BEIRUT: Six thousand dollars can buy a minute of air time, but a talk show episode can cost $240,000. In Lebanon, media outlets are charging parliamentary candidates exorbitant prices for coverage.
Whether beamed into living rooms on television screens or heard over the radio, legislative hopefuls are keen to get their messages out to their constituents before the May 6 election.
The long-awaited vote is the first since 2009, and marks the end of a years-long political stalemate that had paralysed Lebanese government institutions.
The deadlock had also left news organisations across Lebanon starving for both content and funds. Most of their financial backers are politically affiliated and have found little use for their media arms in a time of muted political rivalry.
But now that elections are on, the competition, the news cycle, and the money are flowing again. In addition to paid campaign ads, private outlets are also charging candidates for one-on-one interviews and appearances on talk shows.
“Election season has prompted Lebanese media outlets to offer packages that can reach up to $1.5 million per electoral list,” says Roula Mikhael, who heads Maharat, a civil society group monitoring Lebanon’s upcoming vote.
The price lists are only recited verbally, to avoid being traced, but Maharat received a detailed breakdown from some campaigners. “A month and a half ago, a minute on a morning television programme could cost you $1,000. But the prices go up steadily as the elections get closer,” says Mikhael.
Now, a minute of air time on some privately owned television channels will rack up a $6,000 bill. Radio stations charge $3,000 for a 15-minute interview. And channels perceived as independent can charge more than those with clear political affiliations.
In a first, Lebanon’s new electoral law has set a spending limit on campaigns and established an electoral commission to monitor media appearances.
Paying for coverage is not illegal, according to the law, but channels are required by the commission to identify sponsored media appearances and specify who paid for them. Its chief, former judge Nadim Abdulmalak, told AFP the amounts cited by Maharat were higher than those reported to the commission. But he did admit outlets were violating other parts of the legislation.
