On January 21, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) warned broadcasters that daytime and late-night talk shows must abide by the equal-time rule, which, until now, they were exempt from. The equal-time rule, introduced in 1927 due to limited broadcast frequencies, forces some television and radio programs to give equal time to opposing candidates in a race.
In a four-page memo, the FCC announced that it would take each exemption from the equal-time rule on a case-by-case basis. The memo expressed doubt that the equal-time rule exemptions were sweeping. This is despite a 1959 measure by Congress which liberalized the equal-time rule, so that programs did not have to give similar amounts of time between opposing candidates.
The FCC immediately used this revisionism to persecute ABC shows “The View” and “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” ABC had already suspended Kimmel’s show after threats from FCC Chair Brendan Carr, but reintroduced it after popular outcry. Later, it would employ its distorted interpretation of the equal-time rule to censor an interview between Stephen Colbert and Texas politician and candidate for Senate, James Talarico.
Trump has left little doubt regarding his intentions of imposing state censorship on programs that are critical of him, arguing that the FCC “should revoke TV broadcast licenses for networks that consistently criticize him.”
