Talk Radio, GOP Presidential Primary Candidates

DISCOVERING TALK RADIO

To Reach The Unswayed, GOP Candidates Utilize Medium







After years of commercial success and a proven ability to influence election campaigns, is the utilization of talk radio by GOP presidential candidates really still considered a novel approach?

From reading this Washington Post item by Chris Cillizza, that's the impression one might obtain. By now, however, hasn't this become routine?

From the post:

Rudy Takes Message to Talk Radio

Continuing his courtship of conservatives, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani is running radio ads on the popular talk radio shows hosted by Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity.

"My campaign is about leadership and optimism," Giuliani says in the ad. "We need strong leadership to stay on offense in the war against terrorists."

He also highlights his support for "supply side policies and reduced government spending" to "keep the economy growing."

The commercial ends with a plug for his campaign site -- joinrudy2008.com.

During the 1990s talk radio became the voice of the conservative movement, and figures like Hannity and Limbaugh remain quite powerful in certain circles. With hours of airtime every day, Hannity and Limbaugh have a huge megaphone for offering their thoughts on the potential 2008 Republican nominees.

If Giuliani can get on their good sides, he may ensure himself hours of free publicity to an attentive audience that makes up a big chunk of the Republican base.

Don't think that's part of Giuliani's calculation? Remember that he announced his candidacy on Hannity's television show.

Did you catch the snide "in certain circles" remark? With tens of millions of fans between them, those are large circles.


In terms of campaign strategy, talk radio ought to be a key element for candidates of either party. For one thing, the medium is excellent for creating effective free media coverage. And more importantly, you're reaching a highly- motivated group of politically- active voters.

In 2007, isn't this obvious, however? Perhaps it is to the rest of us, but candidates can sometimes be surprisingly out of touch. That Rudy's embrace of talk radio is seen as newsworthy means the others may be staying away from it.

In the meantime, the real story this year is the way liberal and conservative bloggers are playing a key role in these contests. Compared to what's going on now, 2004 was a mere dress rehearsal.


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