Colorado TV Watchers About To Be Jolted Back Into Normal Commercial-Viewing
DENVER (CBS4) - They must feel like old friends by now to Colorado TV watchers: Cory Gardner and Mark Udall. John Hickenlooper and Bob Beauprez.
But those old friends are mostly going away from your TV.
The relentless Campaign 2014 ads are all about to be absent from the breaks between your favorite shows. Get ready for ads about Christmas presents and used cars. About prescription drugs and electronics. You know, normal non-political stuff.
JUST IN: I'm told the last 2014 campaign ad on CBS4 has been scheduled; will air at 6:45pm tomorrow. #COpolitics
— Tim Wieland (@CBS4Tim) November 3, 2014
The last campaign ad on CBS4 of this political cycle has been scheduled to air at 6:45 p.m. on Tuesday, according to CBS4 News Director Tim Wieland. By 7 p.m. everyone in the state will have cast their ballots, and the campaign advertisements will be gone.
I've obviously seen too many political ads. In this Xmas ad, I kept waiting for announcer to say, "Best Buy - too extreme for Colorado."
— Tim Wieland (@CBS4Tim) November 2, 2014
What's the reason why Colorado televisions showed such a huge amount of political ads this year? Close races and lots of independents. Colorado's non-affiliated registered voters are the ones who will tip the scales of a Senate race like the one between Cory Gardner and Mark Udall.
REALITY CHECK: See Shaun Boyd's Reports On This Year's Political TV Ads
That Udall-Gardner race was third most expensive Senate race in the country. That's according to the Center for Public Integrity, which wrote this week: "Candidates, parties and groups ran at least 59,600 TV ads in the Colorado U.S. Senate race."
The race for governor between John Hickenlooper and Bob Beauprez also featured thousands of ads. The Congressional District 6 race between Mike Coffman and Andrew Romanoff has as well. And then there have been ads pouring in for statewide ballot initiatives.
Amendment 68 -- to expand gambling and create a new education fund -- was the third most expensive campaign of its type in the country. Approximately $13.8 million was spent on 13,600 ads, according to the Center for Public Integrity. And Proposition 105 -- to label GMOs in foods -- was the ninth most expensive. Approximately $4.3 million was spent on 3,386 ads.
LINK: Center for Public Integrity: Ballot Measure Spending
CBSDenver.com blogger Dominic Dezzutti calls all the money being spent on ads in the state problematic.
"This election season, one that spends millions of dollars vilifying leaders from both sides of the aisle, will exacerbate our collective political divide," he writes in a recent blog entry. "Democrats will be further convinced that Republicans are evil. Republicans will continue to believe that Democrats are awful and independents will be more motivated to tune out."
But that is all going away starting Tuesday night.
"Enjoy a deep sigh of relief and the return of Rocky's Shagman and Dealing Doug," Dezzutti says.
- Written by Jesse Sarles for CBSDenver.com