Pollster Finds Waste in Huge TV Ad Budgets

SACRAMENTO — Pollster Mervin Field says California politicians wasted tens of millions of dollars on television commercials this year because all of those ads were targeting viewers who weren’t interested.

“When you have low (voter) turnout and high expenditures on television, you have something that is not too efficient,” Field told a Sacramento Press Club luncheon Friday.

He noted that product advertisers have extensive market research showing that their ads reach their intended audience, but not political advertisers. “You have this big money being dumped into one medium, where you have viewers who are not interested in what’s going on there.”

The U.S. Senate race, in which Democratic Sen. Alan Cranston narrowly defeated Republican Ed Zschau, cost more than $25 million. The gubernatorial race, in which Republican Gov. George Deukmejian trounced Democrat Tom Bradley, cost more than $20 million. Most of that money was spent for television ads.

Field said the money spent in the Deukmejian-Bradley race “had no effect.”

“The governor’s race was over almost a year ago,” he said. “With the sense of economic well-being, there is no sense to turn out an incumbent that the public sees as doing a good job.”