The Public File: Who's Buying Political Ads in Hawaii

Want to know how campaigns and outside groups are using TV ads to influence Hawaii elections? Look no further than our version "The Public File."

By law, every local broadcast station is required to keep a public file with documents showing who's bought air time, when the ads will air and how much they paid.

It's an important transparency tool, especially in the wake of the Citizens United ruling allowing corporations and unions to spend unlimited amounts of money for independent campaigns supporting or attacking candidates and issues.

The Federal Communications Commission recently ordered TV stations to begin posting political ad spending information online, beginning with the top 50 markets. Now, people have to visit each station and ask to see numerous individual files to find out.

But Hawaii is not a top 50 market — we're No. 71. That means our local stations, according to the FCC rule, can wait until July 1, 2014 to start posting the information online.

One company, Oceanic Time Warner Cable, has been posting political ad info online for the past few months. But none of Hawaii's local broadcasters — KITV, KHON, KGMB, KHNL, KFVE — make their information available online.

Each week, Civil Beat plans to visit the stations to obtain paper copies that we will scan in and put online. Ours is a local effort to "free the files" that is being replicated throughout the country.

Follow our coverage:

• Campaign Ads Now Hitting Hawaii Airwaves
• Lingle Ads Cost U.S. Chamber Big Bucks
• The Public File: Who's Buying Hawaii Political Ads
• The Public File: Mainland PACs Spend $152,000 on Congressional Races
• The Public File: Mayoral Candidates Join Ad-Buying Race
• The Public File: Pro-Rail Group Steps Up Offensive
• The Public File: Congressional Republicans Attempt to Block FCC Rule
• The Public File: Lingle Pays $5,000 a Week For Cable Channel
• The Public File: Gabbard Enters The TV Ad Game
• The Public File: Honolulu Mayoral Candidates Up the Ad-Time Ante
• The Public File: Pro-Rail Group Hits $500,000 Spending Mark
• The Public File: Hirono Spends $69,000 on Ads
• The Public File: Chamber of Commerce Spends Another $150K On Lingle
• The Public File: Pro-Choice PAC Spends $122K on Gabbard Commercial
• The Public File: Olympics Mean Pricey Political Ads
• The Public File: Pre-Primary Ads Cost Hawaii Campaigns $5.5 Million
• The Public File: Lingle's Post-Primary Ads Stand Alone — For Now
• The Public File: Lingle's General Election TV Spots Still Running Solo
• The Public File: U.S. Senate Hopefuls Divvy Up Hawaii Airwaves
• The Public File: Caldwell's Wife Stars In New Campaign Ad
• The Public File: Hirono, Lingle Each Spend $1 Million On TV Ad Time
• The Public File: Super PACs Dump Nearly $1 Million Into TV Ads
• The Public File: PRP Spends $500K In a Week
• The Public File: Hanabusa, Kaneshiro Make Their TV Ad Debuts
• The Public File: Cayetano Buys First TV Spots Since Primary Election
• The Public File: Anti-Rail Super PAC Floods Local Airwaves With New TV Ad
• The Public File: Mainland Super PACs Bolster Lingle Campaign With More Ads
• Study: Hawaii Sees Twice As Many Political TV Ads As News Stories
• The Public File: Fund for Freedom Buys 1,000 Spots As Election Draws Near
• The Public File: $13.8M Spent on Local TV Ads
• Hawaii TV Stations Cashed In Big On Political Advertising This Year

Loading