Positive outweighs negative in political advertising -- so far

By Laura Meckler/Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Negative ads get the most attention, but most of the advertising in the presidential race has been positive -- at least so far.

A new study also pinpoints the markets that have seen the most presidential advertising. The winner is Scranton, Pa., a place with cheap ads and swing voters.

The ad campaigns of Democrat Al Gore and Republican George W. Bush have been almost totally positive, as they left the attacks to their political parties, which run ads on their behalf, according to an analysis of ad spending through Sept. 13 by the University of Wisconsin.

But even the parties -- particularly Republicans -- have run a largely positive campaign. Two in three Republican Party ads shown in the nation's top 75 markets have promoted George W. Bush, with just 20 percent attacking Gore. The remainder contrasted Bush and Gore.

Meanwhile, half of the Democratic Party spots were purely positive, with about a third attacking Bush, the study found.

The party ads started out positive in mid-June and turned more negative as the summer wore on.

Scranton has seen more Republican and more Democratic ads in the last two weeks than any other top-75 market. Going back to June, it's also the No. 1 GOP market and No. 2 for Democrats.

Since June, the typical Scranton TV viewer has seen about 88 pro-Bush or anti-Gore ads, and nearly 110 pro-Gore or anti-Bush ads.

Other markets on the most saturated list are mostly in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan, where the race for president is tight and being fiercely fought. The most popular places include Cleveland, Toledo, Dayton and Columbus in Ohio; Harrisburg, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, plus Scranton, in Pennsylvania; and Flint, Grand Rapids and Detroit in Michigan.

Other popular markets: Green Bay and Milwaukee, Wis.; New Orleans; Seattle; Tampa Bay, Fla.

In each of these places, typical viewers have seen at least 150 total ads since June -- even more for viewers who watch the shows targeted by campaigns and fewer for other TV watchers.

The study also found that while Democrats ran a more aggressive summer ad campaign, the GOP has made up for it in recent weeks.

In the first two weeks of September, Bush and the Republican National Committee spent more than $8.7 million in the top 75 markets, compared with about $7.3 million by Gore and the Democratic National Committee.

In particular, Bush has dominated the air waves in Florida, where Gore is giving the Texas governor a surprisingly strong run. In the first two weeks of September, Bush ran nearly five times as many ads as Gore in Miami and twice as many in West Palm Beach. Bush has run a substantial number of ads in Jacksonville, where Gore has spent nothing.

Outside groups, which played significant roles during the primaries, have had little impact so far.

Gore has benefited most from outside aid to date, with nearly $1 million spent since June that helped him. Only about $317,000 has been spent on Bush's behalf.

The study relies on ad tracking by the Campaign Media Analysis Group and is paid for by a grant from the Pew Charitable Trusts.

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