In January, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) demanded that daytime and late-night TV talk shows featuring interviews with political candidates must comply with equal time rules that give airtime to views of opposing candidates and that the shows can’t rely on a 2006 decision that suggested they were exempt. Now, the FCC is going to be taking on The View, after they reportedly ran afoul when when they gave Texas Senate candidate James Talarico 9 minutes to speak, while giving his opponent, Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, 17 minutes. The inequity appears to have set off an alarm on the new emphasis on equal time. The FCC ruled that any program or station seeking assurances that the equal time requirements don’t apply should promptly file a petition for a declaratory ruling. Disney, the parent company of ABC, which has aired The View since 1997, didn’t make an equal-time filing for Talarico’s interview, which suggests they are relying on the exemption. Also under scrutiny is ABC’s late-night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live!, which has also violated the equal-time rule. Meanwhile, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr has been busy attempting to rid the airwaves of what he sees as a liberal bias against President Donald Trump.
