Political ads make a run for the border

While a record-breaking $3.3 billion is expected to be spent nationwide on political ads this season, relatively little of that cash is flowing into the Twin Cities TV market. But it's boom times for Minnesota stations in smaller markets along the borders of battleground states Wisconsin and Iowa. Campaigns have spent less than expected in the Twin Cities because President Obama appears to have a sizable lead in the metro. At one point, it looked like the Twin Cities' reach into its eastern neighbor would generate cash on the Minnesota side, just as it did during the attempt to recall Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker last spring. They predicted earlier this year that the Twin Cities' "political heat" would be a six out of 10. About 25 percent of the station's advertising comes from political groups. While one might think many are fed up with the barrage of ads, Martinson said the KIMT phone lines have not been lit up by frustrated viewers.