Local Political TV Ads Serve Candidate Egos, Not the Voters

“No one has ever questioned his integrity,” the narrator solemnly proclaims in Bob Filner’s new television ad, as the candidate for Congress shakes hands and looks concerned, casual yet professional in his shirt sleeves and tie.

Apparently Filner has not been listening closely to the rhetoric flowing from his opponent’s camp. Republican Tony Valencia’s troops have stopped just short of accusing Filner of having an affair with Gennifer Flowers.

For the purposes of the television ad, maybe Filner’s minions chose to simply ignore the usually unfounded attacks on his character by political opponents over the years. That’s not exactly a shocking thought.

In this modern media age, when the average Joe on the street is savvy enough to understand the concept of “spin doctors,” there is little naivete in the populace about the veracity of television political ads. They are part of the political landscape, and as much a source of entertainment as Ginzu knife commercials and KNSD-TV’s (Channel 39) operatic promos for its newscasts. Image is everything.

Given that politicians often use their inheritances to pay for television spots, there must be some value to them. The Big Thinkers of the political game say television commercials have a tremendous impact on the political process. A good commercial will have an impact and a bad one is a waste of money, they add.

At the local level, it’s hard to believe the ads have much impact.

In Assembly, state Senate and other races where the competition is confined to a narrow district, television commercials are often little more than an exercise in ego gratification, veteran local political consultant David Lewis notes, since many of the viewers can’t even vote in the district.

In terms of style and impact, the local television ads for politicians have a different flavor than the slick state and national spots.

“You have to realize that this is not Hollywood and this is not Washington D.C.,” said Lewis, who is not working directly for any local candidates this year.

Most local ads are not sophisticated, although many do appear slick. Few have the snappy music, graphics or insightful messages that make national spots so entertaining.

State Sen. Lucy Killea’s current ads are an exception, since they actually strive to make a point.

In one, Killea is shown floating in a dinghy. “When I quit the Democratic Party and became an independent state Senator last year, the president of the Senate said I would be cast adrift, I’d be all alone. He was wrong,” Killea says from her seat in the dinghy.

Most of the local ads have nothing close to that level of imagination, nor do they seem to have any point at all. The viewer learns little more about the candidate than how to spell their name and what they look like.

The spots for Filner, running in the 50th congressional district, and Lynn Schenk, a candidate in the 49th congressional district, are fairly typical. They show the candidates walking around looking official while a narrator makes clear they are for jobs and for a better economy--in case any voters were concerned that they were against jobs or the economy.

“Personally, I think an ad like that is a waste of money,” Lewis said, noting that it doesn’t make sense to spend $100,000 for commercial time if they skimp on production costs and just offer “cliche, cliche, cliche.”

Clearly most of the locals ads are intended only to remind viewers that the candidate is alive and well and able to raise enough money to be on TV. Maybe a few viewers will remember the candidate’s name when they enter the voting booth.

Since style is usually more important than substance, many of the ads are obviously produced with the hope that voters will like the look of the candidate. Most of the local ads are amazing only in their ability to bore. Generally, this year’s local spots to date fall into one of two categories:

- Labor R Us: This kind of ad requires the wealthy politician to mingle with people wearing hard hats. Shake their hands, smile and look concerned. The more people wearing the hard hats the better. It demonstrates that the politician is really “of the people.” Sometimes this is a stretch and requires tremendous acting ability on the part of the candidate.

The Oscar goes to Schenk. Not only has she had more hard hats per commercial spot than any other candidate on Earth, she manages to look sincere and contemplative while she pores over blueprints alongside men wearing hard hats.

- The Plea: The candidate stares into the camera. The candidate looks stern. I am a serious individual, the candidate says with body language. I am sincere, the candidate says. I just want to talk to you, personally, just you and me.

Assemblywoman Dede Alpert can currently be seen in a sweat suit on the beach. Mayoral candidate Peter Navarro is seen close-up, talking into the camera. His opponent Susan Golding, apparently aiming at the victim vote, tries to pull at the heart by telling how she was once robbed.

The spots are lean and mean with no frills. No slick production values for me, the candidates say. Translation: I have no money. This is the only type of television ad I can afford (although that doesn’t explain Golding’s spot, since she has raised plenty of money).

Beyond Golding’s shrill assertion at the end of her ad that Navarro is somehow evil because he wants to give needles to addicts, so far there have not been any of the good ol’ venomous hit advertisements, the “My Opponent is Scum” approach.

But there’s still time.

Honors for Puff Piece of the Week go to Channel 10’s Byron Harlan for a relentlessly glowing feature on massages offered at a North County spa. The masseuse uses “scented oils that are simply divine,” said Harlan, apparently attempting to identify something unique about the massage in order to justify the feature. For the length of the piece, viewers were treated to the scene of a woman getting a massage while Harlan gushed. “That woman on the receiving end is starting to look as if she is having an out-of-body experience,” he said. . . .

And for Teaser of the Week on Channel 51: “Sadistic slavery on the next Geraldo.” . . .

Channel 39’s new 4 p.m. newscast is set to debut tomorrow. . . .

KGTV (Channel 10) sports guy Rick Powers is heading to Channel 8 to be a backup sports guy. That’ll bring the excitement back to Channel 8. . . .

KSON is “flying in a few people” to interview for the job of sidekick with new morning show Mr. Personality Mike Novak, according to program director Mike Shepard. He said at least three people will be interviewed.

CRITIC’S CHOICE

Woody’s Film, Post-Scandal

Now that the Woody Allen-Mia Farrow affair has at least temporarily fallen off the front pages of the tabloids, “Husbands and Wives” may be regarded more for its searing intimacy and classic Allen poignancy than its clear allusions to the seamier aspects of Allen’s personal life. It is a powerful film that hits almost too close to home, displaying a rare ability to make the audience squirm with its observations about the disintegration of relationships. The audience is made to feel almost voyeuristic, as if they’re intruding on an intense family argument, thanks to Allen’s use of a raw cinema verite style. The parallels to Allen and Farrow’s real life only make the film that much more relevant. “Husbands and Wives” is screening at the Cove Theater.