Media Monitors Releases Spot Data for Primaries

RADIO ONLINE | Friday, February 24, 2012 | 2:05pm CT

Media Monitors has released its study of political spots that were run in Michigan leading up to its primary election on Tuesday, February 28. The firm captured data for Radio, TV and Local Cable from the candidate's campaign and the Super PACs that ran spot schedules. All the data was collected from January 1 to February 23 in the Michigan markets. On radio, it surveyed Detroit and Grand Rapids.

The combined the totals of campaign spots with those ads that were run for a candidate by Super PACs. Mitt Romney is clearly leading the pack of four with 604 radio commercials, 736 TV spots in the last two months and 294 cable ads. Rick Santorum and his Super Pac ran 86 radio spots, 472 TV spots and 40 cable ads. Ron Paul ran only 5 cable spots in the last two months, while Newt Gingrich's campaign and Super PAC ran 447 radio spots, zero TV and 31 cable spots.

With Gingrich in Michigan, his campaign bought no spots in the last two months, while the Super PAC Winning Our Future bought 447 radio spots and 31 local cable spots.

Romney's campaign ran 193 radio spots (Grand Rapids & Detroit), 341 spots on TV and 93 spots on cable in Detroit. The Super PAC Restore Our Future ran 411 spots on radio, 395 spots on TV and 201 spots on cable in the last two months.

The Super PAC for Rick Santorum ran 26 spots on radio, 306 spots on TV and no spots on cable, while the official Santorum campaign ran 60 spots on radio, 166 spots on TV and 40 spots on cable.

During the same period, Ron Paul's campaign ran 5 local cable spots and no Super PAC aided his effort in Michigan.