Springfield TikTok users discuss proposed ban
SPS school board candidates to spend $181K on campaign ads
Aaron Schekorra described TikTok’s impact on his small business as “life changing.”
Schekorra, executive director at The GLO Center in Springfield, owns and operates Own Your Pride, an online LGBTQIA+ pop-up shop. Since he started selling products through TikTok last year, Schekorra said about 75% of his business’ sales come from the platform. But now, Schekorra and countless other business owners and creatives are wondering about the future of the social media platform, as it faces scrutiny from the federal government.
On March 13, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill — with a vote of 352-65 — that, if approved by the Senate, could force TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to sell the social media platform or face a ban in the U.S. Additionally, the new owners must not be based in countries adversarial
Through April 2, it may be nearly impossible to watch KYTV for any length of time and not see a campaign ad for one of the Springfield school board candidates.
Five of the seven candidates on the ballot — all vying for three open seats — have completed contracts to air their 30second ads in the days before the election.
Collectively, the five plan to spend $181,603 for 560 spots, based on the contracts uploaded to the station’s public inspection file Friday.
Of the spots, 96 will air during the first couple days of April.
They are primarily running during local to the U.S., including China, Russia, Iran or North Korea.
At the heart of the issue are concerns that, if requested by the Chinese Communist Party, TikTok would have to turn over information about its American users. Under a 2017 Chinese law, the government has the right to any personal news broadcasts, the NBC Today Show, talk shows such as Kelly Clarkson and Wheel of Fortune.
None of the campaign advertisements so far have been negative. All have touted the priorities and endorsements of the candidates.
The largest contract belonged to incumbent Scott Crise, vice president of the board. He is the manager of gas plant operations for Associated Electric Cooperative, Inc.
The campaign ads for Crise, who will spend $45,000 for 138 spots, started March 19.
That same day, ads started for incumbent Danielle Kincaid, president of the board. She is an attorney and a partner with the Elder Law Group.
Kincaid has agreed to spend $40,000 data collected by companies that could be relevant to China’s national security.
In December 2022, ByteDance fired four employees for accessing private data on two journalists in hopes of discovering the origins of a report that was leaked about the company, according to reporting by The Washington Post.
If enacted by Congress, the U.S. legislation would give ByteDance 180 days to sell the TikTok platform to a new company, although there has been talk that the timeline could be extended by the Senate, if finding a new buyer in six months proves too daunting.
If ByteDance was unable sell the platform in time, it would become illegal for app stores, including the Apple App Store and Google Play, to offer TikTok for download. It would also require internet service producers to make TikTok inaccessible for 126 spots.
The contract for Susan Provance, a first-time candidate, is nearly identical to Kincaid’s approach. She is also paying $40,000 for 126 spots.
Provance is a retired Springfield teacher and coach who currently helps lead the district’s archery program.
A political action committee, United Springfield, donated $20,000 each to Crise, Kincaid and Provance that was just earmarked for TV commercials. In a campaign disclosure report filed in late February, as required, the PAC reported raising $120,992.
The leadership of the PAC said it did not plan to provide any additional funds to the three during this election.
The ads for incumbent Maryam Mohammadkhani, a retired pathologist,
The eNewspaper is an electronic copy of your print newspaper. Enjoy every page by going to news-leader.com/enewspaper or scan this code on your mobile device. You will also find late news and sports in the bonus sections. Check it out today! were slated to start March 22. She agreed to pay $32,201 for 99 spots.
The campaign for Chad Rollins, a pharmacist and director of operations for
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