Political Ads Swamp Inventory

With political-ad spending primed to hit a record $1 billion by Election Day, broadcast inventory is tight or sold out in most of the top 25 U.S. markets. And media buyers don’t see this perennial problem ending with the ban on “soft money” political contributions.

In markets with hotly contested races—including New York, Atlanta, Boston and Orlando-Daytona Beach, Fla.—prices have doubled in the past month, said Kathy Crawford, evp, director of local broadcast at Initiative Media, which last week released a study on political ad spending.