Tribune Chief Peter Liguori Talks 2016 Political Ad Bonanza

Tribune Media CEO Peter Liguori can’t wait for the 2016 presidential race to begin in earnest. Tribune’s local TV stations raked in about $150 million-$155 million in political advertising dollars during the 2012 presidential election cycle. “We’re going to crush that number in 2016,” Liguori told the crowd at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media and Telecom investor conference in San Francisco. Part of the reason for Liguori’s confidence is that Tribune’s station group has nearly doubled in size since 2012, thanks to its 2013 acquisition of Local TV LLC. The group of 42 stations now includes multiple outlets in 13 key swing states such as Ohio, Illinois and Pennsylvania.