debate
or baseball, KING was able to broadcast them both
live. The debate was broadcast live, as it happened,
on KING-TV’s sister station, KONG-TV, throughout Western
Washington. Thanks to a recent change in local TV
ownership limits, Belo Broadcasting’s “duopoly” ownership
of KING-TV/KONG-TV enabled the stations to provide
the voters of Western Washington with this public
service and still permit Mariners fans to see the
crucial game with the Yankees.
The
Presidential and Vice-Presidential debates were also
broadcast by all of the ABC and CBS stations in the
Spokane, Seattle and Yakima/Tri-Cities markets, in
addition to full, live coverage by half-a-dozen or
more cable channels. We often place undue emphasis
on live, as-it-happens coverage of an event, such
as a debate, forgetting that some viewers cannot be
near a TV set at the appointed time, and once the
live broadcast is gone, it’s gone for good. While
the rest of the Spokane market was saturated with
live coverage of the debate, KHQ-TV, Spokane, kept
its commitment to serve the public that either was
not able to see the debate live, or was less interested
in the debate than the Mariners’ game. KHQ-TV provided
a taped replay of the debate immediately following
the baseball playoff game. It should be noted that
nearly every station manager agreed, that if it had
been any team other than the Mariners playing in the
conflicting ballgame, they all would have chosen to
broadcast the debate.
Gubernatorial
Debates. Democrat Gary Locke and Republican John Carlson
engaged in several lively debates that were shown
throughout Washington by several cooperating stations.
KIRO-TV, Seattle, hosted an in-studio debate moderated
by KIRO News Anchor Steve Raible. On October 23rd,
the gubernatorial candidates debated again, this time
on the campus of Gonzaga University in Spokane. This
debate, moderated by KING-TV News Anchor Jean Enerson,
was carried in Eastern and Western Washington by Belo
Corporation stations KREM-TV, Spokane and KING-TV,
Seattle.
Senatorial
Debates. On October 30th KING-TV broadcast
the debate it organized and hosted between incumbent
Republican U. S. Senator Slade Gorton and his Democratic
opponent Maria Cantwell. The debate was broadcast
across the state from 7 to 8 p.m. and was moderated
by KING-TV News Anchor Margaret Larson. KING-TV also
produced and broadcast a debate between Deborah Senn
and Maria Cantwell prior to the Democratic Primary
Election in the U. S. Senate race. That debate was
carried throughout Eastern Washington by KING-TV’s
sister station, KREM-TV in Spokane.
Congressional
Debates. KIMA-TV in Yakima and sister station KEPR-TV
in the Tri-Cities offered Fourth Congressional District
candidates Jim Davis and Doc Hastings one hour (7-8
p.m.) for a live debate. Unfortunately, Congressman
Hastings was unable to participate, due to the length
of the congressional session.
Local
Debates. KAYU-TV, Spokane, produced a debate between
John Talbot and John Powers, the candidates for Mayor
of Spokane. The one-hour debate was broadcast just
four days before the election and allowed the candidates
to address their issues to the audience for a full
hour.
Special Programs
Many
stations put together a package of opportunities for
candidates to appear in their own words, unfiltered
by advertising techniques, newscast time constraints,
debate rules, or other limiting factors. Just the
candidate, pure and simple.
“It’s
Your Time.” KING-TV, Seattle, offered
every Democratic and Republican candidate for Congress,
the U. S. Senate and Governor the opportunity to prepare
a one-minute taped segment that was broadcast after
the Noon or 6:30 p.m. newscast. In addition, the
candidates were able to expand their statements to
up to four minutes, which were broadcast as a one-hour
special from Noon to 1 p. m on Sunday, November 5th,
two days before the election.
“Straight
Talk.” Fisher Broadcasting’s 26 radio stations and
10 of its television stations featured a special program
segment called “Straight Talk,” a public service begun
in 1996, for political candidates to address voters
during local newscasts in the six weeks leading up
to the election. Fisher television stations provided
each candidate with three minutes in prime time news
programming. The candidates were required to appear
alone and refrain from negative campaigning. KOMO-TV,
Seattle, broadcast “Straight Talk” segments by the
candidates for Insurance Commissioner; 1st,
2nd, 8th, and 9th Congressional District candidates; candidates for
U. S. Senator and Governor. Fisher’s KPLZ-FM, Star
101.5, Seattle, broadcast “Straight Talk” segments
in the Governor’s race; candidates for Congressional
Districts 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9; and, U. S. Senator.
“Straight Talk II.” Fisher Broadcasting’s Yakima TV station, KIMA,
covered Central Washington candidates for Congress
from the 4th District; the U. S. Senate;
Governor; the state legislature in the 13th,
14th, and 15th District; and,
even two positions for Yakima County Commissioner,
in their “Straight Talk” segments. Each set of candidates
split a five-minute segment evenly. These messages
were broadcast at the end of the station’s newscasts.
The segments were provided free of charge and were
produced at the station if the candidate needed that
kind of assistance. In the Tri-Cities, the “Straight
Talk” segments on Fisher’s KEPR-TV focused on the
campaigns of most interest in the Columbia Basin,
particularly the hotly contested race between incumbent
State Senator Valoria Loveland (D) and challenger
Mike Hewitt (R). In the four days prior to the election,
KEPR-TV broadcast “Straight Talk” segments featuring
candidates for the 4th Congressional District,
United States Senate and Governor, in addition to
the Loveland/Hewitt race.
“Let’s
Talk About It.” Without local radio’s dedication to bringing
candidates and voters together, the only alternative
for candidates to get their messages out in many communities
is the Letters to the Editor column in the local newspaper.
KELA-AM in Centralia dedicated its morning discussion
program to candidates for Lewis County Commissioner,
District #1 on October 20th, and District
#2 on October 23rd. Each candidate was
given 15 minutes in prime morning drive time. The
candidates fielded questions from listeners and the
show’s moderator about their positions on issues affecting
Lewis County residents. To ensure that listeners
who missed the first broadcast would have an opportunity
to hear what the candidates had to say, sister station
KMNT-FM rebroadcast the programs later in the week.
Holding
the Candidates Accountable: “Ad Watch.” Some stations did in-depth analysis of candidates’
claims and promises. Many did this in the context
of their news coverage of specific campaign appearances.
KING-TV, Seattle, News Reporter Robert Mak produced
and hosted a special feature, called “Ad Watch” designed
to provide viewers with facts that could help them
sort through the claims made by in selected political
ads aired prior to the General Election. These special
reports were broadcast during the station’s 5 and
6:30 p.m. newscasts and examined such ads as State
Senator Dan McDonald’s attack on Congressman Jay Inslee’s
vote on taxes and Inslee’s attack on McDonald’s relationship
with special interest groups. KING-TV examined a
total of eight different ads in the weeks leading
up to the election.
Newscasts
More
people rely on radio and TV stations as their major
source of news and information than any other medium.
It would be hard to find a station that did not cover
the candidates, their positions and campaigns in their
newscasts. For instance, in the six weeks between
the primary and general elections, KIMA-TV, Yakima,
carried 185 news reports about candidates and ballot
issues. KEPR-TV, Tri-Cities, carried 184 reports
during that same period. Some station preferred to
cover news stories more in-depth, such as KAYU-TV,
Spokane, which conducted one-minute interviews with
the partisans for and against several statewide initiatives
and broadcast the responses during the station’s 10
o’clock news. Even music intensive stations delivering
country and western, oldies, rock, or the myriad other
music forms available today, include campaign coverage
in their regular newscasts. Here’s how some other
Washington broadcasters used their prime news vehicle,
the regularly scheduled newscast, to inform voters.
Use
the News to Focus the Listeners. KXRO, Aberdeen, devoted a segment on its Noon
newscast, “Grays Harbor at Noon” to candidate profiles.
Dennis Morrisette and John Erak, candidates for Grays
Harbor County Commissioner, District 2, were featured
in extensive profiles lasting four minutes. PUD Commission
candidates Tom Casey and John Sharp faced off, via
taped interviews, for 5 minutes apiece on KXRO’s major
newscast of the day. The station featured profiles
of other candidates, as well as local ballot issues,
such as the City of Aberdeen’s fire bond issue, throughout
the campaign season.
Campaign
Stops Draw Attention. Campaign stops by national and statewide candidates
draw extensive coverage from all local news stations.
Vice Presidential candidate, Joe Lieberman’s October
10th campaign stop in Seattle resulted
in dozens of stories, soundbites and interviews on
newscasts on all of Seattle’s television stations.
KOMO News Talk 1000 covered the Lieberman visit with
stories throughout the day. Governor Locke’s reelection
campaign stop in Aberdeen generated several two-minute
reports that ran in all of KXRO-AM’s newscasts that
day. The visit of Democratic candidates Maria Cantwell
(U.S. Senate) and Jim Davis (4th Congressional
District) to the Tri-Cities gave broadcasters a big
story to cover. KVEW-TV devoted substantial time
to the campaign stop on both its early evening “Newshour”
and late night “Nitecast” news broadcasts. Sometimes,
even the appearance of a member of the candidate’s
family gets attention. KAPP-TV provided several minutes
of coverage of George P. Bush’s campaign trip to Yakima
on July 14th in its 5 o’clock news hour,
when he stopped in Central Washington to discuss issues
relevant to the local Hispanic population.
Make
It Available When They Want It. KLKI, Anacortes, serves not only the Skagit
Valley, but the San Juan Islands, as well. The station
used its newscasts throughout the day and night make
sure that candidates messages were heard. Even if
a listener missed a comment by Kelly Barlean, John
McCoy, Hugh Fleet or Barry Sehlin, candidates for
the two seats in the State House of Representatives
from the 10th Legislative District, KLKI
repeated the stories and the candidates’ taped comments
and answers to questions in the station’s 6:30 a.m.,
8:00 a.m. and 5 o’clock or 5:30 p.m. newscasts the
next day. In that way, candidates for State Superintendent
of Public Instruction, Skagit County Commissioner,
Secretary of State, the U. S. House of Representatives,
State Senator, County Treasurer and many other offices
could be assured that the voters would hear what they
had to say.
Not
Just Soundbites. Stations cover campaign stories in more depth
than they are given credit for. KAYU-TV in Spokane
regularly spent two minutes or more covering a single
candidate in a newscast. Typical of these stories
is the coverage of 5th Congressional District
candidate Tom Keefe on September 22nd which
lasted two minutes and ten seconds; the coverage of
the Spokane mayors race on October 18th that ran one minute and fifty seconds; and, a two
minute ten second story on the U. S. Senate candidates
in the KAYU-TV newscast that was broadcast on September
27th.
Here’s
Who’s Coming to Town. Often, stories in newscasts about upcoming
local campaign visits by candidates might seem to
be little more than promotional announcements for
a candidate’s appearance. But those news stories,
heralding the upcoming appearance of a candidate,
serve to notify the listeners and viewers of yet another
way in which they can inform themselves and make better
election decisions.
Talk Radio
Love
it or hate it, say what you want about it, talk radio
is the public’s soapbox. It allows everyone to express
his or her opinion, sometimes at their own peril.
It also delivers political candidates directly to
the voters in a way that no other medium, no other
forum can.
Candidates
and Voters, One on One. On November 2nd, Doug Sutherland,
candidate for Commissioner of Public Lands, and his
opponent Mike Lowry held a one-hour debate on KONP-AM,
Port Angeles, during which the candidates took calls
from listeners and were interviewed by host Todd Ortloff.
Sutherland also spent 30 minutes in prime morning
drive time on KVI-AM, Seattle, answering questions
from callers about what he would do as Commissioner
of Public Lands. KGA in Spokane provided listeners
with both in-studio and telephone interviews with
John Carlson and Gary Locke, candidates for Governor.
Ezola Foster, Reform Party Candidate for Vice-President
spent 15 minutes in afternoon drive time on KVI-AM,
Seattle, discussing the Reform Party, its goals, race
relations and welfare.
Local Radio, Live from the National Conventions. During the week of the Democratic National
Convention, listeners to KVI-AM, Seattle, heard from,
and had the chance to ask their own questions of Congressmen
Jay Inslee, Adam Smith, Jim McDermott; State Democratic
Chair Paul Berendt; Attorney General Christine Gregoire
and Co-Speaker of the State House of Representatives
Frank Chopp of Seattle. During the week of the Republican
National Convention, Congresswoman Jennifer Dunn and
Spokane Congressman George Nethercutt shared their
experiences, expertise and insight with local listeners.
Listeners
Take Their Best “Spot.” The day before the election it was time to
turn the tables on the candidates and the voters.
Ernie Brown gave callers to his show on KOMO News
Talk 1000 in Seattle thirty-seconds to do their own
“campaign spot” to get everyone prepared for election
day. In the hour between 4 and 5 p.m. Ernie’s listeners
covered a multitude of issues and candidates.
All
Sides; All Candidates. Talk radio gets everyone involved. Typical
of talk stations, listeners and callers to KVI, Seattle,
spent 20 minutes hearing from and talking with State
Senator Harold Hochstatter who was running for the
Republican nomination for Governor, after having had
his opponent, John Carlson on the air a week earlier.
KVI also opened up the issues on Initiative 745 to
public scrutiny by spending 45 minutes with Tim Eyman
(pro) and The Alliance for Public Transportation (con)
of that controversial issue, on two consecutive days.
Small Market Radio Brings
Campaigns Home
Radio
stations in smaller communities were highly active
in bringing candidates and issues into their listeners’
lives. More than any other business, small market
radio stations are a basic part of the fabric of the
community.
Olympic
Peninsula. State
Representative Lynn Kessler and her opponent Teri
Schwiethale squared off for an hour on KONP, Port
Angeles. The free-form debate included question from
listeners and interviews on issues in the 24th Legislative District House of Representatives race.
KONP also featured State Representative Jim Buck and
opponent Pat Slaten in a similar hour-long program.
And County Commissioner candidates Mike Chapman and
Carole Boardman took to the airwaves in another of
the one-hour shows. Initiative creator Tim Eyman
got two shots on the air at KONP, debating opponents
of his Initiative 745 n October 11th and
the opponents of Initiative 722 on October 31st.
Northcentral
Washington. KOMW, Omak, has been serving the Okanogan Valley
since 1947, This local broadcaster has served the
public interest of its community by providing thousands
of candidates, running for hundreds of offices, the
opportunity to reach their constituencies for the
past 53 years, not only with advertising, but with
generous amounts of free airtime. Election year 2000
was no different. U. S. Senator Slade Gorton; Gubernatorial
candidate Harold Hochstatter; Ron Perrow, Fred Hanke,
Jim Doran, Doug Adams, Craig Vejraska and Dave Shulz,
candidates for Okanogan County Commissioner; congressional
candidate Jim Davis; and, Polly Johnson, candidate
for Okanogan County PUD Commissioner; were among the
many candidates who took advantage of the opportunity
to appear for a full half-hour each, during KOMW’s
prime morning drive time open line call-in program.
The station also devoted several half-hours of the
same program informing listeners about Omak and Okanogan
school levy ballot issues.
Columbia
Basin. Local radio played a critical role in bringing
the major debates to Washington voters who could not
be at their TV sets to watch. KONA-AM/FM, Tri-Cities,
provided full coverage of all three Presidential debates
and the Vice Presidential debate, as well. KONA also
provided listeners the radio version of a 90-minute
debate between 4th District Congressional
incumbent Doc Hastings and his Democratic challenger
Jim Davis.
Northwest
Washington. Between 8 and 9 every weekday morning, Brett &
Debbie, on KGMI in Bellingham, spend an hour informing
their listeners about interesting and important issues
in Northwest Washington. During the campaign season,
KGMI and Brett & Debbie ensured that their listeners
would have the knowledge to make informed decisions
at the polls. They focused on the Governor’s race
on September 29th, when they spent the
hour with candidates Gary Locke and John Carlson.
Brett & Debbie interviewed the candidates and
local callers were able to speak to the candidates
directly and ask Governor Locke and Mr. Carlson the
things that the listeners wanted to know. KGMI’s
Brett & Debbie brought listeners together with
all four candidates for the two 42nd Legislative
District seats in the State House of Representatives.
KGMI’s signal covers the entire 2nd Congressional
District and the station realized the importance of
this open seat battle. On October 26th,
just as voters were making up their minds, Brett &
Debbie spent the morning’s hour with Democrat Rick
Larsen and Republican John Koster, again providing
a venue for local voters to talk directly to the candidates.
Convention Coverage
National
Conventions. Technology has made it possible for Washington
broadcasters to bring news of our State’s activities
at the national political conventions, on a real-time
basis. All of the Seattle network affiliates had
their news anchors covering the national political
conventions on-site. Activities of the Washington
delegations to the Republican and Democratic National
Conventions were monitored and reported back to the
citizens of the state, with more relevance than ever
in the past.
Local
Gatherings. KLKI in Anacortes brought listeners in the
Skagit Valley right into the thick of things at the
political party gatherings in its communities. KLKI’s
complete coverage of party gatherings, where candidates
really put their issues up for scrutiny, brought their
listeners in Anacortes important parts of speeches
by Democratic candidates Dave Quall, Bob Terwilliger,
Terry Bergeson, Tom Sheahan, John Doyle, Rick Larsen,
Ken Dahlstad, Harriet Spanel, Mary Margaret Haugen
and John McCoy. On the Republican side, KLKI’s coverage
of their Summer meetings put candidates such as Hugh
Fleet, Jack Eisses, Jerry Ferrier, Katie Junquist,
Mike Wensman, Kelly Barlean, Doug Sutherland, Barry
Sehlin, Bob Hart and Harvey Wolden into the homes
of their listeners.
Expanding the Reach of Broadcasters’
Efforts
Web
Sites. The Internet has become the research engine
for political issues in America. Broadcasters have
embraced this new tool as another way to serve the
public interest of their communities.
Streaming. Stations all across Washington are streaming
their signals on the Internet. Just click and listen.
During the campaign season, coverage is now available
in both audio and video files streaming live, and
in some cases, archived for later review from many
radio and TV stations in Washington.
Links. The
Internet has also allowed stations to provide listeners
and viewers with direct links to candidate web sites,
voter information, government sites regarding elections,
voter registration and election returns. During their
newscasts or other campaign related programming, radio
and television stations in small communities and large
markets throughout Washington encourage citizens avail
themselves of this outstanding opportunity. The stations’
web sites are filled with these links during campaign
season, expanding the stations’ coverage of campaigns
with a level of detail that reporters cannot include,
and viewers do not want, in a regular newscast report.
However, viewers can regularly log onto stations’
web sites and take links when they have more time
to investigate these issues on their own, or when
they want a specific piece of information about a
candidate or a candidate’s position on an issue.
The
Networks. Local broadcasters bring the experience, insight
and resources of the national broadcast networks into
our living rooms. No local station can match the
on-going resources for coverage that the networks
have. But by bringing network reporting to local
audiences, hometown broadcasters are delivering in
yet another way on their commitment to serve the pubic
interest.
Television. Both the major party Presidential and Vice Presidential
candidates, and some minor party candidates, made
the rounds (some several times) of the Sunday morning
news programs, “Face the Nation,” on CBS; ABC’s “This
Week;” and, “Meet the Press” on NBC. Presidential
candidates turned up in the most unexpected places.
During the week of October 30th, both Governor
Bush and Vice President Gore appeared on “The Tonight
Show with Jay Leno.” “NBC Nightly News” offered both
Governor Bush and Vice President Gore two minutes
nightly to answer questions posed by anchor Tom Brokaw.
Governor Bush declined; Vice President Gore accepted.
Radio. The “networks” are not just on TV anymore.
Radio networks give local exposure to the national
coverage of campaigns and interviews with national
candidates, and open the door for local Washington
listeners to ask questions of national political figures.
National network radio programs, aired on local stations
in Washington State, provide Washington citizens the
opportunity to participate in the national political
scene to an unprecedented degree. Imagine a local
listener in Wenatchee or Longview being able to talk
directly to a presidential candidate and ask that
candidate the one question that will decide for whom
that listener will cast his or her vote. Imagine
how valuable it is to a candidate to be able to get
that kind of direct, grass roots feedback, instantly.
Local broadcasters make that possible.
Cable
News Channels. Belo Broadcasting’s Northwest Cable News channel,
carried throughout Washington, Idaho and Oregon, extends
the reach of Belo’s Seattle and Spokane stations,
and allows its news organization to present more in-depth
coverage of campaign issues and events. Viewers throughout
the region benefit from the resource sharing between
Northwest Cable News and Belo’s free, over-the-air
stations. In addition, Northwest Cable News carried
the debates broadcast by the Belo TV stations, either
live or on a tape delay basis, offering Northwest
viewers additional opportunities to hear candidates’
views on issues. Cross-promotion of these repeat
showings ensured that viewers did not miss out on
an important campaign replay.
Get
Out The Vote. Washington
radio and TV stations in virtually every community
take on the task of getting out the vote. In responding
to earlier surveys, broadcasters indicate that they
work with local organizations, such as the League
of Women Voters, to mount organized campaigns to increase
voter registration and turnout. In addition, stations
constantly remind voters in the days leading up to
the election to be sure to vote. The reminders are
nearly constant during Election Day. Every time a
station reports on projected voter turnout, listeners
and viewers are reminded of the time remaining for
the polls to be open and are urged to cast their ballot.
Many stations also work with community groups to publicize
ways for people to get to the polls if they need help.
Secretary
of State Legal Notice Advertising Program. Nearly every commercial radio station in Washington
was a participant in the 2000 Washington Secretary
of State Legal Notice Advertising Program. In the
clatter and din of candidate and initiative campaigns,
some lesser-known, but vitally important issues might
be overlooked, except for Washington broadcasters’
commitment to serve the public interest through their
participation in the Legal Notice Ad Program. Although
the Secretary of State can afford to buy only a small
amount of commercial ad time to publicize proposed
amendments to the State Constitution, Washington radio
stations are committed to running additional spots,
at no charge, to increase awareness of these critical
measures. The announcements also remind citizens
about the Voters Pamphlet; what a valuable tool it
is; and, to be sure to study it carefully and thoroughly
before voting.
Lose
A Little On Each Sale; Make It Up In Volume. Candidates, their committees and their supporters
spent a record amount of money on paid advertising
during the 2000 election cycle. There were more contested
races, even for the Washington State Supreme Court.
There were more candidates, as the Libertarians fielded
candidates in every Washington congressional race,
and several minor party candidates qualified for the
November ballot in many races. The campaign season
was the longest in memory, if not history.
But,
despite the eye-popping number of dollars spent on
political campaigns, if anybody got rich off of candidate
spending, it certainly was not radio and television
stations. Free, over-the-air broadcasters must sell
every candidate spot at the station’s “lowest unit
charge.” Even without demand for airtime from political
campaigns, most stations would be “sold out” selling
spots to their regular advertisers, at much higher
rates. So, every time a candidate’s spot is broadcast,
a spot for which the station receives only a fraction
of the revenue is replacing a much costlier, regular
advertiser’s spot. Contrasted with a comparable period
with no candidate advertising, the stations are losing
significant revenue. Independent expenditure spots
are sold at the same, or higher, rates as regular
advertisers, so the stations make up on independent
expenditure spots much of what they lose on candidate
spots.
The Candidates
From
WSAB’s sampling of stations throughout Washington,
here is an illustrative list of the candidates who’s
election campaigns were provided with free time during
the 2000 campaign.
Doug
Adams, Okanogan County Commissioner
Bruce
Ager, State Representative
John
Ahern, 5th Legislative District
Nancy
Aldrich, Benton County Commissioner
Coleena
Alexander, Benton County Commissioner
Aaron
Anderson, 13th Legislative District
Ted
Anderson, Skagit County Commissioner
Brian
Baird, 3rd Congressional District
Kelly
Barlean, 10th Legislative District
Heidi
Behrens-Benedict, 8th Congressional District
Terry
Bergeson, Superintendent of Public Instruction
David
Black, Kittitas County Commissioner
Carole
Boardman, Clallam County Commissioner
David
Bowen, Kittitas County Commissioner
Leo
Bowman, Benton County Commissioner
Bill
Bradley, President
Walter
Braten, 15th Legislative District
Lisa
Brown, 3rd Legislative District
Patrick
Buchanan, President
Jim
Buck, 24th Legislative District
Bill
Burke, Spokane County Commissioner
George
W. Bush, President
Maria
Cantwell, U. S. Senator
John
Carlson, Governor
Tom
Casey, Grays Harbor PUD Commissioner
Tom
Chambers, State Supreme Court
Bruce
Chandler, 15th Legislative District
Gary
Chandler, 13th Legislative District
Mike
Chapman, Clallam County Commissioner
Frank
Chopp, 43rd Legislative District
Richard
Clear, 5th Congressional District
Jim
Clements, 14th Legislative District
Ken
Dahlstad, Skagit County Commissioner
Jim
Davis, 4th Congressional District
Alex
Deccio, 14th Legislative District
Norm
Dicks, 6th Congressional District
Jim
Doran, Okanogan County Commissioner
John
Doyle, Skagit County Commissioner
Jennifer
Dunn, 8th Congressional District
Hans
Dunshee, 39th Legislative District
Jack
Eisses, Skagit County Commissioner
John
Erak, Grays Harbor County Commissioner
Doug
Erickson, 42nd Legislative District
Jerry
Ferrier, 40th Legislative District
Hugh
Fleet, 10th Legislative District
Tom
Flynn, 5th Congressional District
Ezola
Foster, Vice President
Paul
Franklin, 14th Legislative District
Ron
Gamache, Yakima County Commissioner
Paul
George, Yakima County Commissioner
Jack
Gerahety, 5th Legislative District
Jeff
Gombosky, 3rd Legislative District
Al
Gore, President
Slade
Gorton, U. S. Senator
Christine
Gregoire, Attorney General
Marta
Guavara, 42nd Legislative District
Fred
Hanke, Okanogan County Commissioner
Jim
Hargrove, 24th Legislative District
Bob
Hart, Skagit County Commissioner
Mary
Margaret Haugen, 10th Legislative District
Doc
Hastings, 4th Congressional District
Brian
Hatfield, 19th Legislative District
Chuck
Haumwriter, Lewis County Commissioner
Mike
Hewitt, 16th Legislative District
Bill
Hinkle, Kittitas County Commissioner
Harold
Hochstatter, Governor
Greg
Holmes, 5th Congressional District
Robert
Imhoff, 42nd Legislative District
Jay
Inslee, 1st Congressional District
Jeff
Jared, U. S. Senate
Eric
Johnson, Lewis County Commissioner
Polly
Johnson, Okanogan County PUD Commissioner
Katie
Jungquist, Skagit County Treasurer
John
Kallas, 4th Legislative District
Tom
Keefe, 5th Congressional District
Lynn
Kessler, 24th Legislative District
Alan
Keyes, President
John
Koster, 2nd Congressional District
Mike
Kreidler, Insurance Commissioner
Robert
Kroboth, Mayor of Spokane
Rick
Larsen, 2nd Congressional District
Bob
Lawrence, 6th Congressional District
Drew
Lesofsky, 3rd Legislative District
Jim
Lewis, Yakima County Commissioner
Joseph
Lieberman, Vice President
Kelli
Linville, 42nd Legislative District
Barb
Lisk, 15th Legislative District
Ed
Lisowski, 14th Legislative District
Gary
Locke, Governor
Valoria
Loveland, 16th Legislative District
Mike
Lowry, Public Lands Commissioner
Jeanne
Massingham, Lewis County Commissioner
Trent
Matson, 3rd Congressional District
John
McCain, President
Kate
McCaslin, Spokane County Commissioner
Jim
McDermott, 7th Congressional District
Dan
McDonald, 1st Congressional District
John
McCoy, 10th Legislative District
Wiley
Mills, Yakima County Commissioner
Dan
Monks, Skagit County Commissioner
Jeff
Morris, 40th Legislative District
Dennis
Morrisette, Grays Harbor County Commissioner
Jim
R. Morrison, 14th Legislative District
Joyce
Mulliken, 13th Legislative District
Ralph
Nader, President
George
Nethercutt, 5th Congressional District
Darcie
Nielsen, San Juan County Commissioner
Claudia
Oliver, Benton County Commissioner
Michael
Parks, 3rd Legislative District
Michael
Pearson, 13th Legislative District
Ron
Perrow, Okanogan County Commissioner
Richard
Pope, Attorney General
John
Powers, Mayor of Spokane
Dave
Quall, 40th Legislative District
Sylvia
Riddle, Spokane County Commissioner
John
Roskelley, Spokane County Commissioner
Carl
Saunderman, Benton-Franklin Superior Court Judge
Lynn
Schliner, 4th Legislative District
Teri
Schweithale 24th Legislative District
Barry
Sehlin, 10th Legislative District
Deborah
Senn, U. S. Senate
John
Sharp, Grays Harbor PUD Commissioner
Tom
Sheahan, Skagit County Commissioner
Richard
Shepard, Attorney General
Dave
Shulz, Okanogan County Commissioner
Tom
Silva, Yakima County Commissioner
Mary
Skinner, 14th Legislative District
Pate
Slaten, 24th Legislative District
Adam
Smith, 9th Congressional District
Norma
Smith, 10th Legislative District
Sid
Snyder, 19th Legislative District
Harriet
Spanel, 40th Legislative District
Stan
Stave, Benton County Commissioner
Jeff
Sullivan, State Supreme Court
Doug
Sutherland, Public Lands Commissioner
Robert
Swisher, Benton-Franklin County Commissioner
Joe
Szwaja, 7th Congressional District
John
Talbott, Mayor of Spokane
Bob
Terwilliger, Secretary of State
John
Thompson, Yakima County Commissioner
Chris
Vance, 9th Congressional District
Henry
Vanderwood, 14th Legislative District
Bonnie
Varner, 6th Legislative District
Tom
Verge, Skagit County Commissioner
Chris
Vejraska, Okanogan County Commissioner
Tom
Walker, Benton County Commissioner
Mike
Wensman, Secretary of State
Jim
West, Mayor of Spokane
Russ
Wigley, Lewis County Commissioner
Harvey
Wolden, Skagit County Commissioner
Alex
Wood, 3rd Legislative District
William
Yallup, 15th Legislative District
The Offices
From
WSAB’s sampling of stations throughout Washington,
here is an illustrative list of many of the elective
offices and campaigns that were covered with free
time during the 2000 campaign.
Attorney
General
Commissioner
Benton County
Commissioner
Clallam County
Commissioner
Grays Harbor County
Commissioner
Kittitas County
Commissioner
Lewis County
Commissioner
Okanogan County
Commissioner
San Juan County
Commissioner
Skagit County
Commissioner
Spokane County
Commissioner
Yakima County
Commissioner
Grays Harbor County PUD
Commissioner
Okanogan County PUD
Congress
1st District
Congress
2nd District
Congress
3rd District
Congress
4th District
Congress
5th District
Congress
6th District
Congress
7th District
Congress
8th District
Congress
9th District
Finger
Print I.D. Funding Ballot Measure
Fire
Bond Issue City of Aberdeen
Fluoridation
of Water in Spokane Ballot Measure (Pro)
Governor
Harborview
Medical Center Funding Ballot Measure
Incorporation
of Liberty Lake
Initiative
53, City of Seattle Monorail (Pro)
Initiative
713 (Con)
Initiative
722 (Pro)
Initiative
722 (Con)
Initiative
728 (Pro)
Initiative
745 (Pro)
Initiative
745 (Con)
Insurance
Commissioner
Legislature
3rd District
Legislature
4th District
Legislature
5th District
Legislature
6th District
Legislature
10th District
Legislature
13th District
Legislature
14th District
Legislature
15th District
Legislature
16th District
Legislature
19th District
Legislature
24th District
Legislature
39th District
Legislature
40th District
Legislature
42nd District
Legislature
43rd District
Mayor
(Spokane)
Operations
Levy Fidalgo Pool
President
Proposition
2- City of Bellingham (Pro)
Public
Lands Commissioner
Sales
Tax Increase/King County
School
District Capital Facilities Bond Issue Mount Vernon
School
District Levy Brewster (Pro)
School
District Levy Okanogan (Pro)
School
District Levy Omak (Pro)
School
District Levy Tonasket (Pro)
Secretary
of State
United
States Senate
State
Supreme Court Justice
Superintendent
of Public Instruction
Superior
Court Judge Benton-Franklin County
Transportation
Tax King County
Treasurer
Skagit County
Vice
President |
