If you’ve been watching TV, or reading news (whether on the Intertubes or the old-fashioned way), or eavesdropping on conversations on the subway, you probably know that we’re already in the middle of the Next Election Season (even though the Next Election happens to be more than 13 months away). Because it’s never too early to get ready for political campaign season – and the inevitable onslaught of campaign advertising it brings – our own Scott Johnson organized a refresher webinar on political broadcasting. Presented on September 9 under the aegis of the Alabama Broadcasters Association and the South Carolina Broadcasters Association, the presentation featured none other than Bobby Baker, the Media Bureau’s long-time go-to official when it comes to political broadcasting. Also on the bill were FHH’s Dan Kirkpatrick and Harry Cole.
If you’d like a copy of the PowerPoint slides presented during the webinar, click here. But you’d be well-advised to click here, which will take you to a recording of the full webinar, slides and audio commentary. (If you didn’t register for the webinar previously, you’ll be asked to provide your name and email address.) We recommend listening to the recording because Bobby ad libbed frequently during the 90-minutes session, providing a lot of useful information not necessarily reflected in the slides. One correction, though: During the webinar reference was made to the date for the 2016 Presidential (and Statewide) Primary in Alabama. The correct date for that primary, according to the Alabama Secretary of State’s website, is March 1, NOT March 8. (The reference to March 8 during the webinar was based on a previously-announced tentative scheduling which has since been revised to March 1.)