The 30-second ad features Obama's message of "fighting for the middle class and promoting jobs," according to Obama communications director Robert Gibbs.

In the ad, Obama says he will fight to end tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas, Gibbs said.

Gibbs said the ad buy was "significant" and was running across North Carolina, but he did not provide specifics on the cost.

A check of WRAL records Friday, though, indicated that the ads will air during today's NCAA East Regional final.

Obama's campaign has a contract with WRAL through Monday in which he bought time during the East and Midwest regionals. Other programs that will have Obama ads include "Face the Nation," "Sunday Morning," "The Early Show," "60 Minutes" and "The Late Show with David Letterman," as well as early morning and evening news broadcasts.

Obama spent $20,859 on the spots and has notified WRAL that he will be making another buy soon.

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has not yet aired TV commercials targeted to the May 6 primary.

The Obama campaign also announced Friday that it has opened 13 offices in all of North Carolina's major cities, as well as in some smaller communities such as Elizabeth City and Hickory.

Gen. Shelton for Hillary

Retired Gen. Hugh Shelton, a North Carolina native and a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is among 19 retired military officers pledging support to Clinton.

In a news release, the officers repeat Clinton's oft-used phrase about picking a president "who can be Commander-in-Chief on Day One" and cite her experience on the Senate Armed Services Committee as reason for their support.

Until the public forgets

Former state Rep. Thomas E. Wright wants a delay in his criminal trial, in part because of the publicity surrounding his historic expulsion from the N.C. House this month.

Wright's attorney Doug Harris filed a request for a delay Friday.

A grand jury indicted Wright, a Wilmington Democrat, in December on five counts of obtaining property by false pretenses and one count of obstruction of justice. All counts are felonies. Court is scheduled to convene Monday at 10 a.m., when the motion would likely be heard.

A trial, Harris wrote, "should be moved into the summer to get as far away from the election, the Legislature's actions, and highly prejudicial remarks as humanly possible."

Playing on D.C.'s court

If the Final Four were based on federal grants, UNC-Chapel Hill would still be in the game.

The nonprofit Center for Responsive Politics took a closer look at the federal lobbying efforts of the Sweet Sixteen teams in the NCAA Tournament.

"Many of the colleges and universities that these players represent are also players in Washington, represented by lobbyists who are seeking research grants, earmarks and other funding for the institutions that hire them," the Center wrote.

On the lobbying bracket, UNC won $310,000 from the federal government. That put it in competition with UCLA ($560,000), the University of Wisconsin-Madison ($160,000) and Michigan State ($300,000).

Newt in Jones' camp

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich helped raise $70,000 Thursday night for Republican U.S. Rep. Walter Jones of Farmville, according to the Jones campaign.

More than 160 people attended the event at the Pitt County home of former state GOP Chairman Ferrell Blount and his wife, Lynda.

(David Ingram of The Charlotte Observer contributed to this report. )