Philly 2014 Political Ad Trends Viewer


Trends Viewer: Philly Political Media Watch Project

Welcome to the interactive Trends Viewer tool designed to allow you to explore the data underlying the Philly Political Media Watch Project of the Internet Archive's TV News Archive! From September 1, 2014 through the election of November 4, 2014, 7 television stations in the Philadelphia market were monitored to identify all politically-related advertisements. In all, 74 distinct political advertisements were identified which collectively aired 13,675 times during the 65 day monitoring period. Each advertisement was assessed for time devoted to functional content, using the approach elaborated by William Benoit, Ph.D., most recently in his 2014 book, A Functional Analysis of Political Television Advertisements. Archive staff scored each ad along the dimensions of "Acclaim" (positive comments about candidate), "Attack" (negative comments about opposing candidate), and "Defend" (defending candidate against attacks by opposing candidate), along with typing up a transcript of its spoken content. A similar approach was taken by a team at the University of Delaware's Center for Community Research and Service lead by Associate Professor Danilo Yanich, in their study, Political Ads & Local TV News - Philly 2014.

Note that you will find some oddities in the data due to the way in which the human coding cataloged the advertisements. Each ad was categorized with the name of the primary candidate discussed, meaning that an attack ad run by one candidate against another will be cataloged under the second one's name, even if the other half of the advertisement lauds the candidate running the ad. This will yield nuanced results, such as comparing the ads focusing on Aimee Belgard vs those sponsored on her behalf.

This tool allows you to interactively explore and visualize the resulting trends (the raw datasets are also available for download). Using the form below, you can select any pair of candidates, parties, races, status, win/lost, sponsor, sponsor type, television channel, or even keywords found in the transcripts, or any combination therein, to compare their respective trends during the 2014 election cycle. If you specify multiple options they will be combined together. For example, you can compare ads focusing on Tom Corbett that were paid by Tom Corbett for Governor vs those paid for by Tom Wolf for Governor. Or, compare all ads mentioning the two candidates from any sponsor. Or ads focusing on candidates that ultimately won vs lost. Or, compare the ads run by the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers vs those run by the House Majority PAC. Or, those mentioning "school" vs "job" in the transcript of the ad. Or, simply, view the overall trends for all 13,675 advertisement airings.

Search #1

Use the dropdowns below to select your first query.
You can select multiple options and they will be combined together.

Focal Candidate:
Focal Candidate Party:
Focal Candidate Status:
Focal Race:
Focal Candidate Outcome:
Ad Sponsor:
Ad Sponsor Type:
Television Channel:
Transcript Keyword:


Search #2

Use the dropdowns below to select your second query.
You can select multiple options and they will be combined together.

Focal Candidate:
Focal Candidate Party:
Focal Candidate Status:
Focal Race:
Focal Candidate Outcome:
Ad Sponsor:
Ad Sponsor Type:
Television Channel:
Transcript Keyword:

Select All Advertisements:





Summary Statistics

The four charts below offer a summary of overall trends. See the description under each graph for more detail on what it shows.



Total number of airings of all ads matching your queries

Total airtime of advertisements in minutes, broken down by the functional type expressed: Acclaim (praising the candidate), Attack (attacking the other candidate), or Defend (countering attacks made by the other candidate)



Total airtime (in minutes) of advertisements, broken down by television channel, making it possible to see where advertising time was focused and any differences in the kinds of ads run on each channel. Airtime is further broken down by the functional type expressed: Acclaim (praising the candidate), Attack (attacking the other candidate), or Defend (countering attacks made by the other candidate).



Total airtime (in minutes) of advertisements, broken down by the primary candidate focused on by the ad. An ad may mention multiple candidates, but it is cataloged under the focal candidate that was mentioned the most. Airtime is further broken down by the functional type expressed: Acclaim (praising the candidate), Attack (attacking the other candidate), or Defend (countering attacks made by the other candidate).



Total airtime (in minutes) of advertisements, broken down by the organization paying for the ad, making it possible to see who is paying for ads for/against a given candidate, etc. Airtime is further broken down by the functional type expressed: Acclaim (praising the candidate), Attack (attacking the other candidate), or Defend (countering attacks made by the other candidate).



Total airtime (in minutes) of advertising each candidate ran in shows starting during each hour, making it easy to see what times of day they targeted most heavily



Daily Timeline

The timeline below summarizes the total airtime of advertisements by day over the entire 65 day period, with results for "Tom Corbett" shown to the left of the center line and results for "Tom Wolf" shown to the right. Airtime is further broken down by the functional type expressed: Acclaim (praising the candidate), Attack (attacking the other candidate), or Defend (countering attacks made by the other candidate).




Ad Listing

The thumbnails below show all of the distinct advertisements matching your queries, ordered by how many times each was aired (see the number below each thumbnail). Click on any thumbnail to view a sample airing of that advertisement.

Advertisements Featuring "Tom Corbett"

Times Aired: 382
Times Aired: 293
Times Aired: 290
Times Aired: 260
Times Aired: 178
Times Aired: 159
Times Aired: 135
Times Aired: 95
Times Aired: 51

Advertisements Featuring "Tom Wolf"

Times Aired: 291
Times Aired: 270
Times Aired: 266
Times Aired: 262
Times Aired: 221
Times Aired: 181
Times Aired: 165
Times Aired: 157
Times Aired: 154
Times Aired: 66
Times Aired: 41
Times Aired: 31
Times Aired: 13
Times Aired: 11
Times Aired: 9



Show Listing

The specific television shows that a candidate runs their ads during offers powerful insights into the target demographics being sought by each candidate. The tables below summarize the total number of airings of ads matching your criteria that were run during each television show over the 65 day period. For selected news programming, a preview link is provided to view a sample airing of one of the advertisements that ran during that show.

All Shows Featuring "Tom Corbett"

RankShowAiringsPreview
1Action News125View
2Today87View
3Good Day Philadelphia78View
4Good Morning America76View
5Eyewitness News at 654View
6Fox 29 Morning News at 6a51View
7NBC 10 News at 6pm50View
8Family Feud49
9NBC 10 News at 11p49View
10Eyewitness News at 1145View
11CBS This Morning44View
12Fox 29 News at 1043View
13The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon42
14Action News 600 PM38View
15Eyewitness News at 537View
16Action News at Ten on PHL1736View
17Modern Family35
18Late Show With David Letterman34
19Wheel of Fortune34
20Judge Judy32
21NBC 10 News at 5pm30View
22Extra30
23Jeopardy29
24Dr. Phil28
25Good Day Philadelphia at 928View
26Access Hollywood24
27NBC 10 News Today at 600a23View
28The Insider23
29The Ellen DeGeneres Show18
30Jimmy Kimmel Live18
31NBC 10 News Today at 500a17View
32Action News at 4pm17View
33NBC 10 News at 4pm16View
34FOX 29 News at Five15View
35Judge Mathis14
36NBC 10 News Today at 11a13View
37Lets Make a Deal13
38Action News 530 PM13View
39Fox 29 News at 6PM11View
40Entertainment Tonight11
41Eyewitness News at 7am11View
42College Football11
43NFL Football10
44CBS This Morning Saturday10View
45The Voice9
46The Price Is Right9
47The Doctors8
48The Big Bang Theory8
49Law Order Special Victims Unit8
50Steve Harvey8
51Nightline7View
52Eyewitness News at 5307View
53Eyewitness News at 8am7View
5460 Minutes7View
55Eyewitness News on the CW Philly7View
56The Peoples Court7
57NBC Nightly News7View
58The Queen Latifah Show7
59NBC 10 News Today at 430a6View
60Anger Management6
61Football Night in America6
62Two and a Half Men6
63NBC 10 News at 9am6View
64NBC 10 News Today at 530a6View
65Live With Kelly and Michael6
66The Simpsons5
67CBS News Sunday Morning5View
68Inside Edition5
69Early Today5View
70TMZ Live5
71Dancing With the Stars5
72Americas Got Talent5
73In Depth With Graham Bensinger5
74Action News 500 PM5View
75The Bold and the Beautiful4
76Sports Zone4
77Talk Philly4
78The Blacklist4
79Seinfeld4
80Shark Tank4
81The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson4
82Blue Bloods4
83Fox29 Sports Show4
84How I Met Your Mother4
85The Good Wife4
86Fox 29 Morning News at 4a4View
87Action News Weekend4View
88Inside the Eagles4
89The Meredith Vieira Show4
90Fox Sports Sunday3
91Dateline NBC3View
92Animation Domination High-Def3
93CSI Crime Scene Investigation3
94The Biggest Loser3
95Who Wants to Be a Millionaire3
96Action News Weekend 7AM3View
97NBC 10 High School Blitz3
98Daytime Jeopardy3
99Action News at 1130 P3View
100Person of Interest3
101The Office3
102The Secret Lives of Pets With Hoda Kotb2
103The Young and the Restless2
104La Mission2
105American Ninja Warrior2
106Dish Nation2
107Last Call With Carson Daly2
108NFL Thursday Night Kickoff2
109CBS Evening News With Scott Pelley2View
110NBC 10 News at 6am2View
111Chicago PD2
112NBC 10 News at 10am2View
113NBC 10 News2View
114Paid Programming2
11520/202
116Extant2
117Fox29 Weekend2
118Action News Weekend 6AM2View
119Madam Secretary2
120Face the Nation2View
121NCIS New Orleans2
122Days of our Lives2
123White Collar2
124Bones1
125Open House1
126Scorpion1
127PHL17s In Focus1
128Bachelor in Paradise1
129The Better Show1
130Chasing1
131Under the Lights1
132Eyewitness News Sunday1View
133American Dad1
134Big Brother1
135Family Guy1
136ABC World News Tonight With David Muir1View
137The Wendy Williams Show1
138Fox 29 Game Day Live1
139NBC 10 News at 530a1View
140FOX MLB Pregame Show1
141Reckless1
142The Middle1
143Under the Dome1
144Eagles Game Plan1
145Countdown to the CMA Awards 15 Songs That Changed Country Music1
146The OT1
147Football Night in Philly1
148Eagles Post Game Show1
149Castle1
150Eyewitness News at 6am1View
151NBC 10 News at 7am1View
152The Millers1
153Late Night With Seth Meyers1
154On the Money1
1551st Look1
156Scandal1
157Fox 29 Morning News at 5a1View
158Breakfast with the Candidates1
159Hot Bench1
160Gracepoint1
161NFL Kickoff 20141

All Shows Featuring "Tom Wolf"

RankShowAiringsPreview
1Action News136View
2Today102View
3Eyewitness News at 683View
4Good Day Philadelphia74View
5Good Morning America69View
6Fox 29 News at 1064View
7Family Feud52
8CBS This Morning48View
9Eyewitness News at 546View
10NBC 10 News at 11p45View
11NBC 10 News at 5pm45View
12NBC 10 News at 4pm44View
13Judge Judy44
14Eyewitness News at 1142View
15The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon41
16Jeopardy38
17Good Day Philadelphia at 938View
18Late Show With David Letterman37
19NBC 10 News at 6pm35View
20The Ellen DeGeneres Show34
21FOX 29 News at Five32View
22Dr. Phil32
23Action News at Ten on PHL1731View
24Action News 600 PM31View
25Modern Family30
26Judge Mathis30
27NBC 10 News Today at 600a29View
28Action News 530 PM27View
29The Insider23
30Fox 29 Morning News at 6a23View
31Eye Opener20
32Access Hollywood20
33Lets Make a Deal20
34The Price Is Right20
35Talk Philly19
36Two and a Half Men19
37The Big Bang Theory18
38NBC 10 News Today at 11a18View
39Extra18
40Live With Kelly and Michael18
41Wheel of Fortune18
42Fox 29 News at 6PM17View
43Steve Harvey16
44Jimmy Kimmel Live16
45Action News at 4pm16View
46Eyewitness News on the CW Philly15View
47Fox29 Weekend14
48Despierta America12
49The Good Wife11
50TMZ11
51Who Wants to Be a Millionaire10
52College Football10
53Action News Weekend 7AM9View
54The Young and the Restless9
55Law Order Special Victims Unit9
56NBC Nightly News9View
57Eyewitness News at 7am9View
58Action News 500 PM9View
59CBS News Sunday Morning9View
60TMZ Live9
61NBC 10 News at 9am8View
62NBC 10 News Today at 530a8View
63Eyewitness News at 5308View
64Nightline7View
65Entertainment Tonight6
66Late Night With Seth Meyers6
67NBC 10 News Today at 430a6View
68NBC 10 News Today at 500a6View
69Noticias 655View
70Primer Impacto5View
71Noticiero Univision5View
72The Meredith Vieira Show5
73Inside the Eagles5
74Action News Weekend5View
75Americas Got Talent5
76Shark Tank5
77Blue Bloods5
78Anger Management5
79Noticiero 65 Edicion Nocturna5View
80CBS This Morning Saturday4View
81NFL Football4
82Fox 29 Morning News at 4a4View
83ABC World News Tonight With David Muir4View
84Seinfeld4
85The Voice4
86In Depth With Graham Bensinger4
87Animation Domination High-Def4
88Football Night in America4
89The Amazing Race3
90Madam Secretary3
91Rachael Ray3
92Scandal3
93Eyewitness News at 8am3View
94Stalker3
95NBC 10 News at 6am3View
96Dancing With the Stars3
97The Blacklist3
9848 Hours3
99World Series Pregame3
100The Office3
101La Gata3
102NCIS Los Angeles3
103How to Get Away With Murder3
104NBC 10 News at 530a3View
105Early Today3View
106The Peoples Court2
107The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson2
108How I Met Your Mother2
109Hoy2
110NCIS New Orleans2
111NBC 10 News at 7am2View
112The View2
113Como Dice el Dicho2
114Chicago Fire2
115Dateline NBC2View
116Scorpion2
117Dish Nation2
118The Better Show2
119CSI Crime Scene Investigation2
120The Wendy Williams Show2
121Under the Dome2
122Fox 29 Game Day Live2
123Inside Edition2
124NBC 10 News at 10am2View
125Mike Molly2
126Resurrection2
127Daytime Jeopardy2
128FOX News Sunday With Chris Wallace2View
129Action News at 1130 P2View
130FOX NFL Sunday2
131Saturday Night Live2
132Fox 29 Morning News at 5a2View
133Days of our Lives2
134FOX 29 News Special2View
135The Simpsons2
136Jane the Virgin2
137The Chew2
138Eyewitness News Saturday2View
139Action News Weekend 6AM1View
140The Doctors1
141Countdown to the CMA Awards 15 Songs That Changed Country Music1
142Castle1
143Eyewitness News at 6am1View
144Fox29 Sports Show1
145La Malquerida1
146Face the Nation1View
147White Collar1
1482014 U.S. Open Tennis1
149Motorcycle Racing1
150Fox Sports Sunday1
151Glee1
152Chicago PD1
153Eyewitness News at 430am1View
154Sleepy Hollow1
15520/201
156HouseSmarts1
157MLB Baseball1
158FOX29 News at 111View
159The Queen Latifah Show1
160NBC 10 High School Blitz1
161Election 2014 In Focus1
162The Mysteries of Laura1
163NFL Kickoff 20141
164Quiero Amarte1
165High School Huddle1
166Fox29 Sports Sunday1
167WNBA Basketball1
168Bones1
169Justice for All With Judge Cristina Perez1
170Americas Next Top Model1
171NFL Thursday Night Kickoff1
172Lauren Lakes Paternity Court1
173The Bold and the Beautiful1
174Cristela1
175Arrow1
176To Be Announced1
177Eagles Game Plan1
178Nashville1
179FOX MLB Pregame Show1
180Greys Anatomy1




The Philly Political Media Watch Project

See more information about this project.