Television group Belo Corporation reliably includes free airtime for candidates during election season as part of its package of services to the public interest, and the 2012 election will be no exception.
Belo noted that during the 2010 election cycle, 151 candidates for the US Senate, the US House of Representatives and various governorships took advantage of its offer, amounting to more than 18 hours worth of free air time.
The political time offered includes four minutes to be used at the candidate’s discretion, and one minute during which the candidate will be asked an election-specific question.
There will be much more from Belo on the elections. It stated, “Company’s election coverage in 2012 may include debates, issue- and ad-watch programming, and interviews with local, state and federal candidates which will be streamed and archived on Belo websites through Election Day. Belo stations will also expand their election coverage this year by broadcasting several runs of debates and ‘It’s Your Time’ spots on their multicast channels and publishing political coverage on their enhanced smartphone and iPad apps. In 2010, Belo stations broadcast more than 162 hours of election coverage from mid-September through Election Day in November, including several congressional and gubernatorial debates.
“Belo has a long-standing commitment to providing robust election coverage that helps create an informed electorate in the local communities we serve,” said Peter L. Diaz, Belo’s president/Media Operations. “The Company continues to expand its election coverage by leveraging a variety of platforms such as its station websites, apps, and through social media such as Facebook and Twitter.”
