From a certain perspective, the biggest political story of 2016 was how the candidate who bought three-quarters of the political ads lost to the one whose every provocative Tweet set the agenda for the day’s news coverage. With the arrival of bot farms, microtargeted Facebook ads, and Cambridge Analytica, isn’t the age of political ads on local TV coming to a close? You might think. But you’d be wrong to the tune of $4.4 billion just in 2016. In U.S. elections, there’s a lot more at stake than the presidency. TV spending has gone up dramatically since 2006, for both presidential and down-ballot races for congressional seats, governorships, and state legislatures—and the 2020 campaign shows no signs of bucking this trend. When candidates don’t enjoy the name recognition and celebrity of the presidential contenders, it’s very much business as usual. They rely on the local TV newscasts, watched by 30 million people every day—not Tweets—to convey their messages to an audience more fragmented than ever. At the same time, the nationalization of news and consolidation of local stations under juggernauts like Nexstar Media and Sinclair Broadcasting mean a decreasing share of time devoted to down-ballot politics—almost 90 percent of 2016’s local political stories focused on the presidential race. Without coverage of local issues and races, ad buys are the only chance most candidates have to get their messages in front of a broadcast audience. On local TV news, political ads create the reality of local races—a reality that is not meant to inform voters but to persuade them. Voters are left to their own devices to fill in the space between what the ads say—the bought reality—and what political stories used to cover.

Finance and real estate reporter Jane Hodges explains how the housing market works and breaks down all the pros and cons of buying and renting to help consumers make the best choice for their budget, market, emotional needs, and future.

Rooted in research and clinical practice, Compulsive Buying examines the drive that compels people to compulsively purchase and hoard their acquisitions. The authors and contributors cover the entire scope of this behavior and discuss what clinicians need to know in order to better understand and treat their clients. Among the key subjects examined are case reports, correct diagnosis, assessment and instruments, comorbidity, treatment, research, and directions for future research. The book ends with a useful guide for therapists, which includes data and research; and a treatment manual, which includes questionnaires and exercises for clinician and client alike.

This Palgrave Pivot offers a history of and proof against claims of "buying power" and the impact this myth has had on understanding media, race, class and economics in the United States. For generations Black people have been told they have what is now said to be more than one trillion dollars of "buying power," and this book argues that commentators have misused this claim largely to blame Black communities for their own poverty based on squandered economic opportunity. This book exposes the claim as both a marketing strategy and myth, while also showing how that myth functions simultaneously as a case study for propaganda and commercial media coverage of economics. In sum, while “buying power” is indeed an economic and marketing phrase applied to any number of racial, ethnic, religious, gender, age or group of consumers, it has a specific application to Black America.

Over the last few decades, the radio documentary has developed into a strikingly vibrant form of creative expression. Millions of listeners hear arresting, intimate storytelling from an ever-widening array of producers on programs including This American Life, StoryCorps, and Radio Lab; online through such sites as Transom, the Public Radio Exchange, Hearing Voices, and Soundprint; and through a growing collection of podcasts. Reality Radio celebrates today's best audio documentary work by bringing together some of the most influential and innovative practitioners from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia. In these nineteen essays, documentary artists tell--and demonstrate, through stories and transcripts--how they make radio the way they do, and why. Whether the contributors to the volume call themselves journalists, storytellers, even audio artists--and although their essays are just as diverse in content and approach--all use sound to tell true stories, artfully. Contributors: Jad Abumrad Jay Allison damali ayo John Biewen Emily Botein Chris Brookes Scott Carrier Katie Davis Sherre DeLys Lena Eckert-Erdheim Ira Glass Alan Hall Natalie Kestecher The Kitchen Sisters Maria Martin Karen Michel Rick Moody Joe Richman Dmae Roberts Stephen Smith Sandy Tolan

Many young people aspire to own their own home but face a myriad of challenges such as high property prices, the need to raise a large deposit, and difficulties of getting a mortgage. The process of buying a property is also stressful, fraught with complexity and uncertainty, and a mistake can prove very costly. This book therefore provides a much-needed step-by-step guide to help those seeking to buy a property for the first time. Packed with helpful and practical tips, this book gives a complete overview of the house-buying process, including finance, legal and property aspects. The authors discuss a wide range of topics, including: creating the right mindset the pros and cons of home ownership how to choose a suitable property how to save for a deposit how to negotiate for a better price how to get a mortgage the steps in the house-buying process how to ensure that mortgage payments can always be met The book is written by experienced property buyers who have bought multiple properties, who have worked as a mortgage adviser and financial planner and who understand personal finance. It will be essential reading for undergraduate students in the field of accounting and finance and will also appeal to the general public, particularly those seeking to buy a property for the first time. After reading the book, readers will be able to map out a plan to buy their first property with greater confidence and make a better and more informed decision that will bring financial rewards.