The :30 Second Candidate: The TV Program: page 1

THE 30-SECOND CANDIDATE
DELVES INTO TV-DRIVEN POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS

It's the day before the first congressional election of 1998, and California media consultant Jackie Breedlove has her work cut out for her. She's never had a client lose an election, but now she's facing more than just an opposing candidate. Outside groups are flooding the airwaves, pushing their own agendas and trying to alter the outcome of this special election. How Breedlove tries to outflank this controversial new trend is one of several scenes captured in THE 30-SECOND CANDIDATE, a new one-hour documentary adventure into the world of political advertising.

From California to south Georgia to small-town elections in the Midwest, the 30-second TV spot now dominates American politics. THE 30-SECOND CANDIDATE explores the evolution of this political art form, its growth and some possible options for reform. THE 30-SECOND CANDIDATE traces the history of the political TV ad,from its beginning during the 1952 presidential campaign of Dwight D. Eisenhower through the last presidential campaign of 1996.

Robert Squier	Commentators include Robert Squier, who put together President Clinton's advertising campaign in 1996, and Alex Castellanos, who played the same role for Republican challenger Bob Dole.	Alex Castellanos
Kathleen Hall Jamieson	Kathleen Hall Jamieson, Dean of the Annenberg School for Communications at the University of Pennsylvania, and Jeff Greenfield of CNN add their observations and help dissect ad techniques.	Jeff Greenfield

The program also follows all three candidates in California's recent Democratic primary for governor, in which one contender, Al Checchi, spent $40 million -- and lost. The documentary captures the closing days of that campaign and assesses what happened and why.