Washington, Dec. 11: Media networks in the United States spent over three million dollars more covering Barack Obama’s campaign than they did on his rival John McCain.

According to Politico, media outlets paid 8.5 million dollars to fly Air Obama compared to 5.8 million dollars to ride McCain’s Straight Talk Express during this year’s general election, a difference of 32 percent.

A Politico analysis of campaign finance reports further goes on to say that the spending gap reflects higher overhead costs that Obama passed along to the press, as well as divergent accounting techniques.

But the numbers also corroborate studies – and Republican gripes – positing that the media was more focused on Obama than McCain.

Most major national media outlets spent substantially more money staffing Obama’s “bubble” – as the press corps that travels with the candidates is known – than McCain’s, and the disparities were particularly glaring on TV.

CBS, for example, plunked down 883,000 dollars to put its crew on Obama and Biden’s planes and busses from mid-June through Election Day, versus 480,000 dollars to do the same with McCain and Palin during that time period.

ABC’s trail coverage costs were 812,000 dollars on Obama as compared to 466,000 dollars on McCain.

NBC paid Obama 1.4 million dollars as compared to the 888,000 dollars on McCain.

CNN paid 792,000 dollars for Obama campaign travel and 565,000 dollars for McCain.

Fox News spent 590,000 dollars on Obama and 467,000 dollars on McCain.

Politico paid 168,000 dollars to put its reporters in Obama’s bubble, versus 91,000 dollars to put them in McCain’s.

The most lopsided budgeting award for mass-circulation newspapers goes to Obama’s hometown Chicago papers.

The Tribune spent 127,000 dollars on Obama trail coverage versus 40,000 dollars on McCain, while the Sun-Times paid 33,000 dollars to send its Washington bureau chief Lynn Sweet, as well as reporters Jennifer Hunter and Mary Mitchell on the trail with Obama, but did not spend a dime staffing McCain’s traveling press corps.

The media outlets’ payments are actually reimbursements to the campaigns, which arrange for – and front the costs of – air and ground travel, as well as meals, wireless internet access, risers and other accommodations for journalists traveling with the campaigns. (ANI)