Black Media Outlets Focus on Obama Ads

The Barack Obama campaign hasn't spent much on advertising in African-American media, a trend many hope the candidate will reverse as he gears up for the general election, Advertising Age reports. "The audience has to be motivated to get out and vote," says a BET exec who cautions against taking the support of networks' viewers for granted.

The overarching goal is a trickle-down boost for state and local candidates who would benefit from voters pulling the lever for a straight Democratic ticket. "The Obama campaign should take nothing for granted,” says an ad-agency exec. "The traditional Democratic voter will come to the polls. The hard-to-count and younger voter will propel him to victory." (More Barack Obama stories.)