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.
And what about news shows, including those that are claimed not to be news shows in order to avoid regulation?
The fuck kind of rule is that?
Is this why we have to entertain anti-vaxxers?
I don’t think they thought this one through. You absolutely don’t want to be putting republicans on stage with comedians that’s a really bad idea.
Most of these shows would love to get a republican on so they could ask them very simple questions that they know they won’t be able to answer.
Just let those talk show hosts roast every damn one of them with continuous accurate questions designed to hurt their weak feelings. Should be a dream for some of these guys who you can tell would really like to rip on some of their guest. Let them all keep score by how many they get to leave the interview.
I’m glad somebody’s finally taking on the important issues affecting the American people.
please, bring it back. it’s what created modern fox news https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairness_doctrine
This is where the old Stephen Colbert would have come in handy. Most conservatives had no idea he was making fun of them.
Do it and ask hard ball questions. “So, rightwing sociopath, what do you think Trump’s favorite part about fucking children is?”
Well of course, first and foremost he likes their small hands. It makes him feel more naturally proportioned.
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.
How does the View not count an interview program? It doesn’t specify the quality of the interviews.
That would be applied to both sides, yes?
The republican news sources are generally cable in part to avoid any accountability
Well you say that but CBS…
Why the fuck do we have so many shit laws on the books. “Oh yeah that’s the free speech lever we made in the 60s. We don’t really use it but its nice to have around”
