As we noted Friday 9/5/08, broadcasters are much better at collecting money others have donated to politicians than they are at giving it to those same politicians. This makes sense, in that broadcasters serve an audience comprised of members of both parties.
Unsurprisingly, NAB is the leading campaign giver in the sector, but the biggest private giver, Clear Channel, isn’t all that far behind. NAB has donated $690K this cycle, according to the Center for Responsive Politics’ OpenSecrets.org. 56% of that has gone to Democrats. Clear Channel has sprung for $551K, just about three times more than the #3 donor Univision. It almost mirror-imaged the NAB’s giving pattern, donating 54% of its cash to Republicans.
Univision weighed in at $185K with a 57% Democratic lean. Only six other companies topped the $100K level, and four companies made the top 20 list for less than $30K. Note that this is actually a top 20 list, but there is a tie for the #20 slot.
RBR/TVBR observation: Two companies, Clear Channel and Pappas, have been tied to the Republicans in the past, but it doesn’t take a CPA to see that as corporations, their giving patterns appear to be more pragmatic than ideological, with no more than a lean toward elephants over donkeys in evidence.
| Company/Organization | Amount | Dem% | Rep% |
| National Association of Broadcasters | $690,170 | 56% | 44% |
| Clear Channel Communications | $551,050 | 46% | 54% |
| Univision Communications | $185,300 | 57% | 43% |
| Chartwell Partners | $178,100 | 0% | 100% |
| Hubbard Broadcasting | $166,450 | 14% | 86% |
| Entravision Communications | $118,250 | 94% | 6% |
| Salem Communications | $106,450 | 2% | 98% |
| Entercom Communications | $102,200 | 80% | 20% |
| Jones International | $101,800 | 0% | 100% |
| Sirius Satellite Radio | $86,000 | 53% | 47% |
| Emmis Communications | $54,100 | 94% | 6% |
| Pappas Telecasting | $39,350 | 45% | 55% |
| XM Satellite Radio | $37,700 | 82% | 18% |
| National Amusements | $36,781 | 61% | 39% |
| Plum TV | $32,835 | 100% | 0% |
| Barnstable Broadcasting | $32,800 | 100% | 0% |
| Westwood One | $30,742 | 100% | 0% |
| Simmons Media Group | $28,800 | 0% | 100% |
| National College Sports Net | $28,500 | 100% | 0% |
| Radio One | $27,600 | 100% | 0% |
| Roppe Corporation | $27,600 | 0% | 100% |
Source: OpenSecrets.org/Center for Responsive Politics
