FCC disputes long-standing view that the shows are exempt from equal-time rule.
The equal-time rule, formally known as the Equal Opportunities Rule, applies to radio or TV broadcast stations with FCC licenses to use the public airwaves. When a station gives time to one political candidate, it must provide comparable time and placement to an opposing candidate if an opposing candidate makes a request.
The rule has an exemption for candidate appearances on bona fide news programs. As the FCC explained in 2022, “appearances by legally qualified candidates on bona fide newscasts, interview programs, certain types of news documentaries, and during on-the-spot coverage of bona fide news events are exempt from Equal Opportunities.”
Entertainment talk shows have generally been treated as bona fide news programs for this purpose. But Carr said in September that he’s not sure shows like The View should qualify for the exemption, and today’s public notice suggests the FCC may no longer treat these shows as exempt.
It’s going to be deliciously ironic if actual leftists use this to get air time
It’s only going to apply to left-leaning shows by forcing them to host conservatives.
Right-leaning shows will find some way to get the supreme court to side with them and give them an exemption.
Now we come to the section of the show we would really like everyone to switch off from, where somebody with an actual qualification and experience in the subject matter explains how we’ve spent the last 45 minutes effectively lying to you.
Thats assuming they don’t just enforce this one way. With Trump, you have to expect it’s going to be one set of rules for his friends and an entirely different set of rules for everyone else.