Thursday, April 10, 2008

Pennsylvania's media hits election home run!

Those of us here in Pennsylvania have a new, unfamiliar 'issue' to deal with.

"Duck the candidates syndrome".

From the mountains to the prairies, the Obama and Clinton campaigns are here in full force.

They're not just in the populated areas. They're hitting the rural areas as well.

When I unexpectedly ran into two campaign traffic jams in less than two weeks, it was obvious that there's a lot of money being spent here. The candidates must be fueling with sheer adrenalin! Where's Waldo? They're hitting 4 or 5 stops a day!

So who will the big winner(s) be?

Newspapers, radio stations, and regional television, broadcast and cable.

As in other parts of the country, many media outlets have changed hands here in PA in the past few years. The Democratic election ads have been running literally non-stop across the state.

An unexpected windfall for Pennsylvania's media in a nationally soft advertising environment.

One important point that 'other reports' seems to be missing?

Pennsylvania is a huge college state. Numerous colleges and universities dot the landscape and the candidates know it.

They've both already spoken on numerous college campuses, as have their spouses.

These are the kids of the baby boom generation (a large population in itself), and the 'kids' ARE engaged this time around. The college students are tech savvy and tons on videos are being uploaded to YouTube.

It's not just about the population centers in this primary. It's about who's voting and what they're thinking ...

So if you find yourself here in PA and all of a sudden see a few police cars, then a few satellite TV trucks, you may just have wandered across one of hundreds of hyper campaign stops. Just turn the engine off and suck it up. The lines are so long that unless you've planned in advance, chances are you won't get to see either one of them.