One-fifth of households in top markets watched Obama's infomercial

Sen. Barack Obama’s 30-minute political infomercial was watched by 21.7% of households in the top 56 local markets, Nielsen Media Research reported today.

That’s a little more than half the audience that tuned into the final debate between Obama and Sen. John McCain earlier this month.

Obama’s ad, which ran live on CBS, NBC, FOX, UNIVISION, MSNBC, and NY1, drew substantially more viewers than the series of 15 paid telecasts presidential candidate Ross Perot ran in 1992. An average of 11.6 million viewers watched those, just about 5% of the national audience. However, Perot's final simulcast on election day drew 26 million viewers, or about 17% of all households.

The city with the highest tune-in for Obama’s commercial was Baltimore, where 31.3% of households watched. Philadelphia was the second largest, with 29%, likely because many viewers were waiting for the conclusion of the final World Series game. In Los Angeles, 21.3% of households tuned into Obama’s ad.

-- Matea Gold

Comments

[Very concern]

I was inspired by the positive, excellent and refreshing InFomercial last night given by Senator Obama. It signifies what America is now and his mission of helping us out of this troubling time. It is money-spent well, very uplifting and Obama compaign donor should be proud of him.

A respectable Senator Obama exhibited his steadiness and enormous intellectual capacity to problem-solving. He is distinguish and presidential with genuine concern for America...ready to unite...ready to lead.

I hope people of America will be behind him to keep America great, nationally and globally. A great America is the great future to the up-coming generations.

[Happy4LA]

I wonder what percent of LA Times' staff watched this Obama ad? And was it out of a journalistic interest or because they love Obama? The LA Times' excuses for not releasing the Obama tape are lame, more evidence of media bias. They bend over backwards for the candidates that fit their political ideology. The propaganda from the LA Times is pathetic, and many still spew that they are fair. Shame on the LA Times and other newspapers for not fulfilling their journalistic responsibilities. But it's no different than the crooks on Wall Street who looked out for themselves and caused this financial mess.

[Calvin H. Johnson]

I am astonished by the negativity I see being lobbed at Obama by so many people. The McCain campaign spews out invective and some people just take it as gospel. I watched the video and found it very inspiring. Not slick, not overdone, not smarmy. For the life of me, I cannot see why people fear this man.

I suppose McCain supporters would say just the opposite. Lordy, it's a good thing this is still a free country!

[KG]

Well, those numbers about match up to the people ALREADY voting for Obama. Not all that impressive. Especially considering he was on ALL but one major network AND MSNBC. If you can show me that any or many of the viewers were undecided voters or Republicans on the fence, then maybe you have something. If it's just the Obama-ites, that was a waste of a lot of overseas cash.

[DaveT]

The Times not releasing the tape of Rashid Khalidi will prove nothing.
See CNN Fact Check. It dismisses the entire flap. Read it and process it.
Rashid Khalidi is a professor of Arab Studies at the U. of Chicago. Khalidi has denied ever working for the PLO. However, his scholarly works on the Middle East are regarded as the most insightful and intelligent report on the subject.
The FACT: Sen John McCain also has connections with Khalidi. He has personally given on several occasions THOUSANDS of dollars to Khalidi and his organizations to study the Palestinians. This printed fact. Obama never gave money to Khalidi and while being associates,
Obama does not agree with Khalidi's view of Israel. He has stated for the record that he supports Israel. But in doing so, has gained further criticism by right wing anti-zionists who outright hate Israel's occupation and expansion in the middle east.
Time to clear the air. The GOP and the far right will find try to find crap in a rainbow. Yet they contradict themselves every time. McCain=Khalidi. Far Right Wing=anti Israel.
Time to zip it.

[Alejander Salazar]

"Vote for me and I will save the America and I will save the WORLD" - That is enough for me not to vote for that sociopath egomaniac.

[Hard Rock]

I feel sad for Happy4LA - the LA Times did exactly the right (and legal) thing in not releasing the video tape since they did not, and still do not have permission from their source of the tape to do so. I do agree that doing the right thing is something that Wall Street should have considered. I am glad the LA Times does so.

[pdiddy]

In general I thought it was a pretty well done infomercial. It came off a little "saviorish" to me but nonetheless I think it was a plus for the Senator. The guy is probably searching for ways to spend 600 million dollars.

[kate]

Imagine the "informerical" McCain and company would have aired. You think it would have been half as uplifting, positive, and inspiring? I think not. It would have been filled with the same negative garbage and lies that America is SICK of hearing over and over again. That is the main difference between these two campaigns. A vote for McCain reinforces and rewards lies and hatred. Reward the man that has stayed honorable and positve the entire 2 years he has been campaigning.

OBAMA/BIDEN for HOPE

[Michael Collins]

Check out “Election 2008 - What White Women Want”, a new investigation by Dolly Deadline at http://www.whatwhitewomenwant.com/

White women are expected to play a crucial and possibly determining role in the election. Dolly explores this new media phenomenon by interviewing an ‘assortment’ from this group and inviting them to blog about their concerns and hopes for our troubled country.

[Sokuto Jones]

KG ~ so you don't think undecideds would have watched that to gauge whether they can back him for president? Your narrow minded view is typical of a conservative-gop-republican (whatever you all are trying to call yourselves these days)... in your world if it didn't come from FOX, Drudge and Rush it's biased and untrue. Step up and take responsibility for where we are as a country, your economic ideology has been blown, your unilateral action bush doctrine has lost us the respect of the world and now you try and prop up the McCain who most Republicans despised and called a "fake" Republican because he was centrist enough to attract moderate voters and partnered him with Caribou Barbie the true definition of a shallow celebrity... how many colleges did she go through before she graduated and became a Sportscaster?

[Elizabeth Cheruto]

I watched Obamas informacial and he did a very good job. I knew he would and after watching it I have no doubt that this is the man America needs .The MaCain campain has been trying to tell people false things about Obama and I think this Informacial was the way forward for Obama to tell people what he means not what MaCain interprets. and Kudos for Obama, May God give you that chance to rule .

[nancyjoe]

How ridiculous that pompous INFOMERCIAL was. And what low viewership. Who would vote for this man? Only people who aren;t too fond of America. With everything people know about Obama's dangerous plans for the defense and economy of this country people are catching on and he is slipping in the polls. Thank God. We thought we would all have to move to a foreign country instead of watching Obama, Pelosi and Reid destroy ours.

[mrut]

When will anti-Arab prejudice finally be recognized for the racism it is in this country? The only reason Obama is attacked for knowing Rashid Khalidi is that Khalidi is an Arab name.

Wake up! These attacks on people for having an Arab name are EXACTLY like the attacks on people for having "Jewish-sounding" names. It's shameful prejudice. It's disgusting.

I thought the infomercial was pretty good. Its function was to show undecideds what Obama proposes and where he would take the country.

[getoverthefear]

Caroline Kennedy was so right...not since her father has there been a president that we could love, respect and admire. Last nights address by Senator Obama made me believe that it again is possible. Love not hate is the answer. It is time for our country and world to heal.

[deBeer]

The loser mentality, downtrodden, over the hill America that Barry O talked about is not reality. He often says McCain is a fear monger. Hmmm He sure was gloom and doom Barry O last night.
Btw Barry O says he will tax the top 5% of taxpayuers. News flash,. The top 5.5% starts at $150,000

[Carla]

I thought the ad was super well done. Classy, informative and uplifting at a very crucial time.

I don't understand the people on here who criticize the paper for not releasing the video. It's a ridiculous notion to say that the paper is hiding something when it is the LA Times that revealed the details of that party to the world. Without the paper, you would never have heard of this at all, people! Are you really that ignorant?

The ad got 33 million viewers. Are you kidding me saying that it's lower viewership? You need to pay attention to ratings more before declaring such a stupid statement. That is a very very big audience by all TV industry standards. Do your homework.

[Robert Davi]

Obama is the only Presidential Candidate that I have ever heard that actually made me feel something!!

[uNCLEMICK]

I am an undecided voter who along with my 2 teenage sons, watched the infomercial last night. I am still unconvinced. Where has the $500 million dollars in Obama's campaign come from? I am not so naive as to believe that that amount of money comes free of strings. He owes someone something. If Obama was interested in change, then why not limit the amount of fund raising and take the federal money. Obama has spent 4 times what McCain has spent.That move in itself would have been a change. My oldest son wants to see a 30 minute infomercial on John McCain before he makes up his mind.

[Roy]

May I answer the person in this Blogosphere who was asking , How Obama managed to ganner 500 million for this Presidential campaign? One thing is clear that this person was not part of the Obama supporters and so he or she was deluded to know that over 5millions or more supporters contributed their moneys within the American laws for Fund raising in this election.

Secondly the Americans are now saying that with their moneys and votes of all others in America will push Bush/McCain/Palin Presidency away from Lime light and so Obama/Biden seize the Presidentiial Election Victory from below the jaw of President Bush government, who is clueless about how to run a Beloving American States.

Thirdly, the Americans are showing the rest of the world that Obama will be a better President comes Novemeber 5th 2008. The latest 30 minutes ads is another way of reaching the Undecided and the unreachable during Obama's course of campaigns, which justified a resources well out layed to meet a beffitting purpose to win all over undecide voters in America.

Glory be to Almighty Father and to guide and protect us all to seeing a problem free Presidential El;ection in United States of America, where Obama/Biden win.