2002 Free Air Time Campaign begins in Ohio
For Immediate Release: June 19, 2002
Contact: Brandi Whetstone (614) 263-4111
COLUMBUS -- Ohio Citizen Action will lead the Free Air Time campaign for Ohio in 2002, encouraging television broadcasters to provide more time for candidates and election issues. Ohio has joined a national effort with the Alliance for Better Campaigns to improve the role of television in our elections.
In 2000, Ohio Citizen Action led a campaign to persuade television stations to commit more time to 'news you can use' before Election Day. As a result, six stations across the state made a pledge to air five minutes nightly of candidate and issue discussion in the month before elections. Ohio ranked third in the nation for the number of stations committed to increase air time for candidates. As the effort begins again this year, four stations in Ohio have already committed to doing free air time: WTOL (CBS) in Toledo, WEWS (ABC) in Cleveland, WLWT (NBC) in Cincinnati, and WCPO (ABC) in Cincinnati.
Ohio Citizen Action conducted a sample of seven news programs for each Columbus television station during the days leading up to the May 7 primary election.
'We found that local television news was airing stories about politics without actually talking about politics,' said Brandi Whetstone, campaign reform organizer for Ohio Citizen Action. 'There were more stories about candidates who were not going to be on the ballot than stories about actual candidates.'
In Washington D.C., Senators John McCain (Arizona), Russell Feingold (Wisconsin) and Rep. Martin Meehan (Massachusetts) introduced a bill to require TV and radio stations to devote a certain amount of time to candidate and issue stories, and creates a voucher system for candidates and parties to air political ads.
According to a poll released last week by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, 73 percent of respondents favored a free air time proposal, and 69 percent were not aware that the public owns the airwaves.
Ohio Citizen Action will host a public forum on the free air time issue on August 7, 2002 at the Main Library in downtown Columbus. For more information, contact Brandi Whetstone at (614) 263-4111.
Ohio Citizen Action campaigns on issues from toxic waste and food safety to utility and insurance rates to political reform. A non-profit, non-partisan organization, Ohio Citizen Action was founded in 1975.
