Romney encourages feds to spend ad money locally

U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Uah, joined his congressional colleagues in urging the acting director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to direct existing federal advertising funds to support local radio and television broadcasters and newspapers during the coronavirus pandemic. OMB has responsibility to direct the advertising budget of the federal government and decide when adverting will run.

In a letter to Russell Vought, OMB’s acting director, the senators, led by Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, the senators highlighted the financial challenges that local newspapers and broadcasters face during this time and the integral role they play in keeping communities informed.

“Our radio and television broadcasters and rural newspapers provide local and national news, emergency alerts, educational programs, and more to all corners of the United States. In many rural areas, broadcast stations are the predominant or only form of local information,” the senators wrote. “We encourage the Office of Management and Budget to work with federal agencies throughout the government to increase advertising in local newspapers and on broadcast stations in order to help ensure they are able to continue to operate throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.”

“Increasing local advertising will both help disseminate important information to communities and support local media with revenue that will help keep them operating,” the letter said.