Air Raid: Haslam Makes First Buy
Posted on February 5, 2010 at 2:44 pmAndy Sher reports:
Republican gubernatorial hopeful Bill Haslam will begin broadcast TV advertising in at least the Chattanooga media market for a 16-day period beginning Feb. 12, the Chattanooga Times Free Press has learned.
“I know they have placed a buy for February and the Olympics are a big part of that,” said WRCB-TV Channel 3’s president and general manager Tom Tolar this morning, confirming several sources’ accounts that Knoxville Mayor Haslam’s campaign is starting campaign advertising.
UPDATE: Zach Wamp says Haslam’s buying because he is scared of him:
Next week, Knoxville mayor and wealthy oil executive Bill Haslam will launch a most unusual and early television advertising buy in Tennessee’s gubernatorial race to apparently try and stop the rising momentum of Republican front-runner Zach Wamp.
According to media analysts, Haslam is buying cable television advertisements in all of the state’s media markets beginning Monday, Feb. 8 – but has secured broadcast TV advertisements, beginning Friday, Feb. 12, in only one media market in the state – Chattanooga – the home region of Zach Wamp – and an area where polling indicates Wamp enjoys overwhelming support. Media analysts also project that the Haslam media buy during February will likely cost the Haslam campaign close to $500,000 in production and placement costs statewide.
“It’s awfully early and I think unprecedented for any campaign In Tennessee to be spending so much money for such an early television buy, but I guess I am flattered that the Haslams would feel the need to spend the largest share of their campaign money in my home market,” Wamp said.
“But they can spend all the money they want in trying to buy this election, but it will not work for them, “Wamp said. “More so this time than in any time in recent memory, big money is not going to be the determining factor in this election because the people are sick of big money and big special interests, like the oil companies, calling all of the shots.”
“Instead, this election is going to be decided by the people — based on ideas, vision, strength and results about who can do the best job for Tennessee — and the fact is after more than a year of campaigning, Bill Haslam has simply not been able to make the case on any of those, which probably explains his desperation in launching such an unusually early TV buy against me.”
According to the only public opinion polls available, Haslam trails Wamp badly across the state. A July 12-13 poll of 500 past GOP primary voters, conducted by the Tarrance Group for the Wamp campaign, found Wamp leading the field with 22 percent support statewide. State Senator Ron Ramsey had 15 percent support. Shelby County District Attorney General Bill Gibbons had 14 percent. And Bill Haslam had only 12 percent support statewide. The survey also indicated that Wamp was the only candidate in the GOP race already running first or second in every media market in the state.
Comments
15 Responses to “Air Raid: Haslam Makes First Buy”
Haslam has to start running ADS, he knows Wamp is hot on his tail and not can but will win this primary.
Haslam is nothing but a fake and all he has is his fathers money.
LOL, because he’s scared, bullshit.
Fyi- wamp has already made a buy too. They’ve both got buys for the olympics.
Ommmm…Hello!?!? Wamp made a buy over a year ago: he put those bill boards up all over the state! It is downright pathetic that he released a statement to “counter” Haslam’s early ad by when he was running over a year ago!
Are you trying to tell me Wamp is a liar?
Ya don’t say…
TN — talking about Television/media buying. Of course they’re going to spend money on stuff like that, but it is extremely early to be spending on media buys.
But yeah, I’m saying Wamp is full of it, he’s placed a media buy during the Olympics as well.
Jay D I realize what you meant. I was merely pointing out how disengenous it is of Wamp to suggest that Haslam is somehow invading his territory and is scared. If I recall correctly Wamp had billboards up outside Knoxville last spring.
Sure it’s early for a media buy, but don’t go pointing fingers and making excuses–just win baby–that’s the bottom line. Haslam has the money, he gonna spend it however he thinks will best help him win. Did Wamp not realize that?
I would also like to point out that Wamp has never hasn’t had to actually campaign since 1994…his “chearleader” bit is competely contrived. He seems more mad than he does enthused…perhaps because he is put out by having to actually campaign in this primary…I’m not sayin…I’m just sayin…
Typo…old eyes and stubby thumbs on a BB don’t make for great grammar.
Maybe if Zach had came in first in fundraising instead of third he would be buying air time in Knoxville.
Zach speaks about big money and big special interests, who was he listening to in D.C.? I’m pretty sure special interest had alot to do with his votes for all the pork and his vote for the bank bailout. He was the only Republican representative in TN to vote for it.
He needs to quit acting like he is Mr. Conservative when his record and populist rhetoric prove otherwise.
Switch Grass: It’s so obvious who the Ramsey flacks are. Nice loan, by the way.
I guess even people crazy enough to believe our President wasn’t born in this country are smart enough not to vote for Zach Wamp.
In all fairness, Wamp’s billboards were up during his Congressional re-election campaign. Sure, they were not Congress-specific and the ones I saw stayed up for quite a while after the election, but he did have a non-gubernatorial reason to have them up.
except the fact that those billboards were outside his congressional district
cmaecus45 is clearly a Wamp hack and/or apologist. Wamp put those billboards up because he was running for Governor…as Switch Grass said…they were outside of his district. Like in Jackson, Knoxville, and Nashville…..clearly outside the 3rd CD…
Bill Haslam represents everyting wrong in politices today. He is the insider for the same power brokers like Ted Welch and Lew Connor that brought Don Sunquist,
Zach Wamp cannot be bought. He has no price. He has been in congress for 16 yesrs and only has a net worth of $1 million. That tells me he is honest and he is not running to line his pockets.
Bill Haslam can never have enough money and Ramsey is fleecing every PAC in the state compromising the legislative agenda to repay those who contributed.
In additon, Haslam funded Lane Kiffin and wanted him as the coach. Enough said.
I can assure you that Wamp is NOT running commercials during the olympics. This is a lie.