Sick of Campaign Ads? TV Stations Aren't

For television stations, this year's election is a stimulus package.

The Campaign Media Analysis Group, a unit of the consulting firm Kantar Media, expects TV political spending to hit a record $3 billion, and the windfall may continue well past Election Day because regular advertisers are getting squeezed out of the schedule and could spend their ad budgets later. Coming out of a recession that put some broadcasters in or near bankruptcy protection, political spending is emerging as a critical , but temporary , source of revenue. Several factors created the upsurge: tea party enthusiasm, self-financed millionaire candidates, an unusually high number of toss-up races and a Supreme Court ruling in January that eased rules on corporate campaign donations. Ad rates are going up overall because political campaigns are taking up much of the commercial time. Station managers say many regular advertisers aren't able to buy ads now. That frees up money to spend later.