Two top cable news networks have substantially raised advertising rates on programs believed to be watched by President Trump in the wake of his election, Politico reported Saturday.
The cost to air an ad during MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” has increased two-fold, one media buyer said. And primetime shows on Fox News have hiked their advertising prices by roughly 50 percent.
The revelation comes as numerous outside groups race to influence Trump’s decision making. The president has made no secret of his propensity to monitor news shows, and he has appeared to respond to live on-air news reports on Twitter.
In November, for example, Trump tweeted that people who burn the American flag should face punishments, such as jail time or revocation of their U.S. citizenship. That comment almost immediately followed a Fox News report about flag burning.
That makes advertising on the network a potentially valuable route for lobbying the president.
“The president’s media habits are so predictable, advertisers migrate to those areas,” a media buyer told Politico.
A Washington, D.C.-based consultant said that some of his clients were looking to buy advertising time during “Morning Joe” and “The O’Reilly Factor,” with the hope that Trump would hear their messages.
