The Obama campaign has made possibly the most unusual media buy of any presidential campaign. They have bought an entire channel on the Dish satellite network.
Channel 73-00 on Dish satellite network is now labeled 'Obama' and is looping Obama's 2 minute economic ad, Barack Obama's Plan for America, another ad, and the video that was shown at Invesco Field before Barack Obama's nomination acceptance speech. Dish Network subscribers are also reporting that when a commercial comes on any of the other channels, an option appears offering to let the user select the Obama Channel.
Conservative bloggers began almost immediately complaining that they do not want to pay for an Obama channel or Obama ads, but it seems this channel is a media buy -- bought and paid for in full by the Obama campaign. According to Ben Smith at Politico,
on a forum for Satellite TV aficionados, where one user writes that a Dish Network executive emailed to reassure the user that it "is paid advertising by the Obama campaign and is not an endorsement of Senator Obama by DISH Network" and will broadcast through November 4.
So far, no one seems to have been able to get an official statement from Dish or their former parent company EchoStar. There is no word yet what other plans the campaign has for this channel, and there is also no word whether the Obama campaign plans a similar media buy with other satellite or cable networks.
Follow Dawn Teo on Twitter: www.twitter.com/dawnteo
It is clever, so maybe I'm alone in this.
If the campaign is going to use it, they should at least use it (as others here have suggested) to play his race and religion speech and to broadcast rallies live. I also think they should turn it off on November 4 or at least turn it to general topics or he will look like an egomaniac. Also, it should be run out of campaign funds only. If others finance it, it is asking for a scandal.
Having said that, too bad for McCain he didn't do something like this and use it to explain his policy instead of putting his effort into hate mongering. Maybe in future elections, each side can have in depth reporting of its platform.
If he loses, he has a fabulous career in being a business mogul.
Obama/Biden '08
and I dont get DISH Network!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(whine whine whine)
In any case..... this is a brilliant move... and they should use this to promote his speeched on Economy, Race, Religion, War..... he had gave us such clarity on what he proposes to do and who he is......
I get really upset when MSM says that we don't know this guy.... If anybody gives a rat's ass about our nation, then they know about both guys..... and listening to his substantive speeches leave no doubt in mhy mind.......
GObama/Biden!!!!!!!!!!1
I'd like to see them expand it. If they're buying the time 24/7 anyway, why not run his speeches late at night or on the weekend? I'd love to see his 2004 speech in its entirety again, or any of them really.
Here's hoping they buy a cable channel too. I'd love to see some live speeches if they expand from just ads.
His channel is in the part of the lineup with other paid programming like shopping channels. that section and another one with paid programming are what I call the C___ and Trash channels and I don't ever channel surf there.
It would be innovative if he put the channel smack dab in where most DISH Network customers channel surf.
The icon to go to the NObama channel when his ad runs elsewhere on a DISH Network service is DISH's innovation - they have icons for Enhanced CNN, Weather Channel, and a few other things that take you elsewhere (usually DISH Network's Interactive Portal) when you click while something is playing that causes the icon to appear.
The Obama campaign has done a nice job with this, don't be bitter.
Face it, this a was a great move by his campaign.
I'm surprised the political advisers have not done this earlier. It is a much more effective
You Tube.
When Obama/Biden get elected, they will be able to:
1. Explain complex policy decisions without being dependent on sound-bit politics.
2. Revise the FDR originated fire-side chat format to directly state their case to the public on a
repeating schedule convenient for all Americans.
3. Provide the detailed facts behind policy decisions in a simple, understandable way.
4. Provide updated news about the administration without the filters, demogogic talking heads
and corporate influenced main stream media outlets biases.
5. Use any number of easily understood informational formats to improve information transfer to
the public.
Steven Spielberg - how about some imput???
Are so far above McCain most brillant thoughts...
Now, if you care...
Read patiently, then share...
http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/make_believe_maverick_the_real_john_mccain/page/1