NBC Forced to Give Trump Airtime After Violating FCC Rules
NBC News faced scrutiny from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) after Vice President Kamala Harris appeared on ”Saturday Night Live” (SNL), which led to ramifications for the network. Following Harris’s appearance, the FCC determined that NBC had violated the Equal Time rule, which requires broadcasters to offer equal airtime to all political candidates. In compliance with this ruling, NBC was compelled to provide former President Donald Trump airtime during the NASCAR broadcast on Sunday, where he delivered a 60-second ad criticizing the Biden-Harris administration and its economic policies.
Harris’s SNL segment was perceived as heavily favorable towards her, presenting her in a comedic and flattering light. The skit included mockery of Trump and an endorsement of Harris by a character played by Maya Rudolph. Critics, including Republican FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr, argued that the timing and nature of the Harris sketch did not provide adequate equal representation for other candidates, specifically pointing out that the ad for Trump aired immediately after the NASCAR race and was not comparable in content or viewership.
Carr raised concerns regarding the proximity of Harris’s appearance to the election, suggesting that NBC’s scheduling effectively sidestepped the Equal Time rule, which aims to prevent media bias by ensuring that all qualifying candidates receive comparable airtime. Additionally, he highlighted the need for candidates to request equal time within a seven-day window, further complicating the situation for others like independent candidates Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Jill Stein.
NBC News was forced to give former President Donald Trump airtime on Sunday after the outlet violated Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules by giving Vice President Kamala Harris a spot on Saturday Night Live (SNL).
The roughly 60-second Trump ad came Sunday toward the end of NBC’s broadcast of NASCAR’s Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway.
Trump, donning a “Make America Great Again” hat, highlighted the failed economic policies of the Biden-Harris administration, the recent disastrous jobs report, and warned a “depression” was looming.
“We have to straighten out our country, we have to close our borders, we have to lower our taxes, we have to get rid of inflation,” Trump said as he stood in front of several American flags. “And we’re going to do it. Just remember, Kamala and her friends broke it — I’ll fix it.”
But the seemingly last-minute ad slot provided to Trump doesn’t compare to the blatant election interference NBC News engaged in on Saturday when it provided Harris with a very pro-Kamala 90-second time slot.
SNL opened by making a mockery of Trump and vice presidential hopeful J.D. Vance before Maya Rudolph — playing Harris — began shilling for the Democrat ticket. Nearly six and a half minutes into the obvious Harris ad, Harris herself appears to give words of wisdom to the fake Harris.
“I’m just here to remind you, you got this, because you can do something your opponent cannot do — you can open doors,” Harris says to Rudolph, before Rudolph begins her glowing endorsement of the real Harris.
“The American people want to stop the chaos –” Rudolph said.
“And end the drama-la –” Harris chimed in.
“With a cool, new stepmom-ala, kick back in our pajama-la’s and watch a rom-com-ala –” Rudolph said.
“Like Legally Blonde-ala,” Harris says. The duo then cracked a joke about voting, with Harris desperately asking if Rudolph is registered to vote in Pennsylvania.
But as CBR Chair of Politics, Censorship, and Free Speech at the University of Austin Michael Shellenberger argued in a post on X, Trump’s Sunday appearance was not “comparable” to Harris’ — which is required under FCC rules.
“The SNL skit was funny and humanizing and created by the best minds in television. The Trump campaign had to cobble something together at the last minute,” Shellenberger said in the post.
“And, as of now, over 9 million people have watched the clip on YouTube. There’s no way that 9 million people will see the Trump message that NBC put on after NASCAR.”
Republican FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr said in a thread on X that Harris’ appearance on SNL ran afoul of the FCC’s “Equal Time” rule. The Equal Time rule stipulates that broadcasters give qualified candidates “comparable time and placement” on air.
“With only days before the election, NBC appears to have structured [Harris’] appearance in a way that evades these requirements,” Carr alleged. “What comparable time and placement can they offer all other qualifying candidates?”
Other qualifying candidates include independent presidential candidates Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Jill Stein, Carr pointed out.
This is a clear and blatant effort to evade the FCC’s Equal Time rule.
The purpose of the rule is to avoid exactly this type of biased and partisan conduct – a licensed broadcaster using the public airwaves to exert its influence for one candidate on the eve of an election.… https://t.co/LliZF0po9t
— Brendan Carr (@BrendanCarrFCC) November 3, 2024
Carr further explained “another complicating factor.”
“Since SNL made a secret 180 only 50 hours or so before election day, their decision runs into the seven-day rule component of the Equal Time statute. The FCC’s seven-day rule affords qualifying candidates one week to request their Equal Time from the broadcast station.”
As Carr explained, the seven-day rule gives each candidate adequate time to prepare for how they will use their allotted time. But SNL, according to Carr, “structured the … candidate appearance (just hours before an election) in a way that denies all other candidates their one week procedural right.”
SNL also gave time to Virginia Democrat senator and failed vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine. But under the Equal Time clause, SNL was also then required to provide Hung Cao, the Republican candidate in Virginia, equal time. In a statement posted to X, Cao said he disagrees with calls to sue NBC for violating the Equal Time clause.
“I was barnstorming 12 towns and cities across Virginia yesterday talking about how we’re going to secure our border & lower prices, while Tim was being a human punch-line in New York City,” Cao said.
The Center for American Rights (CAR) filed a complaint on Monday “demanding that the FCC enforce long-standing federal law by fining NBC for its willful violation of these basic principles of broadcasting.” SNL’s executive producer, Lorne Michaels, previously said neither candidate would appear on the show to avoid violating the Equal Time rule. CAR alleged that the last-minute switch-up proves Michaels knew he was violating the Equal Time rule.
Brianna Lyman is an elections correspondent at The Federalist. Brianna graduated from Fordham University with a degree in International Political Economy. Her work has been featured on Newsmax, Fox News, Fox Business and RealClearPolitics. Follow Brianna on X: @briannalyman2
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