Rod Blagojevich’s media blitz may have prevented the ex-Illinois governor from facing serious jail time.

Craig Sautter, visiting faculty of the School for New Learning, said the Blagojevich trial falls perfectly within the “long, glorious tradition of high public officials being convicted of some of the more spectacular crimes.”

Nearly a year after Blagojevich took office – and taking an oath to “faithfully discharge the duties of the Office of Governor” in 2003 – his administration was under federal criminal investigation. The governor’s fundraising came under scrutiny.

The Chicago Tribune revealed that Blagojevich had raised almost $1.9 million in campaign donations connected to state board officials he appointed.

Blagojevich was accused of trying to sell Barack Obama’s vacant Senate seat and pressuring Tribune Co. to fire editorial writers critical of him.

After being the first governor in Illinois to be removed after impeachment in 2009, Blagojevich launched a media spectacle.

He traveled to appear on national TV shows like “Good Morning America,” “The View,” and “The Late Show with David Letterman.” His wife Patti appeared on the reality show “I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here!”

For Sautter, who had predicted a hung jury, it is unclear whether or not the media circus played into the descending juror’s opinion. The juror had a different point of view than most other people, but it was inevitable that “someone out there would say, ‘Show me the money,'” Sautter said.

So did storming the media actually work in Blagojevich’s favor?

Bruce Newman, marketing professor from the College of Commerce, said Blagojevich “pursued a public relations campaign to shape his image as a person, as a politician, and as a captive of the system.” His political marketing strategy was to use the media to communicate with the general public, potential jurors and the prosecutor, Newman said.

A jury convicted Blagojevich of making false statements to the FBI, but it also reported that it was deadlocked on 23 out of 24 counts against him.

“Blagojevich obviously had a successful marketing strategy because he was let off of 23 of the 24 charges, with the media blitz no doubt playing a large role in the outcome of the trial,” Newman said.

Mike Conklin, journalism instructor in the College of Communication, said the media parade ultimately didn’t make a difference because there isn’t any proof that pre-trial publicity influences juries.

“The fact is, and I’ve known Rod since he was a State Senator, he’s always been an image-conscious, moth-to-the-media-flame person who cannot resist seeing himself on TV,” Conklin said.

Because Blagojevich generally chose media outlets that favor shallow news reporting, Conklin believes it only highlighted the flaws of his case.

“If he had a real case for innocence, he might have been better served to lay it out to serious journalists,” Conklin said.

When it comes down to it, this summer’s blockbuster trial was a prime example of how a public figure can turn into a spectacle of public shame.

“The risk of his use of this strategy is that he begins to look not quite as innocent and appealing. I think people become bored,” Newman said.