Television advertising has got to be one of the most successful marketing tools that any company can use. It is also one of the most expensive, isn't it? Well, if you want to have your 30 second spot during the next Superbowl, then yes, you can be sure that you would have to spend millions of bucks to get your advert shown then, and it would probably have to be a very short one. So, what would you think it would cost to have a 30 minute commercial aired? I don't think most people could imagine that kind of money! However, you can get a 30 minute commercial spot on one of your local cable channels for less than 30 bucks. No, I'm not kidding, you really can.

The secret behind this is that there is a law that requires every cable company, in every town across the country, to sell what is known as ?leased access' to one of their channels. Not only that, but the government has set the rates, and they can be as low as $5 in some towns. That is for a full 30 minutes of air time. That's longer than most episodes of your favorite soap last, because they have commercial time included.

There really is no catch, apart from the fact that you might have to be a little persistent to be able to get it. Think "Wayne's World". In the movie, how did those two guys manage to get their show on TV? They certainly weren't a major corporation; they were just kids. They weren't stupid though, because it was probably leased access, and you can use it too! Imagine how much promotion you could give your own business in 30 minutes? You would probably only need 3. Well, that's no problem, because you can sell the rest of your 30 minutes to other companies, in whatever length of segments you want to, and for whatever price you choose. Yes, it is legal to sub-lease your leased access.

Not only could you get your own company advertised on TV, but you would make a huge profit out of the remainder of the leased access time. In effect, you are getting free advertising, and getting paid for others showing their commercials. You could afford to hire someone to make a professional commercial for your segment, from the money that the other advertisers pay you. At the end of the day, they would be paying you to advertise your own company.

You might not be able to afford to have a 30 second commercial aired during the next Superbowl, but you can be sure that you will be able to get your commercial onto a cable channel near you. Remember, that the 30 minutes leased access is the minimum amount that the cable networks are bound by law to lease to you. You could request larger amounts, and be able to show your own infomercial, and still have plenty of airtime left to sell to other companies.