More than $1 billion in TV ads have carpet-bombed key states

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/nov/4/more-than-1-billion-in-tv-ads-have-carpet-bombed-k/
One million ads. More than $1 billion. Ten battleground states.
Those eye-popping figures tell the story of the 2012 presidential campaign TV ad blitz — never before has so much money been spent on so many commercials aimed at so few voters.
Television ads were the primary communications tool for the campaigns of President Obama and his Republican challenger Mitt Romney, despite the gradual but persistent shift of viewers from television to the Internet.
While both teams maintained a robust social media presence and used online ads for micro-targeting voters based on their reading and shopping habits, nothing came close to the campaigns’ investment in the kind of 30- and 60-second TV spots that have defined presidential campaigns for nearly half a century.
“Fewer people are witnessing the onslaught than ever before. The ones that are are getting carpet bombed,” Ms. Fowler said.
A newly empowered spate of independent groups helped contribute to the glut, investing millions in their own TV advertising to influence the 2012 contest.
A series of federal court rulings, including the landmark Citizens United Supreme Court decision in 2010, significantly eased campaign finance regulations, freeing corporations and wealthy individuals to spend money to influence politics.