February 2010

More than half of Americans use Internet for health

More than half of Americans looked up health information on the Internet last year. But only 5 percent used email to communicate with their doctors, the survey by the National Center for Health Statistics found.

Researcher at the center used a survey of 7,192 adults aged 18 to 64 questioned between January and June 2009. "From January through June 2009, 51 percent of adults aged 18-64 had used the Internet to look up health information during the past 12 months," the center, part of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in a statement. "Among adults aged 18-64, women were more likely than men to look up health information on the Internet (58 percent versus 43 percent) and were also more likely to use online chat groups to learn about health topics (4 percent versus 2.5 percent)." The survey found 6 percent of adults requested a refill of a prescription on the Internet, and almost 3 percent had made an appointment with a healthcare provider in the previous 12 months using the Internet.

Pulitzers Decline National Enquirer's Entry, But That's Just Tip of the Iceberg

[Commentary] If ever there was a story that put the vagaries of what constitutes the modern journalism business front and center it's this: the National Enquirer's decision to nominate its coverage of John Edwards affair and love-child with Rielle Hunter for a Pulitzer Prize.

It's a fascinating tale of journalism operating on two parallel tracks simultaneously and also a great example of how most industries cope when the sand is shifting around them — by pretending it's not. As Gawker points out, in the official media, coverage of John Edwards in 2008 was about his decision to eventually endorse Obama and his performance in the Iowa caucus; in the other, it was about his personal life. while there is no anachronism in furthering the cause of solid reporting, there is in limiting consideration for great reporting to only one part of the journalism machine, and this is where the Pulitzers, and the entire newspaper journalism community, need to wake up. Ironically, the story of tabloid journalists vs. ones at Respectable News Organizations is an old one; now the Internet has substantially expanded text-based journalism and commentary.

Newspapers Expected to Get Less than 10% of Political Ad Dollars this Year

Political advertising spending is forecasted to reach $4.2 billion in 2010 -- but newspapers are only expected to get less than 8% of those dollars, according to a new report from Borrell Associates.

Which is not to say that spending overall has subsided. The pickup in political advertising has only gathered strength since the 2000 elections, the authors of the report noted. Last year was relatively quiet on the political front, yet spending outpaced 2000 levels. The recent Supreme Court ruling that allows corporations to now spend on politics caused Borrell analysts to bump up its forecast 10%. Still, while the kitty grows, the way candidates and advocacy groups spend it hasn't changed at all. The lion's share of political advertising dollars will be spent on broadcast TV. According to the forecast, broadcast TV is anticipated to capture 63% of political ad dollars, followed by a very distant second cable TV with a 9.1% share. Expect candidates to rely more on social networking than online advertising, since only 1% or $45 million of political dollars are expected to flow to Internet ads. That's up 73% from 2008 levels.

The Press After Citizens United

In the wake of the Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, what new stories or obligations present themselves to political reporters and editors working in this new era of money and politics?

For the most part, campaign finance watchers say, the changes will mostly be related to scale. With more corporate money (and speech) poised to enter the fray, traditional watchdog reporting will become even more important. In the meanwhile, there remain plenty of open questions about the decision's full impact and legal attempts to stem it. Tracking their resolution will be fertile ground for stories. Congress and the President have floated various proposals—ranging from a constitutional amendment to more modest legislative patches—to undo the ruling's broadest effects. Eight justices (all but Thomas) agreed that government could continue to regulate disclosure of the newly allowed expenditures.

Super Bowl Ads Vs. Political Campaigns

The going rate for Super Bowl ads is about $2.5 million. That $2.5 million buys you just 30 seconds. Which raises the question: How far would $2.5 million go in politics?

Evan Tracey, president of the Campaign Media Analysis Group, a firm that tracks political ads on TV, says that amount of money "could go a long way in a competitive congressional race this year. Tracey mentioned Arkansas, where Blanche Lincoln may be the most vulnerable Senate Democrat this year. "You could certainly get, you know, two or three months of a pretty consistent message out there," Tracey says, on how far $2.5 million would go in that market. This is hardly great news for Lincoln, who had $5 million on hand — on Jan. 1. That was pretty good, until 20 days later, when the Supreme Court opened the door for corporate spending. Now that $5 million is less likely to scare off challengers.

It's A Whole New Political Ad Ballgame

Rarely has the political landscape changed so dramatically virtually overnight. The twin events of the takeover of Ted Kennedy's Senate seat by Republican Scott Brown and the Citizens United ruling by the Supreme Court have not just entranced Washington, but also Madison Avenue.

Analysts of all persuasions, including TVB, are anticipating a cascade of political dollars during 2010. How should broadcasters be telling advertisers of all kinds to prepare for it? First, let's look at the changed political landscape. The Brown win has energized the Republican Party. It will be a great boost for fundraising and for fielding more competitive candidates. It is clear there will now be a record number of tight races in the House this fall — as many as 70 — as well as hot gubernatorial and Senate races.

But the news that has the media community most excited is the 5-4 Supreme Court ruling overturning key elements of the McCain-Feingold Act. The ruling allows corporations, unions, trade associations, interest groups and individuals to advertise directly for or against the election of specific candidates. And there is no blackout period. Groups had previously been barred from advertising 60 days prior to Election Day.

So what's our take-away? Clearly both the Brown victory and the new unrestricted class of candidate advertiser are going to put upward pressure on 2010 campaign spending. How much? Nobody knows. But estimates of plus $300 million to $500 million, reported in the press, seem to be appropriate.

Borrell: $4.2 Billion In 2010 Political Spend

Declaring the birth of "the endless campaign," Borrell Associates predicts that the growth of issue advertising and a recent Supreme Court ruling have changed the pattern of political ad spending in the U.S., erasing the peaks and valleys of the on- and off-year forecasts of the recent past and replacing them with a more even, continuous outlay. This year, candidates and issue advertisers will spend a record $4.2 billion on advertising, with TV stations commanding "the lion's share" and the Internet garnering only 1% of outlays, according to a new Borrell report. Almost three-fourths of the total will be spent locally, the report says.

FCC Levies Fines on Four Stations For Failing to Keep Proper Records

The Federal Communications Commission fined four TV stations more than $32,000 for failing to keep the proper records. Nexstar's WQRF-TV Rockford, Ill., faces the biggest hit--$10,000--for failure to publicize the existence and location of its kids programming reports. Those are the ones that identify the educational/informational programming.

What Do Behavioral Targeters Know About You?

While relevant advertising is the only kind that's useful, it's creepy to see behavioral ads following you around the web, advertising that trip to Hawaii you'd researched last week when you're just trying to read the news. But perhaps it would be a lot less creepy if you knew when and where you were sharing your data, and when and why you're being targeted by ads. To that end, you can find out exactly what cookies BlueKai has on you. BlueKai says it is the largest U.S. behavioral data provider, and just raised a third round of $21 million while kicking off its third year of existence Head over to BlueKai's registry and you can see, item by item, recent categories you've been slotted into based on your browsing history.

Blumenthal: Meaningful use must stretch - not break - providers

Dr. David Blumenthal, the national health IT coordinator, said that he wants to "stretch" the healthcare community but not "break" it in setting the conditions under which providers can qualify for financial incentives to use health IT.

That's how he described how his office will determine how high to set the bar for physicians and hospitals to become "meaningful users" of electronic health records. Blumenthal spoke at a joint presentation of the Health IT Government Leaders, Health Information Ex change and HIPAA summits Feb. 4. The proposed rule uses an escalator concept, which guides providers toward increasingly sophisticated uses of EHRs with the help of financial incentives and support from health IT technical training centers and state health information exchanges. The administration wants to encourage the participation of physicians and hospitals in the program and prevent their dropping out once they've started, Blumenthal said.

Benton

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