Is taxpayer-funded commercial with Massachusetts Sec. of State William Galvin a PSA or campaign ad?

A series of television advertisements airing in Massachusetts are narrated by Sec. of State William Galvin. But they raised a series of questions for one WBZ-TV viewer.

The commercials begin with Galvin talking over patriotic images of local heroes from the Revolutionary War. He gives mini history lessons on what these brave men did to help birth a nation. A disclaimer at the bottom of the screen says some of the images are AI generated.

In his three decades on the job, Galvin has been in several television ads, and most aren't billed as campaign ads.

The recent slew of commercials airing across Boston, including on WBZ-TV, sparked Steven Gusenoff of Newton to call with some questions he was hoping to get answered in the Question Everything series. Gusenoff said he liked the commercial.

"But then it ran again, and again, and again. Day after day, week after week, and every channel I turned on," he said.

Gusenoff realized the more he saw the commercial that he had several questions.

"What is the value and meaning of the spot? What was the cost to produce the spot? What was the cost of the media buy? And most importantly, who was paying for the media adventure?" he asked.

Gusenoff noticed that Galvin talks about freedom, voting and how it's more important than ever to stand up for Democracy. But, there is no specific information about voting, registering to vote or how to find out about important races and ballot questions.

Galvin is not accused of any ethics violations. Right now, he's not accused of any wrongdoing at all. But, our viewer had questions and it's not the first time viewers wonder about Galvin's role in commercials. Going through the WBZ-TV archives, we found that 10 years ago, other viewers had questioned why he's in so many commercials.  

What is the cost of these ads?

The secretary's office said the spots cost $23,000 to produce and $180,000 to buy the air time. Of that $203,000, about $30,0000 had been offset by donations from Arbella and Liberty Mutual.

The state was hoping for more donations by the end of the fiscal year in June, but the balance would be paid for by taxpayers. So, right now, that's $173,000.

Where does the money come from?

The money comes from the budget of the State Archives and the Commonwealth Museum. Both fall under the umbrella of the Secretary of the Commonwealth's office. The State Archives building is in Dorchester near UMass Boston.

It's a beautiful building where you might go to gather documents to piece together your family tree. It is also home to some of the most important documents in our state's history.

The Commonwealth Museum, attached to the Archives building, has great artifacts and even had a copy of the Declaration of Independence. Right now, it has a great display to commemorate our nation's 250th birthday. That is where Galvin's "freedom" commercials come in.

Why is the museum not advertised?

Galvin's ads talk about some of the historical figures being honored at the exhibit at the Commonwealth Museum. But, nowhere in the commercials is the museum mentioned, except a URL for the museum's website that pops up in the final seconds on only one version of the ad that is airing.

There is no "come see this amazing museum and learn more about our history." Just stories about Henry Knox and Paul Revere and messages about standing up for our freedom. Galvin is also featured prominently.

Are these campaign ads?

Secretary Galvin met with WBZ-TV at the museum to talk about the ads. He said he is very proud of them, and the viewer who asked about the ads said he loved them too. But the question remained. What is the point? Are they basically campaign ads for Galvin, who is planning on running for re-election in the fall?

Galvin bristled at the idea of these ads being campaign ads.

"These are not campaign ads," said Galvin, who referred to them as history lessons and said he disagreed with any critics who say he shouldn't be in the ads in a campaign year because, "the election isn't for another eight months."

Galvin was asked why the Commonwealth Museum and State Archives weren't mentioned if the commercials were being paid for from those budgets. Galvin said a 30-second ad didn't give him enough time to give a history lesson and also mention the museum.

"I could have put a shot of the outside of the building but then people wouldn't understand why there was a shot of the building," he said, before being told that it would have taken seconds to mention where residents could learn more. "Time is tight. I would have had to sacrifice Henry Knox and Geroge Washington."

If the hope was to prop up the museum, why did Galvin not have someone from the museum narrate the commercial? Galvin said that as the chairman of the Massachusetts Historical Commission, it was his job and he didn't think anyone else could do it.

"I could have hired a professional actor or broadcaster but that would have cost money too," he said.

If you would like to see the commercials in question, the secretary has them on the office's YouTube page.