CINCINNATI — As we transition from summer to fall, it is also the time of year when political commercials and messaging are hard to avoid. They are all around you — on your social media accounts, on the websites you visit, and on the TV stations you watch, including WCPO 9.
It is estimated that $11.6 billion will be spent on political advertising during the 2026 election cycle.
If you live in a state with competitive races, you can expect to see more advertising than the average American during an election cycle.
This year, in the Cincinnati area, we already experienced a competitive primary race for Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District in the spring. In the general election, the U.S. Senate and governor races in Ohio are among the most competitive in the country, and that means significant dollars are being spent to get your vote. Advertising for these races started in the spring and will continue to ramp up all the way to Election Day on Nov. 3.
Every year, many of you who watch WCPO 9 ask legitimate questions, including:
Why are you running all of these political commercials?
That political ad is full of lies!
How can you run the content in that ad?
That’s why we thought it was important to explain how the political advertising business works for broadcasters like WCPO 9.
WCPO 9’s ability to broadcast its signal into your home is regulated by the Federal Communications Commission, also known as the FCC. As part of our license with the FCC, we must follow federal laws in order to stay in business and continue providing you with news and other programming.
Under FCC rules for political advertising, broadcast television stations are required to provide reasonable access to legally qualified federal candidates. Candidates are also protected by the FCC’s “no censorship” rule, which prevents stations from refusing or editing a candidate-sponsored ad based on its content. In other words, those ads must run as provided to us by the candidate.
You will also notice advertisements from political action committees, also known as PACs. Those commercials are funded by private groups that support or oppose a candidate or issue. Unlike candidate-sponsored ads, PAC ads are not covered by the FCC’s candidate “no censorship” rule.
WCPO 9 and our parent company, E.W. Scripps, support the free speech principles of the First Amendment, which emphasize robust and open debate about the political process. Although some political action committees may use aggressive tactics during campaign season, their ads are generally considered political speech.
In each political commercial, the candidate or PAC must identify who is responsible for the advertisement, either through audio, on-screen text, or both. If you have objections to the messaging in a political ad, that is who you should contact to express your concerns.
A resource you may want to check out is the Federal Election Commission's website, where you can examine how much money a federal candidate has raised and spent.
What we can continue to do at WCPO 9 is make a commitment to provide complete, unbiased news coverage. We realize there are many sources for election news, and we appreciate that you turn to us for fair, factual coverage.