Network Television Still Offers A Massive Prime Time Audience

When John McCain considered skipping out on the first debate, I thought, that’s interesting, I wonder if Obama can just take the entire 90 minutes.
As we now know, McCain decided to show up and he’s likely to show up again for the third debate next week. Yet, Obama wants the viewers’ full attention, and he has the cash to buy it. According to The New York Times, Obama’s campaign is dipping into its war chest to buy up blocks of network airtime.

Officials at the Obama campaign and at several television networks said Thursday that Mr. Obama had completed deals to show a half-hour program about his candidacy on CBS and NBC on Wednesday, Oct. 29, less than a week before Election Day. The campaign is also talking to ABC and Fox about similar deals, though the potential of a World Series Game 6 may make that impossible on Fox.
It was an extraordinary move illustrating the spending flexibility Mr. Obama enjoys as his campaign raises huge sums outside of the restrictive campaign finance system, which imposes spending limits in return for matching federal money.

The last Presidential candidate to run an informercial was Ross Perot in 1992.