Audio By Carbonatix
For the American Petroleum Institute, the campaign isn’t over.
On election day a week ago, broadcast outlets were clogged with political ads intended to sway the opinions of folks taking the whole undecided-voter thing to extremes. Such content has dried up for the most part, but not entirely. After all, some organizations view campaigning as a continuous process rather than a period that ends, at least temporarily, after votes are cast. Right now, for example, Clear Channel’s Denver talk properties are running spots funded by the American Petroleum Institute; the commercials urge listeners to demand that their congressional representatives pass legislation relaxing restrictions about drilling for oil. Following the defeat of Amendment 58, which would have eliminated a tax credit for Colorado drillers, the energy industry apparently sees an opportunity to capitalize on pro-exploration statements made prior to the election, by Barack Obama as well as John McCain. So why wait for another election to push the agenda a little further?
That’s a rhetorical question the sales staffers at Clear Channel would like to hear a lot more often during the post-election ad-buying doldrums. — Michael Roberts
