30-Second Politics Political Advertising in the Eighties

9780275931957

0275931951

Evidently the old political saw, 'he who slings dirt only loses ground,' has become passe, says Kern in this monumental work examining how media affects the American electoral process. . . . Kern's work is rich with analytical thinking based upon content analysis of ads from local, state, and national elections. . . . This deserves broad readership. Library Journal The findings in 30-Second Politics are well-written and documented. The author masterfully integrates content analysis data with interview material and raises serious future research issues. Students of political science, mass communication, and advertising will find this book helpful in understanding the changes in political advertising in the 1980s. Journalism Quarterly In this age of the media campaign where television is Americans' preferred source of candidate information, Montague Kern offers insightful scrutiny of political advertisements from 1972 to the present. This book closely examines a sample of ads and news coverage in the last stage of the 1984 presidential election, and in senatorial, gubernatorial, and house elections in four geographically diverse markets. Kern interviews campaign consultants as well as campaign managers and outlines the significant changes in political advertising over the past two decades. She finds, on the basis of an ad sample, that most competitive senatorial and gubernatorial races in 1986 as well as the presidential race of 1988 used negative advertising. In an era in which media consultants are increasingly assuming primary responsibility for press relations, the study demonstrates that ads can overwhelm news coverage and serve many purposes in addition to providing voters with campaign information. The informed general reader seeking a better understanding of the political advertisement phenomenon, journalists who cover political campaigns, as well as scholars in communications and political science, will find 30-Second Politics invaluable reading.