“The president’s media habits are so predictable, advertisers migrate to those areas,” said one media buyer. | Getty TV networks hiking ad rates for shows Trump watches

MSNBC and Fox News are capitalizing on President Donald Trump’s TV watching habits, dramatically increasing issue-advocacy advertising rates in recent weeks as companies and outside groups try to influence Trump and his top lieutenants.

The ad rates for “Morning Joe” have more than doubled post-election, according to one veteran media buyer. Trump, who reportedly watches the show most mornings, has a close relationship with “Morning Joe” host Joe Scarborough, and they talk regularly.


Fox News’ “The O’Reilly Factor” and other prime-time programs on Fox News have boosted their rates about 50 percent. Trump also is a frequent viewer of the network’s prime-time shows.

“The president’s media habits are so predictable, advertisers migrate to those areas,” said one media buyer.

One prominent D.C. consultant said some of his clients, including a big bank and major pharmaceutical company, were negotiating this week to buy ads on “O’Reilly” and “Morning Joe” because they knew they had a good chance of reaching the president. Trump has also been known to respond directly to what he’s watching on television and tweet statistics and topics he sees on-air. Those tweets often drive news coverage during the day.

“Instead of lobbying through the usual channels, it’s like speaking directly into the president’s ear,” he said. The consultant also said some companies are proactively placing ads in order to avoid a Trump tweet, or in at least one instance trying to prompt Trump to tweet against their competitors.

One source at MSNBC acknowledged that ad rates for “Morning Joe” would likely go up. She said that “with strategically placed ad buys in New York and D.C. it’s likely the rates would increase ... [and] we would capitalize on increased interest.” Fox News declined to comment.

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