Scott Finn

The nonpartisan group Free Press is calling on stations to do just that. At the very least, the group says, stations should fact check more. A new study by the group found that stations almost never reject third-party and superPAC ads — and few of them were engaging in serious fact checking.

In Florida, the ad war centers on Medicare. In New Hampshire, a big topic this week is federal student loans. The ads show how the campaigns are tailoring their message to specific voters in key states.

Older Cuban-Americans are unhappy with Paul Ryan's past support for trade with Cuba, but that stand may matter less to younger voters in the community. And recent history shows that Ryan's desire to change Social Security and Medicare may no longer be the third rail of politics in Florida.

At the end of August, the GOP convention promises to dominate the national and local news in Tampa Bay and suck all the political air out of the room. So how does Obama counterprogram Romney-palooza? Apparently, by buying lots of TV airtime on The Bachelor, Dr. Oz and Rachael Ray.