Fox News donated at least $500,000 in free advertising to promote tea parties, according to a Daily Kos analysis of a new report by Media Matters.
The Media Matters report revealed that Fox aired at least 107 free advertisements for tea parties from April 8 through April 15. Based on Nielsen viewership numbers reported by Media Bistro's TV Newser, a CPM (cost per thousand) of $4.06 for a 30-second advertisement (source: SNL Kagan), and adjusting the CPM for 10-second promotional ads, Fox delivered $659,617.37 worth of advertising.
The details of the Daily Kos analysis -- which is limited to Fox's free ads and does not include the heavy coverage given to the tea parties by Fox's hosts -- can be viewed here.
Given the inherent lack of precision in generating this analysis, it is conservative to state that Fox donated at least $500,000 in advertising to promote tea parties.
Here are some examples of ads run by Fox to promote tea parties: