The value of party election broadcasts for electoral engagement

Abstract

Within the UK, party election broadcasts (PEBs) and party political broadcasts (PPBs) continue to be the only means through which parties can communicate directly with the electorate through TV and radio – as such, they are an important part of the political communication process. In 2003 the Electoral Commission made strong recommendations for the continuation of PEBs rather than opt for paid-for ad spots. The Commission called on all interested parties to ensure future PEBs fulfilled their potential as a mechanism to engage the electorate. It is in this context that this paper presents the results of a content analysis of all 14 British PEBs aired during the 2001 British General Election by the three main political parties: Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat. We also compare our findings with previous research on the PEBs used in the 1992 and 1997 British General Elections. While similarities emerge in terms of demonstrating a dominance of issues over image, the tone of the PEBs indicates that advertising in the 2001 General Election was far less negative than in those of 1992 and 1997. In conclusion we offer some pertinent thoughts on why British political parties currently use their allotted PEB airtime in ways that do not necessarily exploit their electoral engagement potential, and how both audience viewing and engagement of the electorate might be enhanced with judicious use of PEBs in the future.

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