TV stations bemoan end of campaign ads

It's a dark day for television. The conclusion of the US election means the end of a bounty of political advertising nationwide for television stations, which now have few new business prospects ahead.

"We are looking at 2009 as being a difficult year," said Jeff Bartlett, the general manager of WMUR in Manchester, N.H. "We don't know how difficult yet."

Massachusetts and New Hampshire TV stations received about $23 million this year in political advertising, according to the advertising tracker TNS Media Intelligence/CMAG. The presidential election alone injected $6.5 million into those two New England states during the last five months, the company said. But these funds don't offset a drop in general advertising dollars, said Gary Belis, spokesman for the nonprofit Television Bureau of Advertising. Even-numbered years are generally "fat" times for television, and odd-numbered ones lean, he said. But the slowing economy - particularly in auto sales - already has reduced advertising revenues.

"This will be the first even year since 1970 that revenue actually declined from the year before," Belis said. "2010 can't get here soon enough."

TV news is also losing viewers. Chris Wayland, the general manager of television station WHDH, said stations are looking for ways to attract new viewers and revenues. "We knew for sure the election was going to end and we have to do business afterward so we are ready for it," Wayland said.

Jenifer McKim