Cable news can't get enough of GOP front-runner Donald Trump, and revealed its fascination with his presidential campaign again Thursday afternoon by spending 30 minutes broadcasting live footage of an empty podium ahead of Trump's press conference.

The bizarre scene played out as Trump prepared a response to denunciatory comments from former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.

Mediaite's Sam Reisman was first to spot that the cable news networks, including MSNBC, CNN and Fox News, were glued to broadcasting images of Trump's empty podium.

"It is worth noting that Trump's banner directs Mainers to text 'TRUMP' to a number, presumably to allow the campaign to build its Pine Tree State list," he wrote.

"So Trump effectively got the three networks to air a free billboard for about half an hour," he added. "The address had been scheduled for 1:30pm. When Trump didn't show, each network commenced to provide live updates of what an unattended stage looks like for 30 minutes."

And here are images of what amounted to a free 30-minute advertisement for Trump:

Fox News:



CNN:



MSNBC:



Since announcing his candidacy in June 2015, Trump has dominated headlines and captivated newsrooms everywhere.



The casino tycoon has enjoyed eight straight months of unbroken coverage, and has easily outpaced all of his opponents, both Democratic and Republican, in terms of media mentions and panel discussions.

Trump has had his face on the front of every major newspaper, cable networks have covered nearly every word out of his mouth, and the major networks — including CBS, ABC and NBC News — have led countless evening newscasts with stories about the former reality TV star's bid for the White House.

Numerous Trump rallies have been covered live by the cable networks, with many of them refusing to break even for commercials, and the 2016 GOP front-runner has been hosted for multiple hour-long primetime specials on Fox News.