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"They Came, They SpentMahoning Valley media market reaps $9 million from political advertising in 2004.By Andrea WoodIt seemed like the Mahoning Valley was the center of the political universe. And it was -- every time the presidential candidates and their surrogates passed through, and every time Mahoning Valley residents turned on their television sets or radios.But days before Ohio voters went to the polls, it wasn't even close. The landslide winners were Ohio's television and radio stations, which shared a jackpot of more than $75 million, The Business Journal estimates.In the Mahoning Valley media market, political ad spending was on track to exceed $9 million -- 50% more than eight weeks ago when local TV executives gleefully anticipated a $6 million windfall.At WYTV-TV, employees were busy Oct. 28 cramming into the station's Nov. 1 log as many political spots as remaining dollars demanded. "It's a moving target," said David Trabert, WYTV general manager. "It literally changes all the time."At Clear Channel Youngstown, which operates six area radio stations, last week brought no let up in last-week orders. "For the last 10 days, it's been 'What do you have available?' said Clear Channel's local market manager, William Kelly. "Before that, the campaigns keyed in on WKBN, WBBG and to a lesser extent WMYX. Now it's 'What do you have left?' "Kelly estimated Clear Channel Youngstown would reap $250,000 in political advertising this year. "But I haven't had time to put a pencil to it," he said Oct. 27. A review of WKBN's public file, where political ad contracts must be available for inspection, indicates that Kelly's estimate could be low. As of 9 a.m. Oct. 27, WKBN had posted contracts totalling $213,835. Contracts were not totaled for WBBG or WNIO -- Clear Channel stations with formats that also attract the type of listeners political campaigns seek. Nor were contracts totaled for WMXY, WNCD and WAKZ.Local executives at Cumulus Broadcasting, which operates six area radio stations, estimated total 2004 political ad spending at $210,000. The presidential campaigns booked their final time buys -- $6,000 apiece -- on Oct. 29, four days before Election Day, said Jon Jacubec, general sales manager. "This year's volume was no comparison to four years ago," Jacubec observed. "It was nowhere near this level."The $9 million estimate for total political ad dollars spent this year in the Mahoning Valley media market includes broadcast outlets only -- not local cable buys, for which numbers were not available -- and it covers expenditures by local, state and federal candidates. Not included is money spent on Internet advertising, such as the Google ads on the Daily Business Journal Online, or newspaper advertising -- virtually nonexistent for the presidential candidates and not much more for state or local candidates.An analysis of political spending patterns on WKBN-AM and WKBN-FM suggests at least 80% of the $9 million local media market's 2004 total was spent by the presidential campaigns, national political parties and advocacy groups."I'm floored," declared David Coy, general manager of WKBN-TV. 'Every four years we are really surprised by the volume of presidential money, but this year surprised us even more.""It was absolutely crazy," added Kathy Sarna, WKBN-TV coordinator of political advertising. "This was the political year that never ended," she explained. "We never got a break. Right after the primaries, it went into full force. Our billings are double what they were four years ago."WKBN-TV and its sister station, WYFX, had grossed $3,134,000 in political revenue by the close of business Oct. 27, the day George W. Bush flew into the Mahoning Valley for a rally and the CBS and Fox affiliates stopped accepting orders for candidate and issue ads. Local market spending patterns suggest WFMJ-TV grossed as much as $3.3 million in political ad dollars this year, and WYTV-TV in the range of $2 million. As of Oct. 25, TV ad spending nationwide by the presidential campaigns, political parties and advocacy groups had exceeded $526 million, according to an analysis by INS Media Intelligence/CMR of Arlington, Va.INS Media, which tracks and analyzes ad spending for political campaigns and private companies, reported the Cleveland TV market aired 20,298 spots related to the presidential campaign since March -- third highest in the nation, exceeded only by the number of spots broadcast by TV stations in Tampa and Las Vegas. The Youngstown television market was not included in the INS analysis. But another analysis shows Youngstown ranked 38th nationwide in the number of presidential campaign ads broadcast from Sept. 24 to Oct. 7. According to The University of Wisconsin Advertising Project, Cleveland ranked 6th, Toledo 7th, Columbus 8th, Pittsburgh 12th, Dayton 19th, Cincinnati 23rd and Wheeling, W.Va., 39th.A review of political advertising booked at WKBN-TV and WYFX shows the Kerry campaign and the Democratic National Committee outspent by 35% the Bush campaign and the Republican National Committee. Democrats outspending Republicans in the Mahoning Valley is to be expected, given the need to stir up the Democratic Party's base in its Mahoning Valley stronghold. What was not expected, said Clear Channel's Kelly, is how much Republicans spent here to discourage Democratic votes, and, said WKBN-TV's Coy, how much was spent by political advocacy groups on behalf of the presidential candidates.The Youngstown TV market, for instance, was just one of six markets nationwide to receive the first wave of spots paid for by the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. The anti-Kerry group's first ad schedule, considered a "vanity buy" to attract news coverage, amounted to a $50,000 expenditure with local TV stations. By the time the presidential campaign ended, the group had expanded its name to the Swift Boat Veterans and POWs for Truth and its local market expenditures had exceeded $275,000."