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Obama Camp, Gas Station TV Firm Clash Over Ads

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By WILLIAM MARCH

The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 7, 2008

TAMPA - It was a neat idea for targeting a political ad: Hit people with a Barack Obama message about gas prices on those new TV screens that are appearing on top of the pumps at gas stations.

While they're watching their money run out through the hose, they'll hear Obama's message saying John McCain is in the pocket of Big Oil.

But the ads never ran, leading to a controversy between the campaign and the advertising company over why.

The Obama campaign blamed the oil industry, saying the company went back on an agreement to run the ads.

"The oil companies shut us down," campaign spokeswoman Adrianne Marsh charged.

She later retracted that remark, but Mark Bubriski, communications director for the campaign in Florida, issued a statement saying almost the same thing:

"Once again, the oil companies and their friends are standing with Senator McCain, the candidate for president who is proposing to offer them a $4 billion tax cut."

The company, Gas Station TV, denied that, saying it has "made a conscious decision not to run political ads," and never agreed to run this one.

In any case, it was an unusual example of a flub by a campaign that normally runs like a well-oiled machine.

It was also an indication that Obama, frustrated at being a punching bag for McCain on energy issues, is eager to hit back.

For days, McCain has been calling him "Dr. No-bama" for opposing offshore oil drilling, and making him the butt of jokes, including handing out tire pressure gauges labeled, "Obama's Energy Plan" - a reference to Obama's comments that keeping tires properly inflated saves gas.

Hitting back, Obama made energy the theme of events Tuesday in Ohio and today in Indiana, and has compiled his proposals on energy into a "New Energy for America" section on his Web site.

The campaign also had plans for events at gas stations it hoped would generate nationwide publicity.

Supporters were to gather at stations and hand out fliers on the energy plan, including City Council member Mary Mulhern at an Amoco station on Fletcher Avenue.

Meanwhile, the Obama ad would play on the TV screens on the pumps.

"As gas prices soared and dependence on oil exploded, McCain was voting against alternative energy, against higher mileage standards," the ad says. "Barack Obama - he'll make energy independence an urgent national priority ... break the grip of foreign oil."

The campaign even called reporters to alert them - but the ads didn't appear.

The Michigan-based company in charge of the gas pump TV screens, Gas Station TV, issued a statement saying it never agreed to run the Obama ad.

The statement from CEO David Leider said the company has been approached by several campaigns, but has "made a conscious decision not to run political ads on our network."

"At no time did Gas Station TV approve the campaign or receive an 'insertion order,' which is required to purchase ad times," he said. He contended the company never saw the ad to review or approve it.

A spokeswoman said Gas Station TV is owned by a media company, Destination Media, not by oil-industry interests.

The Obama campaign tells a different story about what happened with the ad.

Late Wednesday, it sent reporters copies of what it said were e-mails between the campaign's media buyer and GSTV representatives, who said the spot was approved.

"I do not have an IO insertion order, but once I have that, and the asset is delivered, I can have on air with an hour or less," said one e-mail, apparently from a GSTV salesman.

Reporter William March can be reached at (813) 259-7761 or wmarch@tampatrib.com.

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