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Local broadcast television ad revenues jumped a healthy 12.2% in the third quarter of 2004 compared to the same period last year, according to Susan Cuccinello, SVP of research for the TVB, based on estimates supplied by TNS Media Intelligence/CMR in the top 100 markets. The biggest percentage increase among the top 25 advertising categories for the quarter was posted by Government & Organizations, which is mostly political spending. The category was up 165.7% over the same period in 2003. The Bush for President Committee made it onto the list of the top 25 individual local advertisers for the quarter at No. 19 (the Kerry campaign ranked No. 41). The largest dollar volume increase during the third quarter came from Automotive and Car Dealers (up $112 million or 10.9%). Besides Government & Organizations, the major categories that posted the largest percentage increases in the third quarter were Media and Advertising (41.0%), Insurance & Real Estate (40.7%), Financial (30.5%), and Computers & Software (28.0%). Twenty of the top 25 categories increased their third quarter spending on local broadcast television. Among the top 25 advertisers, the biggest percentage increases in the third quarter were posted by Sprint Corp. (332.1%), Berkshire Hathaway (123.4%), Verizon Communications (83.7%), Comcast Corp. (72.4%), and Pepsico (54.6%).Network television posted a 24.9% increase in the third quarter and syndicated television posted a 16.8% gain; added to local broadcast television's figures, total broadcast television thus posted a 18.7% gain. For the first nine months of the year, the figures now stand at an 9.8% increase for local broadcast television, a 17.3% increase for syndicated television, and a 12.5% increase for network television (putting the first-half grand total for total broadcast television at a 11.8% increase).