Media General, which owns stations throughout the southeast as well as Ohio and Rhode Island, announced this week that its fourth quarter TV revenue was up by nearly 29%.
Much of this spike can be attributed to the influx of political advertising that occurred in October and November. During the quarter, Media General brought in $24 million in political advertising, compared to $3.7 million last year.
“Our television stations, most of which are rated number one or two in their markets, were in an excellent position again this year to attract political advertising dollars,” said Marshall N. Morton, Media General’s president and CEO.
Norton notes, though, that Media General also “experienced strengthening in our overall broadcast advertising as well.” Local time sales increased by roughly 6% and national time sales also say a small bump.