One of the oddest things about the current political moment is that Billionaire Mike's bullion is resuscitating a dying medium as a political tool.
Broadcast TV is on its way to extinction. Younger people don't watch TV though they certainly consume plenty of product through screens. Only time sensitive events like the Super Bowl and the Oscars draw significant live audiences.
But TV still outpaces all other information sources -- social media, radio, print -- when it comes to "news." Those of us immersed in other media may wonder at that, but survey data says it is true.
The political campaign serves as a "made for TV" event and ongoing spectacle. Because national terrors are real, it's quite a draw. Wednesday's delightful debate was the most watched primary debate ever. Kick billionaire butt, Liz!
In the big states, particularly the Super Tuesday anchors California and Texas, TV really remains the most likely point of contact with the whole kerfuffle for most potential votes. Only Bloomberg can afford to rule there. Justin Powers has reported on watching 185 Bloomberg ads, immersed in what he quotes Elizabeth Spiers describing as "mediocre messaging at massive scale." He concludes that Bloomberg has made himself "inescapable," but we still don't know if that equals "electable." You can replicate Powers's disturbing media diet by following this link.
Many political professionals had come to doubt the efficacy of TV advertising; they had measured the effect of any ad as small and fleeting, gone in about a week at best. We're getting to see whether flooding the zone can overcome that -- or whether real world events such as the Nevada debate and caucuses (and Trump rallies) can interrupt the flow.
I think I would not bet on TV even at Bloomberg volume. But, to my horror, I might be proved wrong.
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