EQUAL TIME Definition & Meaning

equal time

noun

an equal amount of time on the air, which radio and television licensees are required to offer to opposing candidates for public office and to those voicing diverging views on public referendums.

equal time

A ruling of the United States government, administered by the Federal Communications Commission, requiring that all candidates for public office be given equal access to the free or paid use of radio and television.

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of equal time¹

First recorded in 1960–65

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

The CBS case is second-guessing editorial decisions on “60 Minutes,” and NBC is incorrectly accused of violating the equal time rule.

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As it turns out, the Trump campaign was given equal time by the network, but the most important question is why the anachronistic rule still exists at all.

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If an equal time rule for broadcasters ever made sense, it was on the basis of scarcity of news outlets.

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Even before the 2024 presidential election, Carr announced on cable news that the agency would look into whether a cameo appearance by Harris on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” had violated the “equal time rule,” indicating license revocation was an option.

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“Say: ‘Some people are not feeling like they have equal time in the shower.

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