Bryan Republican Bill Flores hit the TV airwaves this week, unrolling a job-themed advertisement in the lower two-thirds of the House district represented by U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco.

In the ad, Flores walks across a factory floor. As he faces the camera, Flores, a staunch critic of the stimulus package, takes a dig at federal job-creation efforts.

“Democrats in Washington think new jobs come from government programs, but I know they come from right here in the private sector,” he says.

Bryan Republican Bill Flores is hoping to influence district voters with TV ads purchased for the southern two-thirds of the district.

A narrator goes on to describe Flores’ background as a businessman, saying he “created over 500 American jobs.”

Flores worked in a number of oil and gas industry ventures and most recently was the chief executive officer for Phoenix Exploration in Houston.

The ad is running on network TV stations in the Waco and Bryan-College Station areas.

Flores’ campaign spokesman, Matt Mackowiak, didn’t disclose how much money is being spent on the ad but said Flores bought around 1,000 gross rating points in Waco and Bryan-College Station.

A gross rating point is a statistic tied to how many viewers will watch a spot. The cost of a point varies from station to station and by media market.

During the 2008 election cycle, media consultants estimated that 1,000 points cost around $73,000 in Waco and Bryan-College Station markets.

The cost historically has been more than 10 times higher on Dallas-Fort Worth stations.

The Flores campaign did not buy ads at Metroplex stations, which broadcast to the northern part of the district.

Mackowiak said the campaign would determine later when, and with what frequency, the ads will air.

“We’ll be making decisions about which commercials are airing and when as the campaign develops,” he said.

Bob Lauck, of Lauck Marketing in Woodway — unconnected with either campaign — said Flores’ ads would be enough to “do some damage.”

He predicted that Flores is likely to step up its ad buy as the campaign progresses, given that Edwards has $2.1 million in the bank.

mshapiro@wacotrib.com

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