NBC recently gave former President Donald Trump’s campaign some free airtime during a NASCAR race, following Vice President Kamala Harris’ recent appearance on Saturday Night Live (SNL).
This move is linked to an FCC rule about giving “equal time” to candidates who request it. Here’s what happened and why NBC took this unusual step.
Vice President Kamala Harris appeared briefly on SNL, where she participated in a skit with comedian Maya Rudolph, who often impersonates Harris on the show. During the 90-second skit, Rudolph’s “Kamala” character shared a pep talk with the real Kamala Harris, ending with a light-hearted line, “Keep Kamala and carry on-ala.”
But Harris’ appearance on SNL didn’t go unnoticed. According to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules, if a broadcast station gives time to a political candidate, it must offer the same opportunity to other candidates who request it.
Although Harris’s appearance was just a quick comedic bit, this rule still applies. That’s why, the day after her SNL appearance, Trump’s campaign team requested that NBC give him equal time. NBC responded by airing a 90-second clip of Trump during the network’s coverage of a NASCAR race on Sunday.
In this ad, Trump spoke directly to the camera, wearing a red “Make America Great Again” hat. He warned viewers that re-electing Harris and her party could cause a “depression” and urged people to “go and vote.” This marked an unusual moment for NASCAR fans, who aren’t used to seeing political ads during a race.
NBC has not announced whether any more airtime will be given to Trump’s campaign, or if other campaigns will also make requests. However, they would be required to give a similar amount of time to any other campaign that asks, in keeping with the FCC rules.
Lorne Michaels, the creator of SNL, has previously mentioned these rules as a reason why the show avoids inviting active political figures on in the lead-up to elections.
However, some criticism has come up regarding how NBC handled this situation. FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr, who might become the FCC chair if Trump is re-elected, called Harris’ SNL skit a “blatant effort to evade the FCC’s Equal Time rule.”
Carr noted that airing a candidate’s appearance so close to Election Day can be problematic, especially within the FCC’s “seven-day window,” which covers the week before elections.
It’s also important to mention that the FCC rule on equal time doesn’t require identical airtime. For example, Trump didn’t need to appear on a comedy show to match Harris’s SNL skit.
Instead, the rule just says that a “comparable” amount of airtime should be given to other candidates if they ask for it, and this can be in different formats or time slots.
NBC’s decision to air the Trump ad during NASCAR highlights the way equal-time rules can impact media coverage around elections, especially as candidates make last-minute efforts to reach voters.
News Source: The Hollywood Reporter
