TV stations strike election gold

Local television stations across the country are flush with cash thanks to a midterm election campaign that has featured an estimated $4 billion in spending. More than 80 percent of the spending on political television ads is going to local broadcasters in 2014, according to one industry trade group. One media-tracking firm estimates that $2.4 billion could be spent on broadcast ads this cycle. While candidates increasingly rely on cable and Internet advertising to reach voters, the bulk of their spending still goes toward 30- and 15-second spots on broadcast television.