Role of the Television Media in the Presidential Election 2010

Abstract

Throughout history politicians have used various methods, such as whistle-stop speeches, political advertising and political rallies, to achieve their "primary goal, the winning of votes. Politicians have found that it is most advantageous to use political advertising to persuade voters. Political advertising has always been a central feature of every culture. As encountered in the mass media, it is pervasive and inescapable Commercial advertisements are widely accepted as fair and legitimate marketing. Political advertisements deal with the production, dissemination, procession and effects of information, both through media and interpersonally, within a political context. In recent years, political advertising has become essential to campaign strategy, and many regard it as far more intrusive than routine commercial advertising. Because political advertising, unlike product advertising, must get results in a short period of time, political practitioners use several kinds of political advertising: image, issue and negative advertising. In television media it has big power to change behavior of the audience. Certain political activists have been struggling with the same task even longer, attempting to influence election outcomes by using media to communicate with the voters. Candidates issue position, candidate image, voter group membership and retrospective voting. The message of the advertisement is what ideas that the candidate wants to share with the voters. The message often consists of several talking points about policy issues. The points summarize the main ideas of the political advertisements and are repeated frequently in order to create a lasting impression with the voters The Objective is this research is to identify how television political advertisement effected to the presidential election 2010.Methodology of this study is survey method and comparative method. Observation and questionnaires used as data collection method. We collected data randomly from people in every district. We distributed 100 questionnaires per district. We considered the content of the political advertisements. We focused only two main candidates for this research. We considered nominations accepted date in 2009 to date which the election was held in 2010.When we analyzing data on last presidential election we paid our attention on age limit of the audience, and the television channel which was telecasted these commercials. According to our research we found television advertisement helped to create public opinion. Nationality and victory of war used to create these television commercials. Advertisements which were telecasted on ITN channel created more impact on the audience. This is because ITN has a wide coverage more than the other channels. We found eighteen advertisements which remembered to the audience. There were so many political advertisements at that time but the “Tharunyata Hetak” was the most effected advertisement which telecasted on television, because so many stars used to create that advertisement. Content, visuals, music, colours used to political advertisements to enhance their message.